Adding to the List of "Great Fighting Movies" is...

Rating: 9/10 (26 April 2016)

Warrior is directed by Gavin O'Connor and is the story of two brothers (Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton) that come from a disconnected background, and became MMA fighters. Their father (Nick Nolte) is a former alcoholic that is trying to get back in touch with his sons, but is seeming to fail. The two brothers both enter the same fighting arena, and must both learn once again how to be fighters, and, more importantly, brothers.
Being a Tom Hardy fanboy, I was pumped for Warrior. I also love Nick Nolte, and respect Joel Edgerton as an actor as well, so this movie had me hooked. I thought the movie was going to be great, and I was right. Warrior is a great movie all around, with great action, and a lot of heart to it, to the point of tears. Warrior also features some great acting, from all three actors mentioned above, and more.
In fact, the acting is the best thing about Warrior. Tom Hardy plays an amazing young man who doesn't like people, and just needs an output for his anger, which is mixed martial arts. Joel Edgerton also does really good. His character, Brendan, is a thirty- something year old that is in a bit of an unstable situation with his home and family. He plays this character very nicely, and adds a lot to this film. Nolte delivers yet another great performance, and plays this done-with-alcohol old man near perfectly. His chemistry with the actors that play his sons is what really carries this movie, and the acting is great.
The direction, particularly during the fights, is great. O'Connor is pretty nice with the camera, and films all of the action smoothly. Rather than a shaky cam orgy, all of the cuts are paced well, and the camera near to never shakes. The script, also by Gavin O'Connor, is great. His combined skills with the camera and the pen add for some very heartfelt and tension packed scenes between the two men and their father.
The only problem I had with Warrior was the back and forth element in the first hour or so. To summarize, the first hour or so is more intent on explaining the backstory between the disrupted family, and also focuses on getting all three of the main characters to the MMA tournament. Within this time period, the story will show part of Tommy's (Hardy's) life, and then some of Brendan's (Edgerton's). For this time, Tommy is being trained by his father, so those two characters are together, but the story bouncing back and forth between the two brothers is a bit distracting. Right when one side sucks in the viewer, the other takes over the film, and pulls you right out of the experience. Luckily, after the first hour or so, this stopped, and the rest of Warrior flowed evenly.
In conclusion, Warrior is an amazing movie. With the combined acting, camera work, and tear inducing story, Warrior is another movie to add on the list of "great fighting movies," along with other giants, such as Rocky (1976).