Warrior is one of the best movies ever made!

Rating: 10/10 (23 April 2012)

I heard something about this movie upon its brief showing at the theater, but because of atrocious advertising it was not seen by many including myself. So upon it's release on DVD and based on all the great reviews by critics and past viewers I decided to rent. Well, as the credits rolled at the end of my viewing I felt I had just watched one of the greatest movies ever made. I don't think "Rocky" or "The Fighter" are on the same level as "Warrior."
The acting from Mr Hardy, Mr Edgeron and Mr Nolte was truly amazing. These actors made you embody their character.
Paddy - played superbly by Nick Nolte was a drunk and abusive father. Mr Nolte was excellent in the hotel scene where it seemed like his son Tommy had finally broken him has he returned to the bottle...it's then I felt sadness for this terrible excuse for a father.
Brenden - The older son who is a devoted and loving husband and father of two girls is on the brink of financial collapse. Everyone loves Brenden - his family, students, faculty and long time friend. By all accounts he is a good man.
Tommy - the younger son. How my heart cried for Tommy. A man so broken by so much pain and suffering because of what life had thrown at him. There was this feeling of abandonment from his older brother who decided to stayed with his drunken abusive father, the heartbreak of caring for his sick mother while watching her die surrounded by poverty and the horror of war as he stood witness to his entire combat unit and best friend succumb to friendly fire, with him being the only surviver. Tommy is emotionally and mentally scared. Tommy is rage toward everyone, especially his father and brother. The only peace he seems to find is in his mission to help his dead best friend's wife financially. So he must win the MMA competition
That final fight in the iron cage between Tommy and Brenden was heartbreaking. Tommy's anger toward his brother had almost reached the point of madness. He was like a caged animal let loose. He was willing to fight almost to his death, but this man was calmed when his brother said "i'm sorry" and "I love you" You saw that steel of armor drop revealing a broken and sensitive man who had never stopped loving his brother.
Mr Nolte and Mr Edgeron gave excellent performances, but it is Tom Hardy who stood out for me. I feel he gave one of the best performances I have ever seen on screen. And as a fellow Brit I am proud to say he is one of the best actors to come out of England in decades. I've seen his brilliance in Bronson as Charles Bronson, his cool and likable Eames in Inception and that of Handsome Bob in RocknRolla, to name a few. The man is a chameleon.
It's such a shame Warrior was not more recognized because Mr Hardy gave a Oscar worth performance and Edgeron should have been up for supporting actor. At least Mr Nolte got recognized.
This lady gives Warrior 10 out of 10