Doesn't connect with the knockout, but wins on points.

Rating: 7/10 (29 October 2011)

Movie gods be praised. Because after the laziest, most uneventful Australian winter at the cinemas that I can remember, the more impatient among us are just now seeing signs that things are about to pick up again. A quick scan of any cinema's day sessions shows an array of new films covering tastes all across the board, which is more than I could have said this time two weeks ago. Leading the charge of intrigue in the long run to the Academy Awards is Warrior, an emotional heavyweight that, on first impression, looks like it might just sneak in with a Best Picture nomination of its own.
Once a promising young martial artist, Tommy (Tom Hardy) has recently returned from national service in Iraq still bearing a grudge against his lousy father (Nick Nolte) for his alcoholism and failure to keep the family together. Meanwhile, estranged brother Brendan (Joel Edgerton) is a physics teacher moonlighting as an amateur fighter- the only thing keeping a roof over his family's head. When the two hear of an MMA tournament pitting sixteen of the world's best middleweights against each other for a grand cash prize, each man decides to enter for very different reasons.
Powerhouse performances from all three main actors are the strongest suit of Warrior. Edgerton plays off a strong script in developing an engaging character the audience can immediately empathise with, while Hardy displays impressive depth as the brooding, heart-of-stone Tommy. Starting out as a mostly bit-part actor in grit films, Hardy came to mass attention as whimsical fan favourite Eames in Inception. With this film, he proves he can take on more dramatic, challenging roles with equal success, and with a supporting role in Nolan's final Batman outing next year, 'promising' would be the greatest of understatements to describe how his career is shaping up.
The standout, however, is Nolte. The masses are right to lavish praise on his Oscar-baiting performance; one that is certain to earn him at least a nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He is the greatest accompaniment to a film packed full of touching and highly emotive moments, and his role as the father desperately trying to rebuild a once happy home life leads to inevitable comparisons with last year's excellent The Fighter, which is by no means a bad thing. In fact, without giving anything away, it is arguable that the most emotional scenes of Warrior are on a heavier scale than those of The Fighter, which should be reason enough to go and see it.
The entire film is beautifully shot, in particular the fighting scenes that set up the aforementioned emotional peaks. Subtle nods to genre-moulders Rocky and Raging Bull create the most immersive cinematic experience possible short of walking out with a broken nose. Warrior continues the recent trend of films set in Pittsburgh (always good news for an adopted Steeler/Penguin/Pirate such as myself), a perfect fit due to its naturally gloomy, industrial surroundings, which complement the serious (and occasionally miserable) subject matter nicely.
The film loses some points for an overly predictable second act. Admittedly, the climax is quite original and never fails to maintain the viewer's attention, but the path taken to get there is somewhat stale. This results in a handful of convenient moments that we're supposed to believe could really happen, which is too much of a stretch for a film that takes itself as seriously as this one.
For example, an injury suffered by one of the competitors thrusts Brendan into a tournament (at a time when he is a relative nobody in the world of MMA) supposedly restricted to the world's most accomplished fighters. Another such moment during the tournament itself is equally lazy (which can't be divulged lest I give away major spoilers) and prevents the film from pushing its way into the 'all-time classics' department. But in the end, these are downfalls, not dealbreakers, and can't keep Warrior from earning a respectable score and a personal recommendation.
*There's nothing I love more than a bit of feedback, good or bad. So drop me a line on jnatsis@iprimus.com.au and let me know what you thought of my review.*