Masterpiece of contemporary cinema

Rating: 9/10 (17 July 2014)

Let me be clear about one thing first, this is by far the best wrestling movie I've ever seen. This movie has some of the most intimidating and breathtaking fighting scenes that you cant get to watch in real fights. When the fight commentator confirms that 'Tommy Riordan definitely is real', I figured this really hyped up Gavin O'Connor movie Warrior definitely is real. Daron Aronofsky's The Wrestler (2008) was the fighting movie of my mode with more of life, emotions than the fighting, Micky Rourke acted his best in that Oscar nominated movie. Paddy Conlon reminded me of that old fighter re-entering his life with a lot of difficulties. After awhile Tommy and Brendan Conlon and their twisted relationship resembles another two brothers in The Fighter (2010). But none of them mentioned above are worthy to be the epic one, Warrior, I would say has everything to be remembered as the finest wrestling movie ever made.Although there is a lot of cage in this movie but for me, the story is beyond the cage. I have no say about that war hero part, I think everybody knows that the Iraq War is no heroic war to be fought. People of America need to fight a greater war than that.
The last fighting scene tells us too much about brotherhood, about family and about Integrity. I saw the scene as a conversation between two brothers who's passed a long time not seeing each other. When you have a brother who's angry as a mad bull, strong as a lion and not realistic at all, you gotta tame that bull down, sometimes in a cage trapped in an even bigger cage of this world. They both won the fight, more precisely the war, together coming out of the cage as warriors.
I'm happy that Tom Hardy is the villain in Christopher Nolan's next Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises, because after Heath Ledger set the standard too high doing The Joker in The Dark Knight, I would be really disappointed to see someone any less charismatic and talented as Tom Hardy. He is the iconic beast with strong instincts and superficial fighting style but unfortunately a very mentally twisted and lonely fighter here. Joel Edgerton, on the other hand a high school Physics teacher trying to get the money for his family. Eventually both of their egos and clashes fall apart in the ring and all that remains is a pure classy drama of brotherhood. Extremely glorious performances from every major character.
The movie is tight enough to make you not to do anything during the playtime, dialogues are few in quantity but full of wisdom and quality. About the soundtrack, beside all the well suited sounds in the fights, the last song I believe is a post rock explosive which burst out with joy and glory at the end, nothing could be more appropriate than that. Overall, very good time watching this cult masterpiece. This is the story of the fight of our time.