Warrior is the best movie of the year so far!

Rating: 10/10 (25 November 2011)

Don't be misled by the name- Warrior is no action movie. It is though, a superlative emotional roller-coaster, inter spaced with the occasional punch or too. In the style of Rocky, this is a combat sport movie, on the lives of two brothers- who set out on different paths that converge in one titanic fight in the ring, and the greatest thing about this movie is that you don't get to pick sides, you root for both of them till the very end.
Tom Hardy plays Tommy- an ex-Marine who was a champion mixed martial artist, trained by his father. With the build of a bulldog, he has the personality of a champion too- brooding, confident, and with the capability to finish off his opponents in seconds. But he is also disillusioned, a deserter from the armed forces, and a dipsomaniac too. Joel Edgarton plays Brendan, and he is every bit the proverbial underdog. When he was a kid, his father was never interested in him as he saw more potential in Tom, and we all know how favoritism from parents can make the unfavored sibling feel. And so he always has a point to prove- when his coach tells him that when the moment comes, he will tap out or when his wife tells him that he won't go all the way - it shows in his eyes when he says he will. And yet, Brendan, like most of us, fights best when his back is to the wall.
Both the brothers don't talk to each other, and also harbor deep resentments towards their alcoholic father, whom they blame for their mothers death, and for mistreating them. And no one could have played this redemption seeking, guilt ridden yet trying to pull himself together father as Nick Nolte did. In one of the movie's finest scenes, he breaks down in his son's arms reciting Herman Melville, and with that builds bridges too. A surefire Oscar nod for this, I hope.
The first half focuses on what all directors aim to do but cant- character development. Little by little insights into the lives of the main characters, what drives them, gives us a glimpse of what drives them towards participating in a global mixed martial arts championship. The second half has some of the most authentically choreographed fight scenes in MMA history, and credit goes to both Tom and Joel for making this look so real- it feels that they have been doing this all their lives, and not only for this movie.
Both have contrasting fighting styles- Tom is overpowering, dominating, and attacking, while Joel is fast, stealthy, thinking, absorbs a lot of punishment but gets his foe down in the end- reminds me so much of my childhood WWF hero, Bret "The Hit-man" Hart. And the one thing common between the two is that none know how to give an inch. So when the climactic, emotion filled final bout between the brothers take place, one of them has to shout repeatedly to the injured other that he loves him, so that he gives up and the fight gets over.
The movie is predictable as most sports based movies are- families unite, barriers are broken and champions emerge. But Warrior, in spite of its clichés, holds its own as a powerhouse of a movie. Many Oscars coming the Warrior's way, I say!