Warrior
Starring: Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, Nick Nolte
Director: Gavin O’Connor
Rating: 5/5
Warrior was my favourite film of 2011 and I get to heap praise on it all over again as it hits DVD & Blu-Ray this week.
If you haven’t seen this movie that it’s one that you really should check out - don’t let the fighting side of the movie out you off as it is not all about kicking the crap out of an opponent.
No this is a very emotional family story about damaged bonds between brothers and father and sons throw in some fabulous fight scenes and you have one hell of a movie.
The ultimate test of a fighter becomes the ultimate test for a family when ex-wrestler Tommy (Hardy) returns home for the first time in fourteen years to enlist the help of his estranged father (Nolte) to win a coveted Mixed Martial Arts tournament.
By chance, Tommy’s fighter-turned-teacher brother Brendan (Edgerton) has also entered the tournament in a desperate bid to provide for his family and the stage is set for a climactic confrontation between the two brothers.
The ace card of this movie are the central performances from Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton - they don't only go above and beyond the call of duty in the physical scenes but they pull out emotional turns outside of the cage.
Hardy, Edgerton and Nolte play damaged men in performances that are riveting from start to finish.
Hardy, as we have come to expect from the actor, is simply superb as Tommy - a man who is still scarred by the betrayals and difficulties of the past - it a raw and emotional performance that should be applauded.
He has a huge physical presence in the movie he just dominates ever scene that he is in - whether that be fighting in the cage or arguing with Edgerton on a beach.
Edgerton is also excellent as a father who is trying to make ends meat for his family so gets back in the fighting to make some money. His family are what drives them forward but he is still haunted by the decisions that he made in his past.
The fight scenes really are brutal there is not getting away from that and, as an audience member, you feel like you have been in the cage with them.
Sure many will draw similarities with The Fighter from earlier this year but Warrior's action sequences are more impressive not to mention that it packs more of an emotional punch.
This is a character driven piece that has been made with such heart and passion from everyone involved. Director Gavin O'Connor really must be applauded from getting the best out of his actors.
Warrior is out on DVD & Blu-Ray now
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
Tagged in Tom Hardy Nick Nolte Joel Edgerton