Now Playing: Warrior (2011)

Before the weekend was out, I really wanted to get back to the theater to catch the other big release this weekend, Warrior. I had heard some pretty good buzz surrounding it, even thought the trailer hadn't done the best job of selling to me. In fact, the trailer had actually convinced a number of my friends that it was a movie they didn't want to see, and I was only able to convince 1 person to come see it with me. Big thanks to @Foebeard for trusting in my judgment and taking a chance on seeing it with me! If you're curious about if this is worth your money, don't hesitate to click the jump link! I'll see you on the other side.


The story of Warrior can be summed up pretty easily, but that doesn't mean it's quite so easy to explain. What I mean is, if I were to go into all the details of what is going on which each character and why they are doing what they're doing, this would get much more long winded than it usually is anyways. Also, it might take away from some of the discovery on the film, so I'm going to keep it really simple. So basically, there are two estranged brothers, Brendon and Tommy, played by Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy respectively. Due to unrelated factors in both their lives, both turn to mixed martial arts (MMA) fighting to earn money they both need. Their need and will lead both fighters into the biggest tournament the sport has seen, possibly ever! The winner-takes-all prize is $5 Million! Both had good reasons for needing the pay out, but who wants it more, and what are they willing to do for it is the only question here.

Brendon trains by entering parking lot MMA fights to get him back in the game

While they aren't new to movies, and both have a number of roles under their belts, I still find Edgerton and Hardy to be fairly fresh faces, and to be honest I didn't even recognize them. I was actually really surprised to find out that Tommy was played by Tom Hardy. I've seen him before in a number of movies, the most recent being Inception, but he just looked and acted to differently I totally didn't realize who he was. To me, both actors simply were their characters.

Now for those people who really like UFC or MMA, this movie will not disappoint. There are tons of fights, and they're all pretty good and filled with action. All the hits look like they really land, and there are a lot of technical moves and throws that look like they must have really hurt. I'm really not sure how they made this movie without actually beating the crap out of everyone in the movie.

Tommy trains with his old man, despite his hate for the man

While I didn't want to get into too many details about the story and the motivations behind the characters, I do have to say that it was really good. Both fighters had their own reasons for entering the fight, and they both looked at it in different ways too. The other cool thing was that while I was clearly rooting for one brother, I could totally understand if someone else was rooting for the other. Both have justifiable and noble reasons for wanting to win. Also their relationship to each other and their father was interesting and I liked how their backgrounds were very slowly revealed, and not it a direct way. We only find out about their past by piecing together bits of conversations here and there, but it was still all clear by the end and I really liked that.

Tommy and Brendon face off. More than money is riding on this one.

I was really up and down with this film. There are times when I was probably happier watching this film than I have been in ages, and moments later it could be touching and sad. The depth of the characters all around was fantastic, and I think you'll see Warrior up for some awards at the end of the year. It's a strong, emotional drama, but it's also packed with really realistic action that gets your heart racing; you'll be on the edge of your seat! Not to mention that it looks fantastic too! I highly recommend this film, and I not only felt it was worth the price of admission, I probably could have paid even more and would still have been happy. If you're a fan of MMA fighting of any kind, this is pretty much a MUST SEE. You know who you are! Can't wait to see how this does at the end of the year!