Warrior

I'm hard to break when it comes to emotions. I've seen a lot of the best emotional films. Schindler's List, Forrest Gump, Grave of the Fireflies, Requiem for a Dream, The Green Mile, It's a Wonderful Life, and most recently I Lost my Body. But this is the one that finally cracked me, and for the first time in my life, I've cried to a movie. I don't even like sports, but the sheer intensity and stress I felt in the fight scenes is overwhelming.

Dear god this is a masterpiece.

OK, Lets talk about the the big pink elephant in the room first. Yes, the movie has a similar storyline from movies of the past. And yes, it may be, to some, "just another fight movie. However, Warrior has the audacity to challenge the cliché's and still manages to stand out from the rest. Bottom line, Warrior is a well written and directed emotional roller coaster that will have you at the edge of your seat. With a star studded cast and top notch acting, the performances were solid and believable. Nick Nolte in particular did a fantastic job with his role and will have you nearly in tears. As the movie progresses you will be torn on what you would like to see happen for the climax of this entertaining thrill ride. Movies with this much emotional power connected to the characters only come around every once in a while. Go see this movie to finish off the summer or forever regret not supporting what is sure to be a classic!

Just saw a sneak peek of Warrior. All I can saw is WOW! Great film. Great performances. The characters are deep and believable and the story will probably have you leaving the theater in tears.

The fight scenes were done really well. I've been cage side at hundreds of MMA fights as a photographer and believe me when I say this is some of the most realistically portrayed MMA action I've seen to date on film.

Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Morrison and Nick Nolte all give good performances and I think Nick Nolte had a couple of moments in the film that should be considered Oscar worthy.

I know a lot of people won't agree with me on this and I can understand, but Warrior has bumped Rocky out of my top 5 favorite movies of all time. IMHO (which some of you will consider worthless) I think it's that good.

I had the pleasure of seeing Warrior at 2011 CinemaCon, walking in not knowing a thing about the movie, other than it was a movie about 'fighting.' And though a MMA movie (Mixed Martial Arts), not boxing, per se, for the genre, fighting, Warrior delivers a much better story than The Fighter, and is on par with Clint Eastwood's Oscar winner, Million Dollar Baby.

Expect a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nod in 2012 for Nick Nolte. And superstar status for Tom Hardy.

Warrior, though a work of fiction, plays out like a true story; two brothers at odds with each other and their father, in the town of Pittsburgh, who resort to prize fighting, one for the money, the other to prove himself a man.

Every so often you'll come across a combat sport movie that manages to find just the right balance of drama and action – that is, more drama than action. When fights are justified with backstories full of crushing emotion, they become all the more intense and gratifying.

Warrior brings to the table the world of mixed martial arts, where punches, kicks, holds, and everything else goes. The inception of new international tournament "Sparta" puts on a collision course Paddy (Nick Nolte), Brendan (Joel Edgerton), and Tom Conlon (Tom Hardy), all part of an estranged family torn apart in the past by abuse, favoritism, and abandonment. Tom resurfaces in society to enlist the help of his formerly alcoholic father Paddy to train him for the tournament, while at the same time Brendan revisits his UFC training in hopes to win the $5 million purse for his struggling family. The two underdogs face some of the toughest MMA fighters on the planet, but the true struggle appears to lie within them. Paddy battles for forgiveness against the resentment of his sons, Tom fights to prove to himself that he is strong, and Brendan struggles to come to terms with his older family while trying to support one of his own.

The fantastic thing here is two protagonists entering the same tournament. Each brother has his own respectable reasons for fighting, a fact that is sure to divide the audience when it comes time to choose which one to root for. The story truly is gut-wrenchingly powerful and presented in an engaging fashion. Little by little through the film's dialogue, we are allowed a glimpse into the past hardships of the Conlon family, and the characters' motivations for retaining such hatred are revealed gradually. Through the incredible acting talents of Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, and Nick Nolte, this confused and passionate chemistry really comes alive. All three actors put up some of the most convincing and heartbreaking performances of their careers; and seeing as how The Fighter garnered so many Oscar nominations, I can't see why Warrior will not do the same. My only beef with the movie is its clichéd climax and rather bleak inconclusive ending, though it still does good to the emotional schism the movie intended to create.

Warrior is one of those sports films with a magical mixture of emotional and physical battle. It's a wonderful story showing how sometimes the world's strongest forces are insignificant in comparison to the troubles of a scarred family. Warrior is without a doubt worth a visit to the theater. One of the best of 2011! And whether you're an MMA fan or not, the adrenaline-pumping fights will have you up and cheering and applauding.

9/10