Director: Gavin O’Connor
Story: Gavin O’Connor, Cliff Dorfman
Screenplay: Gavin O’Connor, Anthony Tambakis, Cliff Dorfman
Producers: Greg O’Connor
Starring: Joel Edgerton, Tom Hardy, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Morrison
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Running time: 140 minutes

(4.5/5)

In order for a sports film to become transcendent, it must seamlessly blend the emotion and physicality of the sport with the heart and soul of the athletes themselves. I am not sure that I could have written a more cliché sentence to introduce my thoughts, yet I am equally unsure that it is possible to provide thoughtful analysis of something as grounded in clichés as sports without delving into the metaphorical. Few sports films accomplish this, choosing to focus too much on either the person or the event and failing to enthrall the viewer. In reality, such a film must make us love or hate the athlete so much so that we carry our emotions into the competition, creating an actual rooting interest in a decidedly unreal event.

Rocky is such a film. Raging Bull is such a film. The Wrestler is such a film. And Warrior is such a film.

Taken at face value, it almost seems unlikely that Warrior would be such a film. Brendan (Joe Edgerton) is a kindhearted family man with ubiquitously bad luck – the cliché extends to his profession, schoolteacher, which is among the most thankless careers. Tommy (Tom Hardy) is an off-kilter ex-marine seeking fame and fortune (or, perhaps, fortune and glory). And Paddy (Nick Nolte) is a former drunk, several years sober, trying to make amends for his years as an absentee father. To top it off, Brendan and Tommy are brothers, and Paddy is their father.

Of course, watching any film requires the viewer to look past the conventions of the medium and pay mind to the execution.

A key strength in Warrior lay in its editing and pacing. There is nary a scene or moment that feels wasted, nor is there anything that I would qualify as filler. The plot unfolds in a steady, slow-burn fashion, gradually drawing the viewer more and more into the heart of Brendan and Tommy’s struggles. Everything feels important, and nothing appears superfluous.

Without giving too much away, suffice it to say that the fighting is both brutal and well-shot. The ferocious nature of mixed martial arts is captured perfectly with respect to sight and sound, and O’Connor chooses to let the fighting speak for itself (as opposed to utilizing obnoxious slow-motion or something of the sort).

The writing itself does fall prey to some of the conventions of sports films, but Warrior does not suffer as a result. The scenario is somewhat far-fetched, at least in a pragmatic sense, yet the actions of the characters captivate the viewer and maintain an heir of believability. Additionally, the characters themselves feel real – flawed and likable – and it would be difficult for them to do so without a well-written script.

That being said … the greatest strength of the film is its acting. Neither Edgerton nor Hardy has a terribly extensive resume, but both have shined before. Edgerton was stellar in Animal Kingdom, and Hardy may have been even better in Bronson. With Warrior, however, both set new standards for themselves, perhaps even vaulting into consideration for Best Actor. Hardy in particular impressed me, as he broke away from his role in Bronson despite the existence of similar characterizations. Comparatively, it would be difficult to distinguish their turns from Christian Bale’s in The Fighter quality-wise. Nolte, who had essentially been reduced to a joke in recent years, has never been better. The peripheral characters, none of which are given a terribly large role, do quite well in whatever time they are given as well.

In short, this is a very straightforward film. There are no twists are turns, no gimmicks, and few viewers will be shocked by the outcome. Instead, Warrior is an honest, heartfelt film that will leave you reeling with each blow, and attached to its protagonists.