Warrior

This is a movie I thought was about mixed martial arts - so I didn't bother to see it in the theaters. I could see it had the eye candy, so I rented out of Redbox last weekend for something to put in as background material as I sewed. It certainly did provide eye candy, but I got hardly any sewing done, as the movie sucked me in to it's emotional undercurrent from the opening scene.

Warrior is a movie that uses mixed martial arts as plot device in telling an excellent story. You could say it was about family, or forgiveness, or what makes a true hero - but whichever one it is, MMA is just the back ground on which those topics are explored. This is no more about MMA than Rocky was about boxing - so please, do not let the fact that it is a "fight" movie dissuade you from seeing it.

Joel Edgarton is the actor who plays the main character "Brendan" in this film - he's the one you are meant to root for - he's the underdog, loving husband, good father and even the favorite local high school teacher. But while Joel does a good job of this role, the movie is propelled by the emotional gravitas of the two other actors in the film: Tom Hardy and Nick Nolte as Brendan's brother "Tommy" and father "Pop" respectively.

Nick Nolte plays the abusive drunk father who is now sober and wants nothing more than to be able to say he's sorry and be back in his son's lives. He breaks your heart when his sons keep rejecting him over and over. But he never steals a scene from another actor - he's never over the top. Which is the main reason, even though he was obviously a total a*hole in the past, you wish you could reach through the screen and make his sons accept him.

Tom Hardy is the younger brother who has had everyone in his life that he loved taken from him. He's angry - so so angry - but he doesn't take it out on the world in general - you see him be polite and kind to supporting characters in the film. He's just built a wall around himself to keep from being hurt again. The character is massively physical externally, but so small and broken on the inside - again, you just want to reach in and hug him and tell him it will be ok.

The story is well told, and well filmed. I can't comment on the MMA in the film - other than to say as a complete novice on the subject? Looked good to me, but if you are wanting a hardcore movie about MMA - this is not the movie for you to watch. If you find redemption stories too cliche - again, not the movie for you.

But for anyone else? I recommend this as one to watch.