Ari Howorth
Staff Writer
While most sports movies address family bonds and the strain put on them by the trails of athletics, Gavin O’Connor’s new mixed martial arts drama, “Warrior,” brings a fresh spin to the genre and creates an original and hard-hitting sports film.
“Warrior” follows the story of Tommy and Brendan Conlon (Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton), two brothers driven apart by an alcoholic father (Nick Nolte). Tommy is a bitter war veteren who has become introverted through his time in combat. Brendan is a sensitive teacher, always looking out for his own family.
Both brothers had been talented MMA fighters in the past, and they begin to fight again when they hear of the Sparta tournament, an MMA championship with a $5 million prize for the winning combatant. Both brothers eagerly join the fray: Brendan, to pay for his family’s house, and Tommy, to help the family of one of his fellow veterans.
The Conlon boys each have very different outlooks on life. Tommy stayed with his mother until her death and felt abandoned by the rest of the family. Brendan left home at a young age to start a family of his own. As the brothers test their fraternal bonds upon their reunion, they create a complex, fragmented relationship that resparks old emotions of admiration and detest, errupting in their finale and epic showdown.
“Warrior’s” standout performance comes from Nolte and his portrayal of Paddy Conlon, the boys’ father. Conlon is a recovering alcoholic who tries to rekindle his lost relationships with Tommy and Brendan. They struggle to forgive their father and constantly reprimand him for his earlier struggle with alcoholism, pushing him to depression. Nolte succeeds in complementing the viewer’s respect for Tommy with sympathy for the failed father that he so ably portrays.
The film features a strong and uplifting soundtrack throughout. It is opened by The National’s “Start a War.” This song tells the story of best intentions that can yield negative consequences, symbolic of the Conlon family. It features a second song by The National during the final fight. The song, “About Today,” talks about forgiving a loved one who has done wrong, which both brothers struggle to do.
MMA’s unique skill set differentiates the movie’s fighting scenes from the status quo. The grueling but engaging fights contain an array of punches, kicks, throws and chokes, which break the rules of more traditional forms of fighting. This lends itself to a series of action-packed brawls where anything goes.
The film appears authentic in its portrayal of the materialistic culture of MMA fighting. It features actual MMA wrestlers and announcers whose knowledge of the sport and accurate diction successfully simulates an MMA match. This proves as an effective tool that does not deter the focus from the plot.
“Warrior” has a run time of almost two and a half hours and is relatively slow paced. The entire first half of the movie is devoted to the parallel stories of the Conlon boys prior to the tournament, exagerrating the film’s slow pace. The film picks up as the tournament begins and the pace is no longer an issue.
“Warrior” is a thoroughly entertaining, action-packed, drama about a dysfunctional family trying to make ends meet. The movie serves as a strong ending to the summer season and is one of the most uplifting sports movies in recent memory.
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