Hey look! September has come and summer is over... you know what that means? Gone are the year's summer blockbusters and in comes the fall lineup of indie films and Oscar bait. First up, is the year's Rocky ripoff known as Warrior. Oh excuse me, this isn't a boxing film, the sport in focus is actually Mixed Martial Arts. Because yeah, that totally changes everything... yeah right.Joel Edgarton and Tom Hardy star as estranged brothers, Brendan and Tommy Riordan. Neither have spoken to each other in years and the two have next to nothing in common, with two exceptions. They both resent their abusive former alcoholic father (Nick Nolte) and are expert Martial Artists. Brendan is trying to live the quiet life as a high school science teacher along with his wife and two daughters while Tommy is attempting to start a new life after being discharged from the Marines. Brendan's life is disrupted with his youngest daughter needed an expensive medical treatment which saved her life but left the family financially broke. Tommy, on the other hand, is fighting some personal demons and tragic secrets from events that transpired during his time in Iraq. Both make hasty decisions to return to the UFC cage and compete in a brutal and tournament against some of the world's most dangerous fighters for a 5 million dollar prize.
When watching a film like Warrior, I can't help but feel like I'm getting a little soft with my critiques. I really should hate movies that resort to storylines embracing nearly every cliche in the book, but sometimes they're just so freaking hard to resist.
Ever since Rocky came out and solidified the already established underdog sports story, the same concept has been repeated over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over... you get my drift? The catch is that a lot of these Rocky-inspired movies have found a way to make the story seem less redundant either through likable characters, compelling performances, stylistic filmmaking, or (speaking of cliches) heart and passion. Warrior... it's definitely not breaking any boundaries with it's storytelling, but I can't deny that it just works.
The acting is probably the movie's biggest strength. Joel Edgerton does a commendable job in his role as Brendan, the do-good everyman looking out for his family. There really isn't too much to say about him other than he's convincing, at times very compelling, and that it's overall a damn good performance. Tommy (Tom Hardy) is probably the most interesting character in this movie because he has a certain darkness and mystery to his back-story that really keeps you hooked. Because of his rough childhood with his alcoholic father and tough time on the battlefield, his motives are more secretive and his outlook is bleaker. He shows that he does have a softer side, but often buries it with rage and resentment. While Brendan is a formidable fighter with a few tricks up his sleeve, Tommy is an absolute beast who easily takes down opponents significantly more threatening than him. This makes for a more interesting and mysterious character and while it doesn't exactly stray away from cliches, it keeps you interested. Supporting actors Nick Nolte, Jennifer Morrison, and others all give great performances as well. No complaints acting-wise for this movie.
For sports-driven dramas like Warrior, there are two things on which they must deliver. One is solid performances (which we've established are all great). The second is good execution of the sport in question, in this case Martial Arts. 
So are the fights any good? Yeah... like really good actually. The pacing of the editing, the stylistic camerawork, the top notch sound design, and the dedication from the actors is about as close to perfect as one could get. They are brutal and intense, and feel about as legitimate as you could probably ask for. If you come to Warrior expecting to see some great fights, you won't be disappointed.
This is the point where I usually pick out the movie's faults or mistakes, but to be honest, I feel like I've already hit on most of this in my opening. The movie's only real downfall is the cliche and predictable storyline. Granted it can be a pretty big problem when scriptwriters continue to repeat the exact same storyline again and again, but then again some people like familiarity. Here's how I see it... films like Warrior probably won't move the industry forward in any meaningful way or be responsible for any innovative filmmaking techniques
(Raging Bull was the last film in the boxing sub-genre to do any of that) but there's nothing particularly wrong with them either. I agree than in a remake driven industry lacking in originality, something new and innovative is always encouraged, but films like Warrior are not to blame for any of that. If nothing else, they're usually passable stories that give actors the chance to showcase their acting skills as well as allowing directors, editors, cinematographers, and sound designers to try some clever techniques. If you're looking for movies to blame for being repetitive and cliche, blame the majority of romantic comedies released every year (those are way more cliched and drained for ideas than sports dramas).
So yeah, Warrior isn't exactly original but it's still a very well made, well directed, and well acted film. It's definitely worth seeing and will probably get some Oscar nominations come award season, but probably won't be remembered in any meaningful way years from now.
So are the fights any good? Yeah... like really good actually. The pacing of the editing, the stylistic camerawork, the top notch sound design, and the dedication from the actors is about as close to perfect as one could get. They are brutal and intense, and feel about as legitimate as you could probably ask for. If you come to Warrior expecting to see some great fights, you won't be disappointed.This is the point where I usually pick out the movie's faults or mistakes, but to be honest, I feel like I've already hit on most of this in my opening. The movie's only real downfall is the cliche and predictable storyline. Granted it can be a pretty big problem when scriptwriters continue to repeat the exact same storyline again and again, but then again some people like familiarity. Here's how I see it... films like Warrior probably won't move the industry forward in any meaningful way or be responsible for any innovative filmmaking techniques
(Raging Bull was the last film in the boxing sub-genre to do any of that) but there's nothing particularly wrong with them either. I agree than in a remake driven industry lacking in originality, something new and innovative is always encouraged, but films like Warrior are not to blame for any of that. If nothing else, they're usually passable stories that give actors the chance to showcase their acting skills as well as allowing directors, editors, cinematographers, and sound designers to try some clever techniques. If you're looking for movies to blame for being repetitive and cliche, blame the majority of romantic comedies released every year (those are way more cliched and drained for ideas than sports dramas).So yeah, Warrior isn't exactly original but it's still a very well made, well directed, and well acted film. It's definitely worth seeing and will probably get some Oscar nominations come award season, but probably won't be remembered in any meaningful way years from now.
My Score: 4 out of 5!
