Synopsis:
Hardy and Edgerton play the sons of Nick Nolte, an alcoholic former mixed martial arts trainer. When the younger son (Hardy) returns home he is trained by his father to compete in Sparta, a one off tournament with a huge prize. This unwittingly puts him on a collision course with his older brother (Edgerton).
Warrior is a film of two halves. The first is dark and gritty and reflects the harsh reality of life and is comparable in that sense to The Fighter. The consequence of this format of film however, is that the second half is almost exclusively about the tournament and as a result contains little of the edge of the first half. The two halves are spliced together with the obligatory training montage and may as well be a half time break; the onset of the split screen is the cue.
While the plot is inevitably predictable and many of the scenes offer reminders of Rocky, what the tournament half of the film does offer is a brutal, close-up view of mixed martial arts. This is in no way a film for kids. While there is a certain amount of unavoidable glamorisation, there is plenty of warning of the consequences, and a brief glimpse into the underground/ amateur mixed martial arts circuit, that could have perhaps been explored further in a similar way to The Wrestler.
The underlying theme of the film is redemption. From the alcoholic father trying to make amends for his past behaviour, to the son fighting to forget the horrors of war that haunt him. In fact Nick Nolte is very convincing as the old, washed up trainer seeking forgiveness and Tom Hardy has certainly bulked up since Inception. If the accents of the actors falter slightly in places it is hardly noticeable due to the engrossing nature of the film.
