It had been a few years since I had watched Warrior and I remember it being a thoroughly entertaining and moving family drama with energetic fight scenes and fantastic performances. Sitting down to watch it again over the weekend reminded me how it is in fact a bit of a classic and up there with the best of the Rocky series.
The cast are all at their absolute peak with Tom Hardy playing Tommy; the youngest son of an alcoholic former boxer (Nick Nolte) returning home, where he’s trained by his father for competition in a mixed martial arts tournament – a path that puts the fighter on a collision course with his estranged, older brother Brendan (Joel Edgerton).
As good as Tom and Joel are in this movie it’s Nick Nolte who steals the show and gives easily the finest performance of his entire career. He has several scenes which will cause tears of manliness to be shed; one moment has him saying to Brendan “if you could just find it in your heart to forgive me” while breaking down crying which had me finding the room a little dusty. It’s the scene where he falls off the wagon and starts drinking again in the hotel room after Tommy has been particularly mean to him which is arguably the most moving. Nolte has rarely been more vulnerable and pathetic and the fact he didn’t win an Oscar is a travesty.
Tommy isn’t remotely sympathetic and is filled with rage and bile towards the world (especially his father) but as the story progresses we understand why he is so angry and by the end we just want to give him a hug and tell him everything will be alright.
I love the lighting in this film where in the opening we have Tommy and his father meeting on the doorstep of their family home and it’s dark and dreary; you can immediately tell there have been bad memories taken place there. Then the next scene cuts to Brendan’s house with his lovely wife and family having a kid’s birthday party. It’s all bright colours showcasing a happy family home where no such drunken abuse takes place. Then a few scenes later we discover all is not rosy at Brendan’s house and they are struggling for money after his daughter had heart surgery. When Brendan is in the bank the colour has dimmed a little and their ideal world isn’t as perfect as we first thought.
Joel Edgerton is one of the best actors working today and his performance as Brendan is equally as touching where he feels like he could be any one of us struggling to get by in these tough times.
A tip of the hat must also be given to the great Frank Grillo who plays the originally named Frank who agrees to train Brendan for the fighting tournament (known as Sparta) where the $5 million prize money will solve Brendan’s financial difficulties. Frank is one of the most natural actors in the business and he reminds me of Michael Biehn in his prime where it doesn’t feel like he is acting; he just embodies the character he’s playing.
This is one of the most genuinely emotional films I’ve seen in recent years where it never loses its beating heart even during the fight scenes; the story is perfectly told with an excellent script so there is real feeling any time Tommy or Brendan steps into a fighting ring/cage. The relationships are complicated and believable which can’t be sorted out quickly; a lot of water has flowed under a lot of bridges so the family has a lot of work to do if they are to come together. Despite all of the family turmoil it is still incredibly uplifting with a satisfying finale that will warm even the coldest heart.
If you haven’t seen Warrior then I suggest picking it up ASAP as it made little impact at the box office when it first came out but I think it has earned a cult following since hitting home video. It’s OK to cry during this movie as I said as they are tears of manliness so there is no shame.