Movie Review: Warrior (2011)
Warrior is good, not great, as it sags in the middle
Photo: Lionsgate
Outside of a powerful and intense performance from Tom Hardy, Gavin O'Connor's Warrior promises a lot early but is quite muted along the way to an ending I got very little out of. I was never quite sure what the payoff was supposed to be, but as far as I can tell there is no happy ending and there is no sad ending, in fact, there is hardly an ending to speak of. Walking away from the theater I was left wishing the overlong 139 minute feature had found a way to scratch 30 minutes from its run time or at least give me something to care about as the credits rolled.
The cast includes Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Morrison and Frank Grillo. For more information on this film including pictures, trailers and a detailed synopsis choose from the following menu.
Review
"Warrior" is a Lionsgate release, directed by Gavin O'Connor and is rated PG-13 for sequences of intense mixed martial arts fighting, some language and thematic material. The running time is 2 hours 19 minutes.
Over in Philadelphia is Brendan, a one-time professional UFC fighter, who is now retired, married with two kids and teaching physics at the local high school. His relationship with his father is a bit different, always feeling second best to Tommy, even after Tommy left. Now, times are tight and for extra money he's been partaking in small local mixed martial arts (MMA) fights for extra cash, telling his wife he got a job as a bouncer. Trouble is, once the school finds out what he's been doing he's suspended without pay. Hard to pay a mortgage and take care of a family with no income.
As fate would have it, the two estranged brothers are on a collision course as they both enter Sparta, a brand new MMA tournament awarding $5 million to the winner. Brendan's reasons for entering are obvious, but Tommy's are a bit more clandestine and I won't spoil that emotional arc here.
As down on the film as I may sound in my opening paragraph it's not a complete loss. Nick Nolte as the boys' 1,000-day sober father, Paddy Conlon, gives a solid performance, but I grew tiresome of his character, and when it came time for his big moment I wasn't buying it as much as I felt I was meant to.
The performance of the film, for me was the intensity brought by Hardy. He's a beast in the ring and the first time you see him fight you will believe he could and would destroy anyone in his path. He's a dark and brooding mystery, but at the core you see a young boy that simply wants to be loved. For such a contradiction to exist in such a quiet, beast of a man is a credit to Hardy, but then again I've been on the Tom Hardy bandwagon for a few years now.
Opposite Hardy, Edgerton creates a character you believe and feel for considering the trouble he faces as the film echoes society's current struggle to stay financially afloat. As for his fighting physique, he's sporting a bulked up frame, but not to the point he looks like the Incredible Hulk in teacher's khakis.
Even O'Connor's direction works, with a particular affinity for filming some excellent fight sequences, but problems arise when the film overstays its welcome, particularly in the middle-third. An abundance of exposition wore me down to a nub, wishing something of consequence would happen. The story has a hard time keeping its pulse up as O'Connor is prone to taking too many breaks in the action or lingering too long on one idea. It's also troubling when your best fight scene happens only a few minutes into the film.
The tournament at the film's climax is exciting enough to watch, but Tommy's brutal introduction makes you want to simply rewind it and watch that one scene over and over again. Not to forget, the way the film ultimately wraps itself up left me bewildered and unsatisfied.
O'Connor has waded in sporting waters before, directing the story of the gold medal American hockey team in Miracle, a film I enjoyed the first time I watched it but have had a hard time getting into since, much for the same reasons I found this film problematic. What's frustrating is Warrior isn't overly expository, so pointing out the specific moments that could be excised is difficult. Yet, how O'Connor managed to finagle 139 minutes out of this story is beyond me. I enjoyed the film, but believe it could have been tightened up into a much better and emotionally thrilling feature.
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It's disappointing to hear that there's no pay off in the end. It sounds like the main reason to see this is because of Hardy's performance, which does sound interesting.
I loved Hardy in this movie and the sibling relationship was played with very well until the ending.
I hope this film launches Kurt Angle's movie career and he does more mainstream movies from now on.
Random Star Trek connection – Shinzon (Tom Hardy) and Winona Kirk (Jennifer Morrison) together on screen
Interesting review, probably the most negative on the film I've read yet. I have read several times that Hardy delivers a good performance, but what was interesting to me was that most critics have loved Nolte's performance except you. I've also heard some complains on the ending, but aside from this review the film sounds great. Can't wait to watch it.
this movie with no doubt is one of the best movies ive ever seen, it is amazing and i have also seen The Fighter and other movies that are alike but this one is more effective. It's amazing, ive never felt like this about a movie and it also plays with your emotions very well. i think the director was dammnn smart to create this movie, the story might be similar to some other movies but the point that there are two brothers that go against each other has made it different from other. if you haven't watched it already i suggest you definitely watch as it is an awesome movie. :)
I loved this film, even better than The Fighter. The ending was pretty straight-forward, so I don't know what else you wanted from the film although I agree it could have been kept a little shorter. Nevertheless, I enjoyed every minute of it and will definitely revisit this film in the future.
Having some problems with story itself is ok, I guess, but saying something negative about Nolte's performance is really too much. Almost every critic praised his performance and predict the best supporting actor nomination next year at Oscars..but you grew tiresome of his character..
I too have to believe this movie deserves more than a C+, normally i think your spot on but i couldnt help but feel like the lack of an ending which also disappointed me altered your perception of the overall film. I loved Nolte in the movie and believe it was one of his best performances, but there is something about the presence of tom hardy that bring such an intense feeling to a movie, hardy is simply amazing in this movie and i can wait to watch him as bane. I actually think this was one of the best movies i have seen this year.
Easily one of the best movies I have seen this year. I get the comparisons to "The Fighter" but I found the characters here far more rooted in reality and, unlike the former, it isn't a true story. Not only that, the tension and intensity just blow "The Fighter" out of the water. Plus, the characters are all likeable in their own way. Cliched at times, it is a sports themed movie afterall, but so well-crafted without being hokey.
Loved it! A-
Great Movie…….c+ ur crazy…… wheres part 2 …..and 3 and 4