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"Warrior" strives to be the MMA version of "Rocky," and while it doesn't make it to that level, it's an immensely entertaining film and provides, for the most part, the most realistic depiction of in-cage MMA action ever put to film.
Now the bar hadn't exactly been set high by previous films surrounding the sport, pretty much all of which had relegated MMA action to underground fight clubs instead of representing it as the high level competition it is. "Warrior" succeeds in bringing the feel of a major MMA event to the screen, with (mostly) realistic fight choreography backing up what is a very good dramatic story with some very good performances.
The MMA world is the backdrop for the story of two brothers, Brendan and Tommy Conlon - played by Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy - who come to a massive 16-man middleweight tournament named Sparta - a grand prix style competition held over two nights in Atlantic City, with a $5 million dollar winner-take-all purse being posted up for the victor. Obviously, MMA fans will have plenty to nit-pick on the details of not only this event, but some of the MMA scenes as well, but they don't take away from the film as a whole.
"Warrior" opens on the doorstep of Nick Nolte's character Paddy Conlon, where an inebriated Tommy has returned to confront his alcoholic father. The elder Conlon was the wrestling coach to his two sons, but his alcoholism and abuse led Tommy to leave with his mother and Brendan to separate from his father to start a family with his then girlfriend Tess, and as the film picks up he hasn't seen either of them in several years.
The younger Conlon brother has taken his mother's maiden name after her death, and reconciles with his father to train him to fight after a stint in the Marines. His first day at a new gym sees him put a beating on the gym's top fighter, Madd Dog Grimes (MMA fighter Erik Apple), who just so happens to be in the Sparta tournament. As video of the sparring session hits the internet and gains traction, Tommy finds himself getting a spot in the tournament field.
Brendon's path to the tournament is straight out of sports movie circumstances, but it still sets up a background for the film's protagonist. A former UFC-journeyman, Brendon begins the film as a high school physics teacher, who is moonlighting in parking-lot MMA events to make extra money with the bank about to foreclose on his home. When the school district finds out, Brendon is suspended, and turns to his old trainer to get him back into shape to compete full time, ultimately reaching the tournament after a fortunate turn of events.
Before the tournament begins, it's revealed that Tommy was a hero for a group of Marines in Iraq, but as he's taken his mother's maiden name, no more information is found out until late in the tournament. As the trailer has spoiled, the two brothers find their way to the finals against one another, and along the way they battle real-life MMA fighters Anthony Johnson and Nate Marquardt, as the hilariously named Orlando "Midnight" Lee, and Karl Kruller, respectively, as well as the famed and unbeaten Russian Koba, played by professional wrestler and former Olympian Kurt Angle.
The family struggle between the two brothers and their father drives the story, with Brendon striving to win the tournament to save his home, while Tommy's initially muddied goal is ultimately to bring the money to the widow of a fallen soldier, and his best friend. The three main actors, along with Jennifer Morrison as Brendon's wife, all put in very good performances, and the film itself - regardless of the setting - is a very good sports movie, holding its own among some of the best in the genre over the last decade and beyond.
Director Gavin O'Conner is no stranger to sports films, having brought the story of the 1980 U.S. men's Olympic hockey team to life in the excellent "Miracle," and he's got a knack for the dramatization of the sporting world. Hardy, who is portraying Bane in the upcoming Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises," puts in an excellent performance as the enigmatic and intense Tommy. Australian actor Edgerton is very good in the lead role as Brendon, and Nolte does a fantastic job as the patriarch of the broken family, trying to rebuild the relationships he personally tore down.
Hardcore MMA fans will find plenty to rip into in the movie, as it's not a 100% accurate portrayal of the way the sport plays out in the U.S. However, those negatives aren't so egregious as to make the film less effective, and as a whole hardcores and casuals alike will find plenty to like about the movie. The biggest success for the film, though, is that it's just a good sports movie. It should appeal to more than just the MMA fanbase, and there's plenty to like for members of that fanbase. I highly enjoyed the movie, and would absolutely suggest that fans check it out when it hits theaters in September.
Viacheslav Datsik Marcus Davis Tony DeSouza Edwin Dewees Nick Diaz
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