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Warrior
(directed by Gavin O'Connor, 2011)
One of the best movies I have ever seen. Possibly even my new favorite film. The Blu-ray has sat on my shelf for the past month, waiting to be watched, but I couldn't get into the mood. I heard a lot of praise for Warrior -- people comparing it to Rocky and such -- people thinking Tom Hardy is so fantastic in it. The praise made me think the movie was going to be overrated and wasn't really all that spectacular. Once I was done with it, though, I felt it was one of the most emotional experiences I ever had with a movie of its kind -- a sports movie, a movie about boxing, about fighting, etc. I love the Rocky movies, but they never got inside my head the way Warrior did. The final scenes of this movie were like the best sex ever. It was like being under the influence of a drug. It made me want to watch a different movie afterwards, but I sadly could not think of any that would have given me a similar experience.
So, yes, I recommend this movie totally. It stars Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy as two brothers who are born fighters, but they have been estranged for a long time -- until at the end of the movie, they end up in a mixed martial arts ring together. Brendan (Edgerton) needs money so that he and his family can keep their house -- Tommy (Hardy) wants money to give to a widow in Texas. Nick Nolte (now this performance was alright, I thought, but saying he's the best thing about the movie is totally overrated -- personally, I think Joel Edgerton is) plays their father. He's a former alcoholic, but now he's gone through 1000 days sober. Brendan works at a high school and is an all around beloved guy, while Tommy is dark, sullen, angry, quiet and scary. They are fierce fighters.
The only problem I have with Warrior is that it's hard to believe that these two guys wound up at this major MMA competition -- and end up fighting against each other. To me, this chain of events, and all of the other connections that happen (particularly one involving Tommy being a hero in Iraq) -- it is very fantastical. It could only happen in a movie. I was overwhelmed by how they all lucked out. But, it is a movie, and a very entertaining one. A very emotional one. Go see it.
(directed by Gavin O'Connor, 2011)
One of the best movies I have ever seen. Possibly even my new favorite film. The Blu-ray has sat on my shelf for the past month, waiting to be watched, but I couldn't get into the mood. I heard a lot of praise for Warrior -- people comparing it to Rocky and such -- people thinking Tom Hardy is so fantastic in it. The praise made me think the movie was going to be overrated and wasn't really all that spectacular. Once I was done with it, though, I felt it was one of the most emotional experiences I ever had with a movie of its kind -- a sports movie, a movie about boxing, about fighting, etc. I love the Rocky movies, but they never got inside my head the way Warrior did. The final scenes of this movie were like the best sex ever. It was like being under the influence of a drug. It made me want to watch a different movie afterwards, but I sadly could not think of any that would have given me a similar experience.
So, yes, I recommend this movie totally. It stars Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy as two brothers who are born fighters, but they have been estranged for a long time -- until at the end of the movie, they end up in a mixed martial arts ring together. Brendan (Edgerton) needs money so that he and his family can keep their house -- Tommy (Hardy) wants money to give to a widow in Texas. Nick Nolte (now this performance was alright, I thought, but saying he's the best thing about the movie is totally overrated -- personally, I think Joel Edgerton is) plays their father. He's a former alcoholic, but now he's gone through 1000 days sober. Brendan works at a high school and is an all around beloved guy, while Tommy is dark, sullen, angry, quiet and scary. They are fierce fighters.
The only problem I have with Warrior is that it's hard to believe that these two guys wound up at this major MMA competition -- and end up fighting against each other. To me, this chain of events, and all of the other connections that happen (particularly one involving Tommy being a hero in Iraq) -- it is very fantastical. It could only happen in a movie. I was overwhelmed by how they all lucked out. But, it is a movie, and a very entertaining one. A very emotional one. Go see it.