starring: Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Morrison, Kevin Dunn
written by: Gavin O’Connor, Anthony Tambakis & Cliff Dorfman
directed by: Gavin O’Connor
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense mixed martial arts fighting, some language and thematic material
“It’s the [father and son] relationship that causes grown men to cry. You go back to all of those movies, and whenever you’ve got a father and son and a sport, the aisles are awash with men’s tears.” — Mike Nichols to New York Magazine. I don’t relate to this quote, but I gather it explains many of the comments below this review.
When I sat down to watch Warrior, I assumed it was a true story. Because movies like this, inspirational sports movies, usually are. There appears to be no shortage of remarkable true-life athlete stories out there, so why bother creating a fictitious one unless you’re going to do something clever with the genre? That is a question I would like to ask Gavin O’Connor, the writer/director of this film. Having previously directed the crowd-pleasing “sportspirational” true story Miracle, he’s decided to go the fictional route this time. Unfortunately, the plot of Warrior is so utterly ludicrous, it could only have worked within the context of a stranger-than-fiction true story.
Tommy Conlon (Tom Hardy) is an angry, intimidatingly quiet ex-soldier who’s recently moved back to Pittsburgh (hay!) with duffel bags full of back story. He was once a promising young wrestler, managed and mentored by his raging alcoholic father, Paddy (Nick Nolte). His life has changed considerably since those days. But he’s now become interested in the world of MMA (mixed martial arts) tournament fighting, and wants his father – who is several years clean and sober – to train him. Not that he wants to reconcile with Paddy. Oh hell naw. This will be a strictly professional relationship, and any attempts by Paddy to act “fatherly” will be shut down immediately.
Meanwhile, across the state in Philadelphia, Paddy’s other estranged son, Brendan (Joel Edgerton), is an underpaid public school teacher struggling desperately to make ends meet for his wife Tess (Jennifer Morrison) and their young children. To pick up a little extra cash on the side, Brendan – who used to be (surprise!) an MMA fighter – participates in illegal street fights. But when the word gets out at his school, he finds himself suspended without pay. So what’s an ass-kicking public school teacher to do? Why, enter the same MMA tournament as his brother, of course!
This all inevitably and absurdly leads to a showdown (which has been revealed in all the teasers and trailers) pitting brother against brother. O’Connor has cynically pushed two American hero archetypes into the ring together to find out which one audiences will root for more: a family-man public school teacher victimized by the financial crisis, or a strong-and-silent war hero. As the three points on this triangle of estrangement, the actors give strong performances. Hardy and Edgerton are remarkable in their physical commitment, while Nolte, in some of his finest work in years, gives a startling, wrenching turn that will likely earn him some Best Supporting Actor buzz.
This two-Rockys-for-the-price-of-one tale is consistently engaging, moving at a sturdy, confident pace for its nearly 150-minute running time. The fight scenes are riveting and well-crafted, which is good news for the audience, because the entire last act is basically one fight after another. O’Connor is at his best during these sequences. Outside of the fight scenes, he tells his story with a naturalistic, understated filming style that stands in stark contrast to his wildly overblown script, occasionally tricking you into thinking you’re watching a better film than you actually are.
Leaning far too heavily on far-fetched coincidences and shameless plot devices while fumbling gracelessly with its metaphors (MMA fighting as a symbol for life struggles; Paddy is frequently seen reading Moby Dick), this isn’t exactly The Fighter. When I thought Warrior was a true story, I disregarded its many plot contrivances. But when I realized it was just a crassly manipulative appeal to working class American ideals, the thought bubble above my head quickly changed from, “Well how about that!” to “What a crock of shit!”
Update: For those of you interested in real-life figures that may have influenced the fictional script of Warrior, a helpful commenter named Squearl has pointed out several parallels: Rich Franklin is a former math teacher turned MMA fighter. Brian Stann is a former Marine who was awarded the Silver Star for his efforts in Iraq; he now fights in the UFC. Nick and Nate Diaz are brothers that have both found success in the MMA world. Thanks for the info, Squearl. While I stand by my mixed opinion of the film, it is helpful to know the stories that may have inspired its characters.
