Warrior (2011)

Did you see Rocky ('76), The Wrestler ('08) or maybe The Fighter ('10)? If yes, then you will love this film. If not, get ready for your first cinematic introduction to mixed martial art. In my opinion this film was really entertaining. It got me on the edge of my seat for a large portion of the playtime :)   



Alright it's not a kungfu movie, but I think most martial art practitioners would like this one. It follows the story of an ex-drunk father who used to be a top trainer in MMA (Nick Nolte), a father who fights to save his family and his home (Joel Edgerton), and a guy who is a brutal fighter looking for a payday (Tom Hardy). Any action movie would start good with these characters, and also with this one, it works perfect. But instead of your standard action flick, Warrior adds an actual good backing drama story that is well delivered by the actors. Especially the Nick Nolte was quite convincing in his role. 

Aside from the family drama there is a lot of fighting. If you ever followed a UFC championship for example you know how tense it can be. I appreciate the fact that they perfectly captured that feeling. A MMA cage fight is not for the weak. Broken noses, bleeding eyes and dislocated limbs are nothing special. This is real fighting. I mean, Gavin O'Conner (director) said that while making the movie, "Joel blew out his knee.  He tore his ACL; Tommy broke ribs, a finger and toes. A lot of black eyes.”  He also added:“ It was intense.  We were trying not to act.  That was the goal.” And hey, you can see that! Both Joel and and Tom hardly had any experience in MMA but while watching Warrior you actually believe they are UFC competitants. I looked it up afterwards to be sure! For example, Tom (who later plays the role of Bane in The Dark Knight Rises), looks like a tank.

Ok enough talk, avoid spoilers before watching Warrior. I found a lot of them on the net, and I think they suck the excitement out of the film. Even the trailer could be to much so I won't post it for that reason.

Watch and enjoy Warrior and let us know what you thought of it :)