Riot’s Recommendations: Warrior
Recently, social media has been blowing up with photos/videos of Jake Gyllenhaal filming UFC-style fight scenes for an upcoming film, Road House. As has come to be expected from Gyllenhaal in previous roles, his commitment, training and physique for the production is beyond impressive. As interested as I already am in his latest endeavor, it brought to mind one of my personal favorite films, Warrior. For many years, hardly anyone around me was even aware of its existence. While I’m not exceptionally well-versed in the UFC, I’ve watched enough fights to know how exciting it can be. Yet without those ultimate fighting elements, the reason I recommend Warrior to people has less to do with the fight scenes and far more to do with the incredible performances of its actors and a storyline that is simple and to the point.
Warrior follows the story of the Conlon brothers; estranged from their formerly alcoholic father and from each other as well. The film opens up on Tommy (Tom Hardy), who is a bit of a mystery. When he returns home to Pittsburg unexpectedly, we learn his strained relationship with his father Paddy (Nick Nolte) is as complicated as his past. His brother, Brendan (Joel Edgerton), is a high school science teacher struggling to get by. His daughter’s medical bills and the overall cost of living is forcing him to secretly return to his roots as a cage fighter, bringing extra conflict to his relationship with his wife, Tess (Jennifer Morrison) and to his day job. Meanwhile, Tommy’s intentions for returning home become clear: he wants his father to train him so that he can get back into the octagon. Both brothers are being driven back to the fight, towards an elimination-style tournament that is bringing all the best fighters in the world together. Tommy, quite literally punches his ticket by accidentally becoming an internet sensation. Brendan meanwhile, through sheer determination, has received the blessing of his coach Frank (Frank Grillo) to fight in the tournament as a last minute underdog. The brothers have never settled the score of their past but now, they’ll be leaving it all in the octagon.
Having just reviewed Creed III, it’s fresh on my mind just how amped I get watching training montages and the subsequent battles that follow them. But like I said earlier, the fight scenes are not actually what keeps me coming back to this film. Even if I ignored all other aspects, knowing simply that Hardy and Edgerton (being English and Australian respectively) are able to pull off incredibly convincing American accents is impressive enough. Storytelling-wise, I like that the motivations of each brother are admirable on their own and it’s remarkable that the writers were able to pull off a script without necessarily having what one might consider to be a “bad guy.” The conflict is as much in the physical realm as emotional/spiritual and Nick Nolte as the recovering alcoholic father puts on a performance that is second to none. Desperate to amend for his past, the pain in his face is palpable whenever he meets the emotional stonewalling of both of his sons. Even as secondary characters, Tess (Morrison) and Frank (Grillo) are exceptional as they battle with their own emotional conflicts as it relates to their past experiences with Brendan. At the end of the day though, the majority of the audience’s investment is in the battle between brothers. A face-off scene on the beach of Atlantic City is one that is burned into my head forever. Hardy and Edgerton’s commitment to the training/regiment is incredibly admirable and it absolutely shows in both men’s physiques. Again, what pays off in the end is the emotional journey of each character. The writers kept the actor lineupu small, ensuring there is enough time to develop each person appropriately. And while the open ended finale may leave some people wanting, I still found it abundantly satisfying.
While you might have to suspend reality a bit (specifically with Tommy’s Marine backstory), I promise you will enjoy the ride.
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