Review: 'Warrior' Punches Up The Drama

By Michael Lopez

Is there such a thing as a "chick flick" for men? If so, then Warrior is a strong contender. With its tender story and tough MMA undertones, it packs a solid punch in the emotions department and might even (dare we say it) get a few guys in the audience to shed some tears.

Written and directed by Gavin O'Connor, Warrior definitely captures the essence and excitement of mixed martial arts. There are intense training sequences, larger-than-life fighters, and well-executed battles in the octagon. But beyond all that, there are some very deep characters that audience members can't help but become attached to.

Basically broken up into two stories, Warrior follows the lives of brothers Brendan and Tom Conlon. Brendan (played by Inception's Tom Hardy) is the angry war hero with a mysterious past, who claims to be fighting for his own "personal reasons." Tom (played by newcomer Joel Edgerton) is the sensible family man, who's joining the MMA circuit strictly to provide for his wife and kids.

Linking them both together is their recovering alcoholic father Paddy (played brilliantly by Nick Nolte). Both Brendan and Tom have their own reasons to dislike dear old dad, but Paddy's fighting career is what shaped their drive to succeed in the ring.

Ultimately both brothers compete in the same big money tournament and, as expected, they wind up fighting each other for the final $5 million purse. Though the grand showdown between the Conlons is nail-bitingly good (no spoilers here), it's actually the story that leads up to that match that makes Warrior so exciting.

O'Connor deserves quite a bit of credit for this film. Though some parts are definitely formulaic and fall into the "sports movie" stereotypes, it's still well worth a look, particularly for fans of mixed martial arts.

Bottom line: You know a movie's good when it whizzes by with a 139-minute running time. Despite being nearly two-and-a-half hours long, Warrior never has a dull moment. Whether it's the fantastic MMA fights (and there are plenty) or the emotional "brotherly" moments, you'll never find yourself wanting to Tap Out of this film.

Are you planning to watch Warrior this weekend? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, Joel Edgerton, Mixed Martial Arts, MMA, Movie Reviews, Movies & CineMás, Nick Nolte, Tom Hardy, Warrior