Warrior

A surprisingly moving drama Warrior is a modern day Rocky story. Revolving around the Conlon clan consisting of an alcoholic father and two estranged brothers, one of whom is married, the movie starts out slow, but picks up speed as the fighting picks up intensity.

The cast could not have been more perfect for this movie. Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton look like they could actually be brothers and Nick Nolte looks like he could be their father. Nolte gives an outstanding and heartfelt performance as the alcoholic father. Edgerton and Hardy give believable performances as the estranged brothers and as the movie moves along we are presented with a film that revolves around family ties and isn't so much about the fighting. Even Jennifer Morrison, most well known from her time spent on House, gives a heartfelt performance.

With an all-star cast director Gavin O'Connor, previous credits including Pride and Glory and Miracle, couldn't go wrong. The directing gave the acting the subtle, nuanced touches this type of movie needed. Over the entirety of the film each of the characters seemingly develops more emotion which works towards the conclusion.

The script was very well done, with just the right amount of dialogue and just the right amount of fighting. The progress from slow moving pure drama in the beginning to moving family drama revolving around UFC fights was flawless. Each fight showing how close the estranged brothers were after all these years and how close both really were to their father.

One issue that arose during the movie was the accents. The characters would flow from a Jersey accent, to a Brooklyn accent, and sometimes even something similar to a southern drawl. It became a little distracting, but if that detail can be ignored the movie is very enjoyable. I found myself cheering throughout the fights along with everyone else in the theater.

Overall an unexpectedly good movie showing how strong the ties of family really are.

8/10