I have been an athlete my entire life and a film fanatic for not much less than that, so naturally I am drawn to films that revolve around sports. Of course, I love the classics like Rocky, Slapshot, and Caddyshack but there seems to have been a drop off in great sport-related cinema lately and to me that’s a shame. The natural drama and tension inherent to sports make it great fodder for big screen entertainment and save for a few highlights including Million Dollar Baby, Remember the Titans, and last year’s Oscar nominated The Fighter, the quality of sports films has dropped off the table. That being said, one other film comes to mind when discussing great sports flicks: The Gavin O’Connor directed Miracle which is a dramatization of the events leading up to the Miracle on Ice at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics. This is one of my favorite sports movies of all time and I can now add O’Connor’s most recent directorial effort, Warrior, to that list.
Warrior tells the story of a family torn apart by alcohol abuse and the struggle of two brothers to reconcile their differences and move past the traumatic events of their childhood. Tom Hardy (Inception, Bronson) and Joel Edgerton (Animal Kingdom) play the roles of Tommy and Brendan Conlon pitch perfectly. Estranged from themselves and their alcoholic father, they each separately begin training to compete in the world’s largest MMA tournament unbeknownst to the other. The tension boils over as the two realize they are both in the same tournament and may have to meet face to face in order to win. Nick Nolte (The Thin Red Line, Cape Fear) also turns in a gut wrenching performance as the brother’s alcoholic father and surely deserves some consideration from the Academy.
The film as a whole is largely predictable, but the grit, raw emotion, and pure drama make this more than just a satisfying sports movie. Warrior is held together by a strong story which speaks to the notion of forgiveness, heroism, and reconciliation but the performances and the genuine spirit of the film are what really make it stand out. The Fighter did a fantastic job of understanding this, but Warrior takes it to the next level and really makes you feel the pain, suffering, and eventual triumph of its characters. I highly recommend this movie for sports fans, but also for fans of a strong family story that truly tugs at the heart strings.
Cinenigmatic: A Film Review Blog 