Arts & Entertainment
"The Warrior" Lands All The Right Punches
Monter's Verdict: "The Warrior" is a knockout as an action-packed film about a family struggling to make it in the take-no-prisoners world of mixed martial arts.
Editor's Note: Burnsville Patch offers a weekend movie review, published each Saturday. Check back next week for the latest movie review.
“The Warrior” is one part “The Fighter,” one part “Rocky” and one part “Karate Kid.” But, unlike some derviative movies that failed to capture the excitement of those flicks, “The Warrior" is a tension-filled thrill that grabs even the most reluctant filmgoer.
The movie takes place in Pittsburgh, as former standout wrestler Tommy (played by Tom Hardy), an Iraq War vet who returns to his hometown for the first time in 14 years. He decides to train for the Sparta Mixed Martial Arts tournament. The prize? A $5 million purse.
The stakes are high for Tommy and his trainer — his father Paddy (played by Nick Nolte), a recovering alcoholic, wife-abuser and former coach. Tommy is joined in the ring by his estranged brother Brendan (Joel Edgerton), a former MMA fighter turned physics teacher who is about to lose his house.
Director Gavin O'Connor keeps the pacing tight and wisely chooses not to gloss over MMA's dark side. MMA is a violent sport, and “The Warrior” doesn’t pull any punches in showing how dangerous the sport is.
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Spoiler: The two brothers score big, though you probably could see that coming in the trailer. It's a predictable, well-worn plot. In true Syl Stone style, the two brothers defy the odds to shine in the winner-take-all MMA tournament. However, the action and excitement is more than enough to keep fans rooting for the underdog all the way through.
The movie is 2 hours and 19 minutes, longer than most movies of this genre, but the pacing is so good and you won’t find yourself looking at your watch or cell phone.
GRADE: A. Warrior is action-paced sports movie about second chances that might even give a non-MMA fan a reason to check out the next big fight.
For a complete list of movie times, click here.
Also opening this weekend: "Contagion" (a well-review film about a lethal airborne virus), "Creature" (a road trip to New Orleans goes wrong) and "Buck Larson: Born to Be a Star" (a small town grocery bagger goes to Hollywood to be a porn star).
“Straw Dogs," "Drive," and "I Don’t Know How She Does It" will open next week.
