12A
Directed by Gavin O’Connor
Starring Nick Nolte, Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton
I would like to say, I am not a DVD veteran, so for me to go
out and buy a DVD on the first week of release is a mark of how much I wanted
to see this film again. Warrior is about the story of one broken family and how
they try to pick up the pieces amidst various tribulations. Set in Pittsburgh,
we see our two protagonists find their way back to Mixed Martial Arts and enter
the Sparta Tournament in Atlantic City each with different motivations.
As the biggest Tom Hardy fan going, I was more drawn to this
film at the prospect of multiple scenes of him shirtless, however I would like
to point out – that is only one reason to buy this film! You don’t have to know
the first thing about Mixed Martial Arts to enjoy the movie as it is just as
much about family ties as it is about the sport. That said, my whole family
were fist pumping and cheering throughout all the fights!
Warrior is visually stunning and follows all the classic
sports movie traits, so expect split screen training montages and lots of
skipping. But surprisingly, this didn’t offend me and I found the entire film
to be extremely emotional and inspirational. Just ask the kid next to me in the
cinema (you know who you are!) The National feature heavily on the soundtrack
and About Today accompanies one of the most emotionally draining and memorable pieces
of cinema I have ever seen at the end of the film.
Superb acting from Nick Nolte who very much deserves the
Academy Award nomination for this role (I can only hope the Oscar goes to him,
as this film has been greatly overlooked). Tom Hardy bulked up an incredible 28
lbs in muscle and it really shows, he looks menacing but at the same time
incredibly vulnerable – something which Hardy does too well. His onscreen
relationship with Joel Edgerton is extremely believable and they both did well
to lose their native accents in favour of the American one they adopt in
Warrior.
The extra features on the DVD include lots of stuff about
MMA, fighting strategy, deleted scenes and a brilliant tribute to Charles ‘Mask’
Lewis Jr. who the film was dedicated to. This DVD is most definitely worth a
watch, even if you caught it in cinema first time round.
Rating: 8
Buy this if you loved: any of the Rockys, or The Fighter.
One to watch: Joel Edgerton. This Aussie looks to be on a
collision course to success after his amazing performance as the underdog,
Brendan, in this film. Look out for him in The Great Gatsby – I have a feeling
Edgerton could become a household name.
No comments:
Post a Comment