Warrior Information

Warrior is a 2011 American sports drama film directed by Gavin O'Connor and starring Joel Edgerton, Tom Hardy, and Nick Nolte. Warrior tells the story of two estranged brothers entering a mixed martial arts (MMA) tournament and deals with the brothers' struggling relationship with each other and with their father. The film was released on September 9, 2011, to overall positive reviews, and earned an Academy Award nomination for Nolte. Warrior is dedicated to the memory of MMA clothing brand Tapout co-founder Charles "Mask" Lewis, Jr., as seen just before the ending credits.

Plot

The film opens with U.S. Marine Tommy Riordan (Tom Hardy) visiting his father, Paddy Conlon (Nick Nolte), a recovering alcoholic who has become a born-again Christian. Tommy becomes angry about his father's formerly abusive behavior and Paddy fails to convince him that he has truly changed. The next day, Tommy enters a gym where he beats a professional fighter named Pete "Mad Dog" Grimes (Erik Apple) unconscious in less than 30 seconds, in a fight which is filmed via a cell phone's video camera and later uploaded to the Internet, where it goes viral. Tommy learns about a winner-takes-all mixed martial arts tournament called Sparta where the winner receives $5,000,000. In order to provide for the family of his fallen friend in the Marine Corps, Tommy asks his father to help him train for the tournament, but only under the condition that Paddy does not try to reconcile their relationship.

Meanwhile, Paddy's older son, Brendan Conlon (Joel Edgerton), a high school physics teacher and former UFC fighter, is struggling to financially provide for his wife Tess (Jennifer Morrison) and two daughters and faces the possibility of his home getting foreclosed due to mortgage re-financing to pay for his younger daughter's open heart surgery. To increase his income, Brendan risks returning to his former profession as a mixed martial arts fighter battling amateur fighters for money. Rumors of Brendan fighting in the ring begin spreading amongst his students. The school's superintendent, objecting to his participation in such dangerous activities, suspends him without pay. Left with no other option, Brendan seeks the training of old friend Frank Campana (Frank Grillo) and begins competing in smaller venue fights. After the fighter Frank planned to enter into the Sparta tournament is injured during training, Brendan convinces Frank to enter him as a replacement.

After arriving at the tournament, Brendan discovers that Tommy has also entered. When the two brothers confront each other for the first time in 14 years, it is explained that Brendan chose to stay behind with his then-girlfriend Tess when he was 16 years old instead of moving away from their father with Tommy and their mother, who later grew ill and died. Brendan claims that he has forgiven his father for the wrong he has done, but Tommy is unconvinced. He refuses to forgive Brendan for not leaving with him and for not being there when their mother was sick.

Meanwhile, the video of Tommy beating "Mad Dog" attracts the attention of a Marine in Iraq whose life was saved by Tommy months prior. The information and video of Tommy saving the Marine is shared with the press and Tommy becomes a national hero, gaining a massive fan base and appreciation from not only viewers, but from the U.S. Marine Corps as well. However, Tommy's records surface from the Corps and reveal that he deserted the military after his entire unit was killed in a friendly fire bombing. It is explained that Tommy took his mother's maiden name as his own surname in order to evade arrest for his desertion and that military police will take him into custody after the tournament is over.

Over two nights, Brendan and Tommy have contrasting fortunes: Tommy quickly and brutally knocks out his three opponents, while Brendan has a much tougher time, outmatched physically but utilizing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to force submissions. In the semi-final match, Brendan forces the Russian champion Koba (Kurt Angle) to tap out, who before the tournament started was the heavy favorite to win. The night before the final day, Paddy attempts to talk to Tommy about his actions in Iraq only to be berated and dismissed, which the following morning has caused a distraught Paddy to start drinking again. Seeing his terrible pain, Tommy calms and comforts him. In the end the brothers are the last fighters remaining in the tournament, and despite Brendan's desire to reconcile, they unleash all the anger they have towards one another. The fight between the brothers shows Tommy having the upper hand initially, but Brendan manages to dislocate Tommy's shoulder. Tommy refuses to tap, and finally Brendan traps him in a rear naked choke. While they both lie struggling on the mat, Brendan tearfully apologizes to Tommy and tells him that he loves him. After some hesitation, Tommy taps out. The film ends with the two brothers exiting the ring, Tommy in tears with Brendan's arms around him, as their father watches them reconcile and smiles.

Cast

• Joel Edgerton as Brendan Conlon
• Tom Hardy as Tommy Riordan
• Nick Nolte as Paddy Conlon
• Jennifer Morrison as Tess Conlon
• Frank Grillo as Frank Campana
• Kevin Dunn as Joe Zito
• Vanessa Martinez as Pilar Fernandez
• Noah Emmerich as Dan Taylor
• Denzel Whitaker as Stephon
• Maximiliano Hernández as Colt Boyd
• Fernando Chien as Fenroy
• Kurt Angle as Koba
• Erik Apple as Pete "Mad Dog" Grimes
• Nate Marquardt as Karl "The Dane" Kruller
• Anthony Johnson as Orlando "Midnight" Lee
• Roan Carneiro as Marcos Santos
• Gavin O'Connor as J.J. Riley (uncredited)
• Dan "Punkass" Caldwell as Himself
• Timothy "Skyskrape" Katz as Himself
• Bryan Callen as Himself
• Sam Sheridan as Himself
• Josh Rosenthal as Himself

Themes

Described by critics as "heartbreaking and emotionally satisfying", "really gripping", "an unapologetic powerhouse of emotional conflict" and self-described as a "rousing ode to redemption, reconciliation and the power of the human spirit", Warrior has received the most praise for the emotional approach it takes to the themes of forgiveness and "the enduring bonds of family" that it explores. In their review, Common Sense Media cites unconditional love as a major theme, further explaining that "some weighty issues" such as estrangement and alcoholism are also dealt with.

Production

Mogul Minds Studios, (now 31st Street Studios), located in Pittsburgh, was used during the filming, as well as the University of Pittsburgh's Petersen Events Center and the Twin Hi-Way Drive-In. North Hills Senior High School was also used for some scenes. Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City was used for the exterior scenes of the main fight venue, along with scenes filmed on the boardwalk and beach.

Producers later told Esquire Magazine that the story and personality of main character Tommy Riordan was based on United States Marine Sergeant Ewan G.P. Pennington, who joined the military branch at age 17 in 2007. Greg O'Connor was quoted saying he met the young Marine during his second tour to Afghanistan, when another Marine told him a "heroic story" of the way Pennington saved his life during a night raid.

Hardy went through a demanding training routine for gaining muscle during the film's pre-production, gaining around 28 pounds (13 kg) of muscle and raising his overall weight to 205 pounds (93 kg) (a physique which he also used to portray Bane in The Dark Knight Rises).

Release

Marketing

The Men of Warrior book was released on July 19, 2011. Lionsgate's "We Are All Warriors" project to support the release of Warrior by highlighting everyday heroes was launched August 1, 2011.

Box office

Warrior debuted in third place in its first week at the U.S. box office with $5,242,107 behind Contagion and The Help. It dropped down to #8 the following weekend. Overall, the film was not a commercial success, making $13,657,115 in United States and Canada, and $9,400,000 in foreign countries for a worldwide total of $23,057,115, failing to reclaim its budget of $25,000,000.

Critical reception

Warrior received strongly positive reviews from critics, with many praising the themes, acting, and fight scenes. According to review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 83% of critics gave the film a positive review, with an average score of 7.2 out of 10, based on 159 reviews. The site's consensus states: "Warrior relies on many of the clichés that critics of the genre love to mock "? and it transcends them with gripping action, powerful acting, and heart." Metacritic reported a 71% average score from the 35 reviews it aggregated of the film, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Bruce Diones of The New Yorker highly praised the actors' performances, especially Tom Hardy's, as "convincingly real" and "sensational." He further complimented the film as "cathartic" and "winning," and said that the film as a whole "achieves a surprising compassion and honesty." Simon Miraudo from Quickflix praised the character development of brothers Tommy Riordan and Brendan Conlon: "When they speak to each other for the first time in the film " amazingly, only once before they actually meet in the ring " we understand their relationship completely." He called the film as a whole "beautiful" in spite of how violent it is, and gave it 4 out of 5 stars. Common Sense Media's Sandie Angulo Chen called the film "a touching family drama wrapped in an intense 'David vs. Goliath'-style fight." Meanwhile, Roger Ebert gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, declaring that "this is a rare fight movie in which we don't want to see either fighter lose," while praising Gavin O'Connor's direction and Nick Nolte's performance. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone was also complimentary towards O'Connor, stating that he "comes out swinging in this flawed but fiercely moving family drama," while A.O. Scott of The New York Times credited the film for being "appropriately blunt, powerful and relentless," also praising the "skillfully staged" fight scenes.

Some critics, including Philip French from the UK magazine The Observer, have noted similarities to other sports drama films such as Rocky (1976), The Wrestler (2008), and The Fighter (2010).

Nick Nolte received much praise for his dramatic performance, garnering an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Home release

Warrior was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the United States on December 20, 2011. The Blu-ray release includes a DVD copy of the movie, as well as a downloadable digital copy. With the exception of the Blu-ray including an additional Feature Length Enhanced Viewing Mode, extras are similar between both releases.

Soundtrack

Warrior: Original Score is the soundtrack album for the film, composed and produced by Mark Isham. It was released by Lakeshore Records on September 13, 2011. The song "About Today" by the indie rock band The National was also featured on the soundtrack and also in the film during the final fight scene. The composition entitled "Listen to the Beethoven" incorporates elements of the final movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's ninth symphony, which is featured prominently throughout the film.

Track listing

1. "Listen to the Beethoven"
2. "Paddy & Tommy"
3. "Sparta " Night One"
4. "I Can't Watch You Fight"
5. "Koba"
6. "Hero"
7. "Brendan & Tess"
8. "The Devil You Know"
9. "Stop the Ship (Relapse)"
10. "Warrior"
11. "Brendan & Tommy"
12. "About Today" (performed by The National)