Plot
The film opens with former Marine Tommy Riordan (Tom Hardy) visiting his father Paddy (Nick Nolte), a former alcoholic who has become a Christian. Paddy fails to convince him that he has changed. Meanwhile, Paddy's older son, Brendan Conlon (Joel Edgerton), a high school physics teacher, struggles with the bank to pay for the house in three weeks or have it foreclosed. Despite he and his wife Tess (Jennifer Morrison) working a total of three jobs, Brendan risks returning to his former profession as a mixed martial arts fighter battling amateur fighters for money in order to pay the bank in time, which ends up getting him suspended without pay from school.
Tommy enters a gym where he easily beats a professional fighter named Mad Dog Grimes (Erik Apple) within seconds. The fight is filmed via video phone and becomes an internet sensation. Tommy asks the help of his father to help him train for an MMA tournament calledSparta at the request that they do not try to reconcile their relationship. Brendan eventually enters the same tournament with his old friend Frank Campana (Frank Grillo) as his trainer, not knowing Tommy has joined as well. Prior to this, Paddy visits Brendan where he tries to reconcile with him but fails. However, Brendan forgives Paddy for all the wrong he has done to him in the past, though he tells him that he still does not trust him.
After joining Sparta, Brendan later confronts his brother and Tommy explains why he cannot forgive not only Paddy, but Brendan as well.
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 soldier is shared with the press and Tommy becomes a national hero, gaining a massive fan base not only with viewers, but with the U.S. Marine Corps as well. However, his records surface from the Marine Corps and reveal that he deserted the military after he was nearly killed by friendly fire. Over the next few nights, Brendan and Tommy battle some of the toughest names in mixed martial arts, with Tommy usually winning by brutally knocking his opponents unconscious, and Brendan utilizing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and defeating all his opponents bysubmission. At the end, both brothers come face-to-face with each other in the cage and unleash all anger they had towards each other.
The fight between the two brothers shows Tommy having the upper hand initially, taking down Brendan and punishing him with some ground-and-pound. However, in the third round, the tides turn as Brendan catches Tommy with an omoplata armlock. Eventually, Brendan manages todislocate Tommy's shoulder and catches him in a rear naked choke. While they both lie struggling on the mat, Brendan apologizes and tells Tommy that he loves him, and after a brief hesitation, Tommy taps out. The film ends with the two brothers exiting the ring, Tommy in tears with Brendan's arms around him.
Cast
Joel Edgerton as Brendan Conlon
Tom Hardy as Tommy Riordan
Jennifer Morrison as Tess Conlon
Frank Grillo as Frank Campana
Nick Nolte as Paddy Conlon
Kurt Angle as Koba
Jake McLaughlin as Mark Bradford
Noah Emmerich as Dan Taylor
Kevin Dunn as Joe Zito
Denzel Whitaker as Student
Maximiliano Hernández as Colt Boyd
Erik Apple as Mad Dog
Vanessa Martinez as Pilar Fernandez
Nate Marquardt as Karl Kruller
Anthony "Rumble" Johnson as Orlando "Midnight" Lee
Josh Rosenthal as himself
Bryan Callen as himself
Sam Sheridan as himself
Rashad Evans as himself
Joel Edgerton as Brendan Conlon
Tom Hardy as Tommy Riordan
Jennifer Morrison as Tess Conlon
Frank Grillo as Frank Campana
Nick Nolte as Paddy Conlon
Kurt Angle as Koba
Jake McLaughlin as Mark Bradford
Noah Emmerich as Dan Taylor
Kevin Dunn as Joe Zito
Denzel Whitaker as Student
Maximiliano Hernández as Colt Boyd
Erik Apple as Mad Dog
Vanessa Martinez as Pilar Fernandez
Nate Marquardt as Karl Kruller
Anthony "Rumble" Johnson as Orlando "Midnight" Lee
Josh Rosenthal as himself
Bryan Callen as himself
Sam Sheridan as himself
Rashad Evans as himself
Production
Mogul Minds Studios, (now 31st Street Studios), located in Pittsburgh, was used during the filming, as well as the University of Pittsburgh'sPetersen Events Center and the Twin Hi-Way Drive-In. North Hills High School was also used for some interior 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.[3]
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).
Additional filming was shot at the former West Virginia State Penitentiary, located in Moundsville, West Virginia.
Additional scenes were shot around the historic Pitt Hotel and Restaurant in McDonald, Pennsylvania.
Mogul Minds Studios, (now 31st Street Studios), located in Pittsburgh, was used during the filming, as well as the University of Pittsburgh'sPetersen Events Center and the Twin Hi-Way Drive-In. North Hills High School was also used for some interior 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.[3]
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).
Additional filming was shot at the former West Virginia State Penitentiary, located in Moundsville, West Virginia.
Additional scenes were shot around the historic Pitt Hotel and Restaurant in McDonald, Pennsylvania.
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.
[edit]Reception
[edit]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.[7] It dropped down to #8 the following weekend.[8] The film has made $13,651,662 in United States and Canada, and $5,800,000 in foreign countries for a worldwide total of $19,451,662.[2]
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.
[edit]Reception
[edit]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.[7] It dropped down to #8 the following weekend.[8] The film has made $13,651,662 in United States and Canada, and $5,800,000 in foreign countries for a worldwide total of $19,451,662.[2]
Critical Reception
Warrior has received very positive reviews from critics, with many praising the strong emotional content, acting, and fight scenes. Rotten Tomatoes reports that 83% of 157 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average score of 7.2/10.[9] Review aggregator sites Metacritic[10] and IEDb.net[11] gave the film 71% from 35 critics and 3.6 out of 5 stars (72%) respectively. Bruce Diones of The New Yorkercommented, "The movie is so skillfully made, and the performances are so convincingly real (Hardy is sensational), that, as it reaches its cathartic, winning finish, it achieves a surprising compassion and honesty."[12] 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.[13] 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."[14] A.O. Scott of The New York Times credited the film for being "appropriately blunt, powerful and relentless."
Warrior has received very positive reviews from critics, with many praising the strong emotional content, acting, and fight scenes. Rotten Tomatoes reports that 83% of 157 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average score of 7.2/10.[9] Review aggregator sites Metacritic[10] and IEDb.net[11] gave the film 71% from 35 critics and 3.6 out of 5 stars (72%) respectively. Bruce Diones of The New Yorkercommented, "The movie is so skillfully made, and the performances are so convincingly real (Hardy is sensational), that, as it reaches its cathartic, winning finish, it achieves a surprising compassion and honesty."[12] 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.[13] 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."[14] A.O. Scott of The New York Times credited the film for being "appropriately blunt, powerful and relentless."
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