'Warrior' is secondarily a movie about the world's fastest growing sport, MMA. If you like the fight game, this movie will have you yelling and jumping out of your seat.
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.
Warrior's three principle characterizations are compelling - Nolte in particular gives a tempered performance as the shambling, sad-eyed wreck of a dad - but not enough to mask the film's lesser elements.
Director Gavin O'Connor tries sprucing up the material by swapping out boxing for mixed martial arts, but it's still the same old story told the same old way. At least Real Steel had robots.
When most popcorn flicks wear their preposterousness on their sleeve, here's a rare one that can, even should convince you it's smart, heartfelt, real-world-grounded entertainment while still requiring a massive suspension of disbelief.
