''Warrior'' is a 2011 American
sports
Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...
action film
Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include l ...
directed by
Gavin O'Connor. It stars
Tom Hardy and
Joel Edgerton
Joel Edgerton (born 23 June 1974) is an Australian actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his appearance in the ''Star Wars'' films ''Attack of the Clones'' (2002) and ''Revenge of the Sith'' (2005) as a young Owen Lars, a role he reprised i ...
as two estranged brothers whose entrance into a
mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...
tournament makes them come to terms with their lives and each other.
Nick Nolte
Nicholas King Nolte (born February 8, 1941) is an American actor. He won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for the 1991 film ''The Prince of Tides''. He received ...
,
Jennifer Morrison
Jennifer Marie Morrison is an American actress, director, producer, and former child model. She is mainly known for her roles as Dr. Allison Cameron in the medical-drama series ''House'' (2004–2012) and Emma Swan in the ABC adventure-fantasy ...
,
Frank Grillo
Frank Anthony Grillo (born June 8, 1965) is an American actor and martial artist. He played Brock Rumlow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films '' Captain America: The Winter Soldier'' (2014), '' Captain America: Civil War'' (2016), '' Avengers ...
, and
Bryan Callen
Bryan Callen (born January 26, 1967) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer and podcaster. He studied acting at the Beverly Hills Playhouse. Callen initiated his career as one of the original cast members on the sketch comedy serie ...
appear in supporting roles. Real-life MMA and combat sports figures like
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former collegiate wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in WWE and Total Nonstop Action ...
,
Nate Marquardt
Nathan Joel Marquardt (born April 20, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the middleweight and welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 1999, he is a former Strikeforce W ...
,
Anthony Johnson,
Roan Carneiro
Roan Carneiro Pereira (born 2 June 1978) is a Brazilian retired professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2000, Carneiro was ...
,
Yves Edwards
Yves Ed'duvill Edwards (born September 30, 1976) is a Bahamian retired mixed martial artist, who is best known for competing in the UFC's Lightweight division, fighting 21 times in the promotion. A professional competitor since 1997, he also com ...
,
Amir Perets
Amir Perets (born 20 September 1974 in Tiberias, Israel) is an Israeli-born mixed martial artist, entrepreneur, and active participant in Fight Science featured on the National Geographic Channel. He is an instrumental figure in popularizing the ...
, and
Dan Caldwell make appearances.
The film was theatrically released in the United States on September 9, 2011, by
Lionsgate
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered ...
. Although not commercially successful, the film received positive reviews from critics, with Nolte receiving an
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
nomination for
Best Supporting Actor.
Plot
U.S. Marine
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through com ...
Tommy Riordan visits his father, Paddy Conlon, a recovering alcoholic who has returned to his Catholic faith in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
. As a child, Tommy had to run away from Paddy with his dying mother due to Paddy being an abusive alcoholic, and has never forgiven him. Paddy tries to convince him that he has changed, but to no avail. The next day, Tommy enters a gym where he quickly knocks out Pete "Mad Dog" Grimes, a professional fighter; a video of the fight goes
viral on the internet. Learning about a winner-takes-all
mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...
tournament called Sparta, whose winner will receive $5 million, Tommy asks Paddy to help him train for the tournament, but only under the condition that Paddy does not try to reconcile their relationship.
Tommy's older brother Brendan, a high school physics teacher and former MMA fighter, is struggling to provide for his wife, Tess, and their two daughters. He had to mortgage his house in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
to pay for his younger daughter's
open heart surgery
Cardiac surgery, or cardiovascular surgery, is surgery on the heart or great vessels performed by cardiac surgeons. It is often used to treat complications of ischemic heart disease (for example, with coronary artery bypass grafting); to c ...
, and is now in danger of losing everything. To increase his income, Brendan battles amateur fighters for money. He is suspended without pay after rumors of his secret life spread around the school. Paddy meets Brendan in his driveway to try to reconcile with him, albeit unsuccessfully, and to tell him that Tommy is back in town. Out of options, Brendan seeks the training of old friend Frank Campana and begins competing in smaller venue fights. After the fighter Frank planned to enter into the Sparta tournament is injured, Brendan convinces Frank to enter him as a replacement.
When the brothers separately enter the tournament, it is revealed that Tommy is still angry at Brendan for staying behind for Tess when Tommy and their mother left Paddy; Tommy was left to care for their mother when she became
terminally ill
Terminal illness or end-stage disease is a disease that cannot be cured or adequately treated and is expected to result in the death of the patient. This term is more commonly used for progressive diseases such as cancer, dementia or advanced h ...
. Brendan claims that he could not help having been in love with Tess and that he has forgiven his father for the wrong he has done, but Tommy is unconvinced.
Meanwhile, the video of Tommy beating Grimes attracts the attention of a Marine, who tells the press that Tommy saved his life in Iraq. Although Tommy becomes a national hero, his military records reveal that he
deserted after his entire unit was killed in a
friendly fire
In military terminology, friendly fire or fratricide is an attack by belligerent or neutral forces on friendly troops while attempting to attack enemy/hostile targets. Examples include misidentifying the target as hostile, cross-fire while en ...
bombing; Tommy had been using his mother's maiden name as his own surname to evade arrest for his desertion. He reveals to have pledged to give his winnings to the widow of one of his fallen friends. The military police will take him into custody but will wait until after the tournament is over.
Over two nights, Brendan and Tommy have contrasting fortunes: Tommy quickly and brutally
knocks out opponents, while Brendan is outmatched physically but uses
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to force grappling
submissions. In the semifinals, Brendan is matched up with undefeated Russian wrestler Koba, who dominates him in two rounds. In round three, Brendan swings for the fences, making the bout a back and forth battle. In the closing moments of the final round, Koba takes Brendan's back from the
clinch
Clinch may refer to:
* Nail (fastener) or device to hold in this way
* Clinching, in metalworking
* Clinch fighting or the clinch, a grappling position in boxing or wrestling, a stand-up embrace
* Clinch County, Georgia, USA
* Clinch River, near T ...
and Brendan goes for a rolling
kneebar
A leglock is a joint lock that is directed at joints of the leg such as the ankle, knee or hip joint. A leglock which is directed at joints in the foot, is sometimes referred to as a foot lock and a lock at the hip as a hip lock. Leglocks are f ...
. As Koba attempts to escape the position, Brendan quickly reverses and readjusts the kneebar, narrowly winning by submission. Tommy is matched up with Grimes, again knocking him unconscious almost immediately.
The night before the final day, Paddy attempts to talk to Tommy about his actions in Iraq. Tommy angrily dismisses his father, who relapses and starts drinking again. Seeing his terrible pain, Tommy calms and comforts him.
Tommy and Brendan's relationship is revealed to the world when they are the tournament's last remaining fighters. Despite Brendan's desire to reconcile, Tommy shows no interest in doing so. Tommy wins the first two rounds, but Brendan eventually dislocates Tommy's shoulder with an
omoplata
An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint or shoulder joint. An armlock that hyper-extends the arm is known as an armbar, and it includes the traditional armbar, ...
arm-lock. As the fourth round starts, Brendan insists Tommy give up as Tommy only has use of one arm. As Tommy continues trying to knock Brendan out, Brendan unloads a barrage of strikes trying to end the fight. Tommy goads Brendan to continue hitting him as the fourth round ends. At the start of Round 5, Brendan refuses to fight, but Tommy persists. Brendan realizes he has to force him to submit, and he traps Tommy in a
rear naked choke
The rear naked choke (RNC) is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. The word "naked" in this context suggests that, unlike other strangulation techniques found in jujutsu/judo, this hold does not require the use of a keiko ...
. As they struggle on the canvas, Brendan apologizes to Tommy and tells him that he loves him. After some hesitation, Tommy submits. The reconciled brothers exit the ring as their father looks on smiling.
Cast
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
Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children. 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
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
, was used during the filming, as well as the
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...
's
Petersen Events Center and the Twin Hi-Way Drive-In.
North Hills Senior High School was also used for some scenes.
Boardwalk Hall
Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, formerly known as the Historic Atlantic City Convention Hall, is a multi-purpose arena in Atlantic City in Atlantic County, New Jersey. It was Atlantic City's primary convention center until the opening of the Atlant ...
in
Atlantic City was used for the exterior scenes of the main fight venue, along with scenes filmed on the boardwalk and beach.
Hardy went through a demanding training routine for gaining muscle during the film's pre-production, gaining around 28 pounds (13 kg) of muscle (a physique which he also used to portray
Bane
Bane may refer to:
Fictional characters
* Bane (DC Comics), an adversary of Batman
* Bane (''Harry Potter''), a centaur in the ''Harry Potter'' series
* Bane (''The Matrix''), a character in the ''Matrix'' film trilogy
* Bane the Druid, a Gu ...
in ''
The Dark Knight Rises
''The Dark Knight Rises'' is a 2012 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan Nolan, and the story with David S. Goyer. The film is based on the DC Comics character Batman, it is th ...
'').
Release
The film was released in the United States on September 9, 2011.
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.
Home media
''Warrior'' was released on
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
and
Blu-ray
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...
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.
Reception
Box office
''Warrior'' debuted in third place in its first week at the U.S. box office with $5.2 million behind ''
Contagion'' and ''
The Help
''The Help'' is a historical fiction novel by American author Kathryn Stockett and published by Penguin Books in 2009. The story is about African Americans working in white households in Jackson, Mississippi, during the early 1960s.
A ''USA To ...
''. It dropped down to #8 the following weekend. Overall, the film made $13.7 million in United States and Canada, and $9.6 million in foreign countries for a worldwide total of $23.3 million.
Critical response
On
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
the film has an approval rating of 84% based on 195 reviews, with an average score of 7.3/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "''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." On
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
the film has a weighted average score of 71 out of 100, based on reviews from 35 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by
CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.
Bruce Diones of ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'' 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
Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children. '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
Peter Joseph Travers (born ) is an American film critic, journalist, and television presenter. He reviews films for ABC News and previously served as a movie critic for ''People'' and ''Rolling Stone''. Travers also hosts the film interview prog ...
of ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' was also complimentary towards O'Connor, stating that he "comes out swinging in this flawed but fiercely moving family drama," while
A.O. Scott
Anthony Oliver Scott (born July 10, 1966) is an American journalist and cultural critic. He has been chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' since 2004, a title he shares with Manohla Dargis.
Early life
Scott was born on July 10, 1966 in ...
of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' credited the film for being "appropriately blunt, powerful and relentless," also praising the "skillfully staged" fight scenes.
Andrew Pulver of ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' rated the film 2 out of 5 stars stating, "This mixed-martial-arts fight movie has received bafflingly high praise considering its lunkhead plot and rudimentary characters".
Kirk Honeycutt of ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...
'' stated, "For an "entertainment," Warrior accomplishes a lot. The family drama resonates strongly with a resolution that, in retrospect, seems like the only way the brothers could have rediscovered blood ties."
Some critics, including
Philip French from the UK magazine ''
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...
'', have noted similarities to other sports drama films such as ''
Rocky
''Rocky'' is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burge ...
'' (1976), ''
The Wrestler'' (2008), and ''
The Fighter
''The Fighter'' is a 2010 American biographical sports drama film directed by David O. Russell, and stars Mark Wahlberg (who also produced), Christian Bale, Amy Adams, and Melissa Leo. The film centers on the lives of professional boxer Mi ...
'' (2010).
Soundtrack
''Warrior: Original Score'' is the
soundtrack album for the film, composed and produced by
Mark Isham
Mark Ware Isham (born September 7, 1951) is an American musician and film composer. A trumpeter and keyboardist, Isham works in a variety of genres, including jazz and electronic. He is also a film composer, having worked on numerous films and ...
. 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
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...
's
ninth symphony, which is featured prominently throughout the film.
# "Listen to the Beethoven"
# "Paddy & Tommy"
# "Sparta – Night One"
# "I Can't Watch You Fight"
# "Koba"
# "Hero"
# "Brendan & Tess"
# "The Devil You Know"
# "Stop the Ship (Relapse)"
# "Warrior"
# "Brendan & Tommy"
# "About Today" (performed by
The National)
# "Start a War" (performed by The National)
Adaptations
The film had an Indian adaptation titled ''
Brothers
A brother is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to non-familia ...
'' (2015) starring
Akshay Kumar
Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia (born 9 September 1967), known professionally as Akshay Kumar (), is an Indian-born naturalised Canadian Quote: "(Former prime minister Stephen) Harper campaigned in 2011 alongside one of Modi's biggest celebrity backer ...
and
Sidharth Malhotra
Sidharth Malhotra (; born 16 January 1985) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. He began his career as a fashion model, but left it to pursue an acting career. He made his acting debut with a minor role in the television serial ''Dhart ...
in lead roles.
A film with the same title and similar plot was made in 2015 in Russia.
References
External links
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Warrior
2011 films
2011 action drama films
American action drama films
2010s English-language films
Films about father–son relationships
Films about brothers
Films set in Pittsburgh
Films shot in Atlantic City, New Jersey
Films shot in Pittsburgh
American martial arts films
Mixed martial arts films
Lionsgate films
Films directed by Gavin O'Connor
Films about alcoholism
Films about dysfunctional families
Films scored by Mark Isham
Fictional rivalries
Martial arts tournament films
2010s American films