WARRIOR is a movie that stands in the shadow of THE FIGHTER and looks pale by comparison. It also features two brothers as competitive fighters, one of whom is a "troubled", and a parent who is poisonous and controlling. And is with THE FIGHTER, the fighting in the ring is secondary to the emotional conflict outside the ring, leading to an eventual reconciliation. Moreover, both films show the impact of an intrusive media. Where THE FIGHTER is steeped in an authentic locale, and powered by three superlative performances, WARRIOR feels contrived, emotionally manipulative, and powered by brawn rather than brains. Nick Nolte, as the alcoholic father, received an Oscar nomination for his role, but this felt undeserved to me. And as for the two brother, Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton have both done better work. This is the kind of movie in which two brothers enter a mixed martial arts contest and, no shit, they end up facing off in the final. Puh-lease.
WARRIOR was released in autumn 2011 and is available to rent and own.
