Well, it's official. They're back to putting out a few movies that don't suck a giant amount of donkey cock. For little while, at least, I won't want to stab myself or others every time I approach a movie theater.
This weekend I have damn near no time to do absolutely nothing. It's football kickoff weekend and I'll be doing homework while the TV is on. Remind me to never stack 3 8-week college courses on top of each other. I'm waaaay too lazy to enjoy this. I volunteered to work at a festival on Sunday morning, I did chores and went to the gym on a lovely Saturday morning, and I'm currently watching my favorite college football team struggle against a very good foe. Yet, despite all this business (and a small amount of whining), I've made time to watch not one, but two films this week.
Why?
Because they look not suck, and I need a dose of not-suck in theaters.
Unfortunately, I'm starting to worry about going to see Contagion tonight....because Warrior was that damn good.
On to the review!
Warrior is not a new story. The whole underdog sports story is old, but we love it. Shit, Rocky, arguably the most popular fictional movie underdog, has his own damn statue in Philadelphia. I'm both awesome AND real and I don't even warrant a shrine in someone's closet. The Fighter came out last year and everyone loved it. Who doesn't remember watching films like The Mighty Ducks and Major League? America has a love affair with the little guy done good. Unfortunately, a lot of films, while possibly fun to watch, aren't necessarily good.
I figured Warrior would fit into that category. Fun to watch but not something that would stick with me afterwards. Holy shit was I wrong. I genuinely want to own this on Blu-Ray the moment it goes on sale. That's serious business, because I barely buy movies anymore, and almost never want a new film on disc.
So anyways, Warrior is basically two underdog films in one. You follow the estranged brothers Conlon as they separately attempt to win the Spartan tournament and bag the $5 million reward, each for separate and not-douchebaggy reasons. Tom Hardy plays the ex-Marine Tommy and holy shit do I not want to piss him off. The dude is fearsome in this movie. Meanwhile, his older brother Brendan is played by Joel Edgerton, whom I could also definitely not take down in a fight. The only complaint here is that the brothers are from Pittsburgh, PA and Tom Hardy manages to disguise his British accent by sounding like he's from Jersey by way of the Bronx. It doesn't quite work, but it's not bad enough to annoy anyone who doesn't actually know what people from Pitt are supposed to sound like.
Brendan's wife, Tess, is former House regular Jennifer Morrison, and she does a fine job of filling in emotion when the movie actually allows her to be on scene. However, that is very rarely. You see, the meaty part of the plot isn't the brother's attempts to win a tournament. The best part of this film is the only part that isn't completely predictable. Previously mentioned Nick Nolte plays Paddy Conlon, their abusive, formerly alcoholic asshole of a fighter. He plays a man who was such a terrible human being, he drove his entire family apart years ago. His youngest son fled West with his now-deceased mother, and his oldest stayed with his High School girlfriend, married and had children whom Paddy is not allowed to see. He can only communicate via phone or letters.
The man is incredibly convincing as an old man who knows exactly what he's lost, is desperate to gain some of it back, wants to make good and has absolutely no idea how to do it. Maybe his character affects me because I see a little sliver of a few people I've known in him. He's also the sort of person I've always been afraid to become.
The crap is very little, and not too crap-tastic. There is one absolutely useless subplot, and the movie tries too hard to tie everything in. Just when it felt like they should be tightening their view, the cameras keep pulling out to show you events somewhere else. Again, it's not terrible, I just think they could have shaved a good 15-20 minutes off the film and nobody would have noticed a thing.
The ending is abrupt, and I suppose it's the only way to end a movie like this without making it terrible. Everyone's acting ranges from fine to amazing, and nobody drops the ball. Like I said, an accent here and there is a little off, but holy shit, you should see this film. In fact, I saw The Fighter just a month ago, and I honestly think Warrior takes the good, improves on the great, and makes for an even more compelling film.
If you want a great drama with some well-shot action scenes, do yourself a favor and go see Warrior in theaters. If you like any movie I've mentioned, you'll like this one. If you just want to see people get the shit kicked out of them and think this movie will be a waste of time, do me a favor. Go take your stupid self to the nearest Buffalo Wild Wings, order a beer and watch a pay-per-view fight. Then, when it's over, go outside and jump into oncoming traffic.
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