The Heart of a Warrior

There have been a lot of films about Mixed Martial Arts since the sport became popular in the past couple of years. But a lot of these films only have great fight sequences, not so much a great story line once the fighters leave the octagon. Usually these films are really cheesy with a lot of bad dialogue and characters that the audience cannot relate too.

Gavin O’Connor’s 2011 film Warrior isn't just about Mixed Martial Arts. This film deals with brotherhood, family tragedy, alcoholism, PTSD, a lot of problems that can hit audience members in the heart. With a fantastic cast, including Nick Nolte, Tom Hardy, and Joel Edgerton, this film is way more than just a fight film.

The film deals with a lot of personal issues that audiences can relate to. Nick Nolte’s character is a recovering alcoholic and is trying to rebuild a broken relationship with his two sons. Tom Hardy’s character, a former Marine, is dealing with PSTD and is haunted by his tragic past during his tour of duty. Joel Edgerton’s character is a public school teacher and is trying to make ends meet for his wife (played by Jennifer Morrison) and their two daughters.

The fight scenes in this film were astounding. The audience could tell that each character was fighting for something, either for fame, money or their loved ones. The cinematography during each fight scene was fantastic; it really made the audience feel like they were sitting ring side during the fights and in the cage standing near the fighters. The audience members could feel the energy from the fighters and the crowd during the fights. It made the audience feel the physical pain every time Joel Edgerton’s character gets knocked down or the emotional pain when Tom Hardy goes nuts on an opponent. 

Warrior is a film that doesn’t hold back on expressing itself on screen. The audience can feel the pain of each character; whether it was physically or mentally, they felt it. The film grabs the audience attention and doesn’t let it go. The ending of this film sends an honest but brutal message without words; which is really fitting for this kind of film. Warrior is not just a fight film with crazy fight sequences, it shows heart and audiences haven’t seen a fight film like this in long time.  Hopefully filmmakers make more fight films like this that can capture the audience’s hearts while showcasing this extraordinary sport.