Warrior | B+

Warrioris about two brothers, Tommy (Tom Hardy, Inception) and Brendon (Joel Edgerton, Animal Kingdom). Tommy, the younger brother, has returned home after many years to his father, a recovering alcoholic played by Nick Nolte (Lorenzo's Oil). His plan is for his father to train him to become a professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter. Brendon, on the other hand, is an ex-professional MMA fighter employed as a high school teacher. He is having trouble making enough money to support his family, and so he returns to professional fighting in order to make ends meet.

For the first hour of the film each of the brother's stories are kept completely separate. The two have no contact with each other and Tommy doesn't seem to be in any rush to become reacquainted with his big brother. He has incredible rancor toward his father and is only staying with him because he happens to be a great trainer. The scenes between the dad and son are some of the strongest moments in the film. The viewer learns that Nolte's character has been sober for  1,000 days and feels immensely guilty for the way things are between him and his sons. He desperately wants to make amends, but Tommy is no longer looking for a father figure. Brendon's story is also absorbing as the audience watches him transform from a teacher into a great MMA fighter.

The second half of the film is primarily MMA fight scenes — the viewer gets to see a total of five fights. Tommy is intrepid as he relentlessly battles against his opponents. Brendon's style, however, gives the audience a more realistic idea as to how daunting other fighters can be. These fight scenes are very exhilarating and ultimately build up to an unforgettable final brawl. At times the fights can seem a bit much in that any one of them could have been the film's last.

This movie explores the limits of both physical and emotional extremes. The performances are so genuinely convincing that the audience can see and feel the brothers' anguish. This is due to the remarkable acting by both Nick Nolte and Tom Hardy. Tommy is a rather reserved person, but Hardy plays the character extremely well so the audience can understand his origins. Unfortunately, poor performances by some of the supporting cast hinder the film.

A shortcoming in this picture appears to be figuring out who the main character really is. For the first half of the movie it feels like it is Tommy but by the second half it has shifted somewhat to Brendon. It was hard to choose who to root for because in the end only one can be the victor.