Warrior

I had the pleasure of seeing Warrior at 2011 CinemaCon, walking in not knowing a thing about the movie, other than it was a movie about 'fighting.' And though a MMA movie (Mixed Martial Arts), not boxing, per se, for the genre, fighting, Warrior delivers a much better story than The Fighter, and is on par with Clint Eastwood's Oscar winner, Million Dollar Baby.

Expect a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nod in 2012 for Nick Nolte. And superstar status for Tom Hardy.

Warrior, though a work of fiction, plays out like a true story; two brothers at odds with each other and their father, in the town of Pittsburgh, who resort to prize fighting, one for the money, the other to prove himself a man.

I'm hard to break when it comes to emotions. I've seen a lot of the best emotional films. Schindler's List, Forrest Gump, Grave of the Fireflies, Requiem for a Dream, The Green Mile, It's a Wonderful Life, and most recently I Lost my Body. But this is the one that finally cracked me, and for the first time in my life, I've cried to a movie. I don't even like sports, but the sheer intensity and stress I felt in the fight scenes is overwhelming.

Dear god this is a masterpiece.

Tommy (Tom Hardy) becomes an internet sensation as a MMA fighter. He is estranged from his father Paddy Conlon (Nick Nolte) who is a recovering alcoholic. His older brother Brendan Conlon (Joel Edgerton) is a teacher struggling to make ends meet for his wife Tess (Jennifer Morrison) and their two girls.

Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy have already done some good work but this movie really showcases their talents with these staring roles. They truly inhabit their roles. They play brothers in a broken down family. They get into the world of Mixed Maritial Arts, and end up facing each other. The action is good. The fighting is fine. But it's the acting and the brotherhood/family dysfunction that is the real stand out. It represent a true validation of not only their physical attributes but their acting abilities.

Just saw a sneak peek of Warrior. All I can saw is WOW! Great film. Great performances. The characters are deep and believable and the story will probably have you leaving the theater in tears.

The fight scenes were done really well. I've been cage side at hundreds of MMA fights as a photographer and believe me when I say this is some of the most realistically portrayed MMA action I've seen to date on film.

Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Morrison and Nick Nolte all give good performances and I think Nick Nolte had a couple of moments in the film that should be considered Oscar worthy.

I know a lot of people won't agree with me on this and I can understand, but Warrior has bumped Rocky out of my top 5 favorite movies of all time. IMHO (which some of you will consider worthless) I think it's that good.

This movie is truly, truly OUTSTANDING! I am in complete shock over the performances in this film. Nick Nolte, as usual, gives a gritty, gut wrenching, emotional performance that left me buckling at the knees. One of my all time favorite movies of Mr. Nolte was Rich Man, Poor Man, absolutely a god given talent! The performances of Mr. Hardy and Mr. Edgeron were academy award winning, I would love to see more of them by far! I cried throughout the movie, and when it was over, I could not wait to tell everyone about it. A terrific ensemble cast and movie that certainly should be up for Best Picture!! A definitive Oscar nod for Nick Nolte, and if it were up to me, Mr. Hardy and Mr. Edgeron would walk away with one as well! If you have not seen this movie, drop what you are doing, run to your nearest theater. This movie is truly what being a performer is all about! My hat is off to you all!!!