Warrior

"Warrior"
Starring: Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Morrison, Frank Grillo
Directed by: Gavin O'Connor
140 minutes
2011/USA

Gavin O'Connor's Warrior is a paint-by-numbers family/sports drama that has no problem cycling through the laundry list of cliches usually associated with the genre. It's tough to be original, I'll give Warrior that much, but to vacate all emotional resonance throughout such a long film is something that doesn't fly with me. O'Connor is no stranger to true life sports dramas, his 2004 film Miracle mostly hit all of the right notes and left you with some takeaway value, however pedestrian and familiar its story was. Everyone who saw that film knew the outcome, and although we can essentially pinpoint the final outcome of Warrior, it struggles to leave you with any lasting emotional connection to its Shakespearean-esque story.

At its core, it's about a fractured family, a father and his two sons coming to grips with the past on their own terms. Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton's portrayal of brothers is convincing enough, but leaves much more to be desired. All of the family's past betrayals and estrangements are introduced to us in the first act, but are glossed over in an unsatisfying manner. Some will be content with how quickly this is all predicated upon, but the screenplay relies less on showing us than it does telling us.

Hardy's Tommy Conlon is an ex-marine hero who has returned home to drop in on his reformed alcoholic father played Nick Nolte. Conlon's motivations are eventually made clear, but Hardy's performance is rather standoffish, making us constantly question if we actually care about him. He's playing this sad-sack guy who lets it be known that he wants nothing to do with his father, save for the fact that he's a damn good trainer and would like nobody else prepping him for an upcoming MMA tournament. On the flip side, there's Edgerton's Brendan Conlon, a school teacher failing to make ends meet. He's less bitter, but still has issues with old man Conlon as well. Edgerton is actually pretty good here, and is believable as a husband and father desperate to make fast cash. To no surprise, both brothers end up entering the same tournament, this much we've already gathered from the trailer.

There are hints of real emotion in the first act of Warrior, but everything is prematurely glossed over to the point of no return. Once the actual fighting begins, there really isn't a whole lot to care about. When we finally take a break from the training montages and the tournament, we're exposed to more of Hardy's character having the same harsh resentment towards his brother and father. The film let's us know this much, Hardy's Tommy saved a life during his military stint and is a supreme physical specimen in the ring, that's about as far as his character goes in terms of development. Nolte is doing his usual thing here, as his character is quietly crumbling on the inside given the circumstances.

Given how under-cooked the film feels, it's entirely watchable and doesn't actually feel long given the near two and a half hour run time. Most of, if not all of the fights in the film are effortlessly blocked and convincing. If you're an MMA junkie, I imagine there's a lot for you to like here. For how melodramatic and inspiring the film intends to be, it really has no juice, and nearly leaves you feeling entirely hollow instead of being emotionally spent. O'Connor is playing it safe for good reason, taking no extreme risks in style or storytelling, but relying on performances and delivery. The former is in tact for the most part, but the latter's attempts at forcing and budging us to care simply falls short.

Grade: 2.5/5