DVD REVIEW: WARRIOR
"Warrior" is a unique sports movie that actually doesn't make the same mistake so many others make of focusing on the sport instead of the players. A generic sports movie, say "Gridiron Gang" lacked heart, and what it suffered in performances, it surpassed in emotional speeches. "Warrior" features a sport so brutal, it's hard to picture any of its players being anything but insane.
The premise of "Warrior" starts out believable...but in all fairness, it turns out extremely unlikely. Paddy, (played so well by Nick Nolte in this movie he gets his own paragraph in this review) is an ex-alcoholic who wants to reconnect with his sons. That plot point right there has sappy potential. But the film goes another way. Instead of being glad his dad wants to be back in his life, Tommy (Tom Hardy, who gives a ferocious performance that seems to have gone unnoticed because of Nolte's tour de force work here) rejects his old man, and in the first 5 minutes of the movie, he throws Paddy's abusive lifestyle back in his face. It's hard to choose sides in "Warrior." On one hand, Paddy was a raging drunk who hit his wife, and probably his kids, but on the other side, his kids treat him as if he weren't human, like a second-class scumbag who's just come back for money.
Tommy also hasn't talked to his brother Brendan (Joel Edgerton) in a while. Brendan works as a teacher but still does mixed martial arts. Tommy also does this, and when a viral video goes out of him beating someone senseless in the ring, the brothers submit their names into the UFC drafts. Even though Tommy asks Paddy to be his trainer like back in the old days, he treats his father with such blatant disregard, it's hard to watch. Paddy completes his end of the deal, however.
Let's talk about the character Paddy Conlon for a minute, and analyze why Nick Nolte didn't win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Nolte himself is notable for substance abuse, and the director Gavin O' Connor is said to have written the role with Nolte in mind. Paddy is not a defeated man, but certainly a beaten one. His struggles with the bottle have left his own two sons disgusted with him. The casino scene where Tommy forcefully tells his father off, even throwing change at him, is so difficult to view, it's heart-wrenching. That couldn't have been easy for Nolte. So who's the real warrior in "Warrior?" I'm going to give it to Paddy Conlon. The movie works so well, you forget it's acting, and the cinematography has that gritty, real feel to it, you might think you're watching a sports documentary.
Rating: 3.5/4 stars
The premise of "Warrior" starts out believable...but in all fairness, it turns out extremely unlikely. Paddy, (played so well by Nick Nolte in this movie he gets his own paragraph in this review) is an ex-alcoholic who wants to reconnect with his sons. That plot point right there has sappy potential. But the film goes another way. Instead of being glad his dad wants to be back in his life, Tommy (Tom Hardy, who gives a ferocious performance that seems to have gone unnoticed because of Nolte's tour de force work here) rejects his old man, and in the first 5 minutes of the movie, he throws Paddy's abusive lifestyle back in his face. It's hard to choose sides in "Warrior." On one hand, Paddy was a raging drunk who hit his wife, and probably his kids, but on the other side, his kids treat him as if he weren't human, like a second-class scumbag who's just come back for money.
Tommy also hasn't talked to his brother Brendan (Joel Edgerton) in a while. Brendan works as a teacher but still does mixed martial arts. Tommy also does this, and when a viral video goes out of him beating someone senseless in the ring, the brothers submit their names into the UFC drafts. Even though Tommy asks Paddy to be his trainer like back in the old days, he treats his father with such blatant disregard, it's hard to watch. Paddy completes his end of the deal, however.
Let's talk about the character Paddy Conlon for a minute, and analyze why Nick Nolte didn't win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Nolte himself is notable for substance abuse, and the director Gavin O' Connor is said to have written the role with Nolte in mind. Paddy is not a defeated man, but certainly a beaten one. His struggles with the bottle have left his own two sons disgusted with him. The casino scene where Tommy forcefully tells his father off, even throwing change at him, is so difficult to view, it's heart-wrenching. That couldn't have been easy for Nolte. So who's the real warrior in "Warrior?" I'm going to give it to Paddy Conlon. The movie works so well, you forget it's acting, and the cinematography has that gritty, real feel to it, you might think you're watching a sports documentary.
Rating: 3.5/4 stars
Comments
Post a Comment