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Joel Edgerton, Tom Hardy, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Morrison (II), Frank Grillo ... see more see more... , Denzel Whitaker , Bryan Callen , Kevin Dunn , Laura Kenley , Capri Thomas , Maximiliano Hernandez , Sam Sheridan , Fernando Chien , Jake McLaughlin , Vanessa Martinez , Tim "Skyskrape" Katz , Julia Stockstad , Carlos Miranda , Joshua Rosenthal , Kurt Angle , Nick Lehane , Erik "Bad" Apple , Dan "Punkass" Caldwell , Nate Marquardt , Lexi Cowan , Noah Emmerich , Roan Carneiro , Daniel Stevens , Panuvat Anthony Nanakornpanom , Hans Marrero , Yves Edwards , Amir Perets , Anthony Johnson , Jimmy Cvetic , Jace Jeanes , Jake Digman , Richard Fike , Andre Mason , James Houk , Aaron Kleiber , Raymond Rowe , Anthony Tambakis , Lambert R. Strayer , Roman Vasylyshyn , Jonathan Matthew Anik , Rashad Evans , Stephan Bonnar , Michelle Brown Mooney , Tim Bickel , Jack Fischer , Jeff Hochendoner , Armon York , Adam Christian Stanley , James Dreussi , Kevin P. Hanley , Tammy Townsend , Etta Cox , Sandy Notaro , Francesca Ortenzio , Jaime Sinue Aguirre , Tracy Campbell , Thomas McCue

Haunted by a tragic past, ex-Marine Tommy Conlon (Hardy) returns home for the first time in fourteen years to enlist the help of his father (Nick Nolte) to train for SPARTA, the biggest winner-takes-a... read more read more...ll event in mixed martial arts history. A former wrestling prodigy, Tommy blazes a path toward the championship while his brother, Brendan (Edgerton), an ex-fighter-turned teacher, returns to the ring in a desperate bid to save his family from financial ruin. But when Brendan's unlikely, underdog rise sets him on a collision course with the unstoppable Tommy, the two brothers must finally confront each other and the forces that pulled them apart, facing off in the most soaring, soul stirring, and unforgettable climax that must be seen to be believed. -- (C) Lionsgate

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92% liked it

36,736 ratings

Critics

83% liked it

168 critics

PG-13, 2 hr. 19 min.

Directed by: Gavin O'Connor

Release Date: September 9, 2011

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DVD Release Date: December 20, 2011

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Flixster Reviews (5,235)

  • danperry17
    May 29, 2012
    danperry17
    A pretty good movie that could have been a great one. As it was, it was well over two hours, but in a way, this could have been even longer, or maybe an HBO mini-series - that the brothers are on a collision course is evident from the beginning, and the challenging relationships ... read moreare well laid out, but the father storyline featuring Nick Nolte gets short shrift in the conclusion. The conflict between the two brothers didn't seem the most serious in the film, as they both had a bigger conflict with their recovering alcoholic father; the sibling rivalry kind of paled in comparison. I suppose the message is that "brothers stick together," but "both brothers and the father all work it out and stick together" would have been better. Maybe the ending is supposed to tell us that eventually this will happen, but I wasn't convinced, and I didn't think they should have left the father conflict hanging. That said, it's still a montage-heavy, high stakes fighting movie that's enjoyable... and maybe for the first time ever, I might have actually wanted a movie to be longer. It's lean for such an ambitious story, but in a few places, it kind of shows through.
  • MidnightMadwoman
    March 26, 2012
    MidnightMadwoman
    I enjoyed this movie way more than I thought I would. I didn't like Rocky and I didn't have any interest in seeing The Fighter, and this seemed no different to me. How wrong I was.

    I really loved and really cared about every character in this movie. I also think it's wonderfully... read more elegant how the past interacts with the present very naturally; we don't get the exposition in flashback but through how frosty the characters with history treat each other, and how you only find out later why. I ended up feeling kind of sorry for Paddy actually, since you never actually saw the abuse that soured his sons towards him. His two sons have been placed on either side of him by circumstance, and this divide has molded the two brothers into completely different men who carry the same pain very differently. I saw this movie just out of love of Tom Hardy, but he's the icing on a really delicious cake. In the ring he's really vicious and imposing, but sadness and genuine bitterness permeate his character. It's like all his years of anger have served only to make him really sad and isolated, and violence is the only avenue he has left to express himself. Hardy's body language alone speaks volumes, especially in his exchanges with Brendan (Joel Edgerton). Both actors' natural accents are invisible as well, and anyone who's seen Inception would never recognize Eames. Luvvit! This movie is miles above Rocky in terms of emotional realism and richness of character. I also think that this film, more artfully than any other I've seen, poetically marries all the character's baggage with their fight styles in the ring. It's really devastating at the end when the brothers have to fight each other, but what other outcome could there possibly be?
  • spielberg00
    March 24, 2012
    spielberg00
    To say that WARRIOR is just another fight film is a preposterous understatement. Whether or not it goes down in history as one of the greatest films of the 21st century (which is likely to begin with), it will certainly be nominated for a few Academy Awards for its next grand co... read morempetition at the forthcoming Oscar ceremony. A cinematic champion.

    Ranked #3 of 2011.

    Full Review: http://wp.me/p1Urcx-zQ
  • MrMarakai
    March 10, 2012
    MrMarakai
    2011 was a good year for movies. Even the ones that tread old ground still achieved their own identity. Just look at the Oscar winning "The Artist", for harking back to silent films; "Hugo", for reminding us of the origins and the magic involved in making them; "The Girl With The... read more Dragon Tattoo" remake also found an audience, a mere two years after the Swedish original. This is another, that manages to take an old formula and still make it work.
    Tommy Conlon (Tom Hardy) returns to his hometown Pittsburgh after serving time as a Marine. When back, he prepares for the worldâ??s biggest mixed martial arts tournament, reconnecting with his father, Paddy (Nick Nolte), who takes up his training. Meanwhile, his estranged brother, Brendan (Joel Edgerton), realises he has to return to his old fighting ways if he has any hope of saving his family from crippling financial debts.
    This is no basic rags to riches sport flick; there's personal history to the three main characters. It has the working class background and fighting montages that lead to the obvious comparisons to "Rocky" or more recently "The Fighter". But even though this is on similar, well worn territory, it's greatest achievement is in delivering something surprisingly fresh and all it's own. The two lead performances are excellently delivered by Hardy and Edgerton but it's Nolte, as their estranged alcoholic father, that really stands out. A great moment, in particular, between the tortured characters of Nolte and Hardy in a diner where the tables turn. As soon as Nolte takes over as trainer, he becomes the patriarch once more. Meanwhile, Edgerton (reminding me of a younger Russell Crowe) combines the family man with ferocious fighting abilities more than competently. The sport itself has rarely been covered on screen. David Mamet touched upon it in 2001 in his impressive film "RedBelt" but that didn't take much of the fighting into the ring. This does. It has the usual sports flick cliches; the underdog; the montages; the friends and relatives watching at home; the opinionated commentary at ringside. If truth be told though, it's a winning formula. But where this film succeeds is in it's human drama. The characters are real and instill a sympathy and sensitivity while building to it's inevitable conclusion. There are moments that genuinely have you on the edge of your seat and ultimately punching the air with delight. (particularly Edgerton's fights).
    Despite the formula and abundance of cliches, this still manages to transcend them and come out a winner. A great sports film that hits all the right buttons.
  • fb100001050230219
    February 23, 2012
    fb100001050230219
    Gavin O'Connor incorporates a tale of a dysfunctional family into a typical underdog sports story. Sounds just like 2010's ''The Fighter''. Yet this is still a superbly-acted, gripping and exciting film, one that has a strong emotional core. Oh, and give Nick Nolte an Oscar nomin... read moreation now!
  • SirPant
    February 22, 2012
    SirPant
    I had no interest in watching this film to begin with, I'm not much of a sports fan, I don't like violence and doubted it would be as good as Rocky, The Wrestler, Raging Bull etc so why bother. I don't even know what MMA stands for. It was only seeing the many decent ratings by y... read moreou beautiful people, my flixster friends, who convinced me it was worth a go and I'm glad I did because most of you were right, Warrior is a fantastic film! I really didn't think you could tell another original, compassionate and compelling story in the genres but I was totally wrong, Gavin O'Connor has made a brilliant film. Along with his fantastic direction and the hard work and determination from Hardy and Edgerton and not forgetting the heartbreaking performance from Nolte, which he thoroughly deserved the Oscar for, it had all the right ingredients for a great film, and it is a great film. Definitely one of my favourite 2011 films.
  • xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    February 14, 2012
    xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    Family is worth fighting for.

    Epic! Well done. Very good story and film. I love how the acting throughout was excellent. Cool movie!

    Two brothers face the fight of a lifetime - and the wreckage of their broken family - within the brutal, high-stakes world of Mixed Martial Arts ... read more(MMA) fighting in Lionsgate's action/drama, WARRIOR. An ex-Marine haunted by a tragic past, Tommy Riordan returns to his hometown of Pittsburgh and enlists his father, a recovered alcoholic and his former coach, to train him for an MMA tournament awarding the biggest purse in the history of the sport. As Tommy blazes a violent path towards the title prize, his brother, Brendan, a former MMA fighter unable to make ends meet as a public school teacher, returns to the amateur ring to provide for his family. Even though years have passed, recriminations and past betrayals keep Brendan bitterly estranged from both Tommy and his father. But when Brendan's unlikely rise as an underdog sets him on a collision course with Tommy, the two brothers must finally confront the forces that tore them apart, all the while waging the most intense, winner-takes-all battle of their lives.
  • lewiskendell
    February 5, 2012
    lewiskendell
    Whether you're a fan of MMA or not (I'm not), Warrior is a very good movie. The story of two down-and-out brothers being reunited in a high-stakes fighting tournament doesn't shy away from trying to pull at the heart strings in almost every way possible, but it doesn't come off a... read mores schmaltzy. It doesn't hurt that the performances and fight scenes are top notch.

    Warrior is the kind of sports drama that has appeal beyond just devotees of the actual sport. Check it out.
  • blacksheepboy
    February 2, 2012
    blacksheepboy
    A compelling drama where the genre clichés actually work. The main characters have their personalities and motivations quite efficiently developed, and even though the plot is driven by several coincidences and we know exactly where it is moving to, we end up caring and cheering ... read morea lot for the both of them.
  • sanjurosamurai
    January 30, 2012
    sanjurosamurai
    although im a huge sorts fan, im not a MMA fan at all, so my review is based more on film than a love for the sport portrayed. i loved this movie. although a few sports film cliches are present, most are handled well, and in other areas the methods of convention are avoided all... read more together. the characters are compelling, the dialogue very well written, and the story kept me engaged moment by moment. i was ready to declare this a five star film and one of the best sports films of all time until the lazy and very unsatisfying ending that failed to bring the film's many themes full circle, which was surprising because the themes were handled so well up to that point. overall, one of the better sports films you will ever see.

View All Warrior Reviews

Critic Reviews

Bruce Diones
September 19, 2011
Bruce Diones, New Yorker

The movie is so skillfully made, and the performances are so convincingly real (Hardy is sensational), that, as it reaches its cathartic, winning finish, it achieves a surprising compassion and honesty. Full Review

Bob Mondello
September 16, 2011
Bob Mondello, NPR

Warrior ends up feeling a lot bigger than you expect it to. Full Review

David Edelstein
September 11, 2011
David Edelstein, New York Magazine

It's too corny to live. But the picture is a slam dunk. I mean a ground-and-pound double-leg takedown. It's really gripping. Full Review

Mary F. Pols
September 10, 2011
Mary F. Pols, TIME Magazine

Warrior's three principle characterizations are compelling - Nolte in particular gives a tempered performance as the shambling, sad-eyed wreck of a dad - but not enough to mask the film's lesser eleme... Full Review

William Goss
September 9, 2011
William Goss, Film.com

The beats are familiar, the stakes are high, the fights are brutal, and the rewards are just. Full Review

Peter Rainer
September 9, 2011
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor

O'Connor films the fight scenes, and the fight training scenes leading up to them, with the requisite oomph. Full Review

Andrea Gronvall
September 9, 2011
Andrea Gronvall, Chicago Reader

For all the contemporary references, it's essentially a spin on the story of Cain and Abel, which may be the reason it feels timeless. Full Review

Adam Graham
September 9, 2011
Adam Graham, Detroit News

It's also a fight movie that knows all the fight movie cliches and doesn't shy away from embracing them wholeheartedly. But it hits its marks and hits them well, and feels fresh even as it traffics so... Full Review

Stephen Cole
September 9, 2011
Stephen Cole, Globe and Mail

Warrior is a weirdly affecting hybrid, a 100-proof melodrama that's two-thirds Sylvester Stallone and one-third Eugene O'Neill. Think Rocky's Long Day's Journey into Night. Full Review

Peter Travers
September 9, 2011
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Director Gavin O'Connor comes out swinging in this flawed but fiercely moving family drama...Strong stuff. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Facts

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    • Tommy Conlon: Your my big brother and you bailed on me!
    • Frank Campana: Move or die.
    • Tommy Conlon: You owe me 200 bucks. [Tommy walks away]
    • Tommy Conlon: Now? Where were you when it mattered? I needed this guy back when I was a kid, I don't need you now. You know? It's too late now everything has already happened.
    • Brendan Conlon: Ahh I love my coach!
    • Brendan Conlon: Tommy, what are you doing?
    • Tommy Conlon: Shut Up! Come on
    • Brendan Conlon: Come on, what are you that crazy?
    • Referee Josh Rosenthal: Lets Go To War!
    • Brendan Conlon: What are you doing? It's over Tommy! Tommy You don't have to do this! Don't make me do this Tommy! I don't want to do this!
    • Tommy Conlon: Whats the matter?
    • Brendan Conlon: I'm sorry Tommy! I'm sorry....Tap out Tom! It's OK! It's OK! I Love You! I Love You Tommy!
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  • Who plays the Viking warrior Herger in the movie The 13th Warrior?   Answer »
  • In the movie TROY, Brad Pitt's character, Achilles, is a great warrior, in the book, Achilles was....  Answer »
  • Who was a scottish warrior, a cop, a soldier, and a farmer?  Answer »
  • In what movie will you find Clive Owen acting as a legendary warrior who unites Britain against fearsome Saxons invaders?  Answer »
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