I caught a screening of Warrior a couple of weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised. Generally, I’m not a sports movie fan (except for some noted gems, like Rocky), but this mixed martial arts (MMA)-based film is more than just a sports movie. This is a character-based film with heart. Rising stars Tom Hardy (Inception, The Dark Knight Rises) and Joel Edgerton (Animal Kingdom, Kinky Boots) play estranged brothers opposite their screen dad Nick Nolte. The brothers find themselves participating in the same MMA tournament, only to find themselves standing across each other in the finals. Both men have much to gain and even more to lose. This film is well written, directed, acted, scored, etc., etc., etc. It’s one of the best films I’ve seen all year, and I didn’t even notice it ran a little long (139 minutes). Definitely check it out when it hits theatres on September 9.

Click here to read Limité Magazine‘s review by Stephanie Dawson.

Director: Gavin O’Connor

Screenwriters: Gavin O’Connor, Cliff Dorfman, Anthony Tambakis

Producers: Gavin O’Connor, Greg O’Connor

Cast: Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Morrison

Genres: Action, Drama, Sports

Distributor: Lionsgate

Runtime: 139 min.

Rating: PG-13, for sequences of intense mixed martial arts fighting, some language, and thematic material

Release Date: 9.9.11

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