#5: Warrior

I can’t wait for The Dark Knight Rises for two reasons: one, because its prequel was the best film of 2008 and easily the best comic book movie of all time. And two, because Tom Hardy is a feckin’ beast.

Seriously, just look at him in that poster. He’s a modern-day Alfie: men want him, women picture him while masturbating. (…And I just alienated the better half of my audience. Apologies.) Anyway, he plays a feuding brother alonside Joel Edgerton, who was still best know as Uncle Owen Skywalker in the crap Star Wars trilogy until this film came along. The pair must slug it out in an MMA competition, a sort of cage-fighting for the uninitiated. And boy, do things get nasty.

Now I’ve never watched MMA but I’m sure this must be better than the real thing. The fights feels so visceral – I was wincing as Edgerton was thrown around like a rag doll by that Russian monstrosity. And Hardy is savage in every sense of the word. A clinical finisher who unleashed all his pent-up rage on his helpless opponents. But none of this would matter if we didn’t care about the characters. Hardy is totally convincing as the distrusting, cynical younger brother. And Edgerton is credible as a physics teacher, moonlighting to keep his family in the black during the recession.

Warrior is a rare film that entertains, but also works on an emotional level. These two brothers despise each other for different reasons, but I felt for both of them. I didn’t want to see either lose. The film’s climactic final fight is heart-wrenching and truly unforgettable. It’s a pity that Warrior was under-promoted during its cinema run. But if you missed it then, see it now. You won’t regret it.

Sorry for the delay in today’s review – my laptop crashed just before I could post it. Come back tomorrow before the pub crawl for #4 – winner of the “It’s His Best Film in Decades, No – For Reals This Time” award.