Warrior

First came Wrestler, the next year Fighter appeared, and now Warrior is on the scene. I understand that these films are here to offer physically and mentally challenging scenarios, for which the best options are chosen for main roles, supporting roles, director, music, and a bunch of other important functions that revolve around the film. And in the end, they fight over how many Oscars they will take home this time. However, even behind the themes of such high-profile films can hide an incredibly sensitive story full of life destinies and beautiful scenes that will make you want to cry... and what's more, you will roar like turtles. Warrior is simply a wonderful film. It has a story that inherently must evoke some emotions, at the very least reflection. But as soon as I started the first minutes of the film, I immediately bonded with the actors playing the two brothers. Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton played them absolutely brilliantly. And of course, I can't forget about their dad, played by Nick Nolte, who delivered perhaps the best acting performance I saw in 2011. It was a joy to watch those individual fights in the ring, the eyes of the main actors, who look at each other and you can see the incredible sadness in them. And then there was the music by Mark Isham, which now interests me a lot, because the last scene in combination with the absolutely brilliant actors and his music evoked in me something that no film has evoked in me for a long time, and I can say that the top 5 best scenes I have ever seen will probably hold up after watching it. Just like this beautifully told story of two brothers will stay with me in my heart forever. (17/01/2012)

This is why I watch movies: to find a gem like this. I had emotions coming out of my ears, my heart was pounding at 106, and tears were streaming down my face. Drama combined with sports is kind of thin ice. The games have to entertain, they can't be overdone, and they don't mean anything if the drama doesn't come through. But here the foundation is solid, the story is catchy, and the actors have an incredible zest to perform. An amazing cinematic experience. 5 stars. (07/12/2011)

An ode to (movie and viewer) joy that is spoiled just by trying to catch too many birds in bushes. To hell with all those clichés, but I would welcome it if it concentrated only on the brothers and father (plus their demons); this does actually happen, but not until the very end. Which means that all of the preceding, subordinate motifs just fizzle out. (14/12/2011)

Hollywood fluffy filler about one brother's (lack of )bonding, dosed in the style of an impactful arena film. We see emotions pass through stone faces, cheap whiskey, and the musculature of movers, but the film tries so hard that it's more or less impossible not to succumb to it. Let's take the occasional outpourings of hatred around with a grain of salt and off to the gym! (27/12/2011)

The most perfect form and absolute pinnacle of sports drama. Every viewer will have several other films in the genre that remain more intense for them in terms of their personal experience (in my case, for example, that would be the Japanese film Gachi Boy), but Warrior represents the incredibly flawless use and fulfilment of all of the elements and techniques of its category. In order to lead viewers to sympathise with both main protagonists, the narrative brilliantly composes and conveys information for the purpose of establishing and deepening their motivations and personal levels. The cast features not only Tom Hardy as a man who anxiously keeps his heart hidden away and the excellent Joel Edgerton, who radiates that captivating combination of intelligence, strength and warmth needed for the role of a likable dad and teacher who also happens to be an MMA fighter. This perfectly tuned emotion-generating machine runs at full throttle right from the start, so it is all the more surprising when it shifts into an even higher gear in the final third of the elimination bout. The tremendously dynamic camerawork and quick editing can be egregiously wild because the precise sound mix, screenplay and directing ensure that everything remains clear. The filmmakers not only make excellent use of the roles of the sporting-event hosts, but they also employ all of the preceding motifs to inundate viewers with stunning physical acts and emotional content. The fact that this film didn’t appear in Czech cinemas at the time, even though the rights to it had been bought here, remains one of the greatest wrongs perpetrated by the local distributor. I’m thus all the more pleased that we were able to right that wrong with at least one screening at the Aero cinema, because on the big screen, Warrior is a truly monumental and intense experience. (21/08/2022)