It seems Tom Hardy’s career has nowhere to go but up.  After his breakout performances in Bronson and Inception, he has become extremely hot property. In Warrior, Hardy plays Tommy Riordan, an ex-marine who returns to his recovering alcoholic father in Pittsburgh after 14 years. He seeks his help in training for the upcoming MMA (mixed martial arts) tournament Sparta, for reasons unknown to the viewer.

Starring opposite Hardy is Joel Edgerton (of Animal Kingdom fame) who plays Tommy’s estranged brother, Brendan Conlon, a high school teacher who has ended up in a lot of debt. Brendan fights on the side, and later enters Sparta, to support his family. With a tortured history between the brothers and their parents, they prepare to fight.
Warrior is dark in both lighting and tone, enhanced by the director’s use of the shaky cam. This could have backfired, but coupled with the realistic screenplay, we see great extended scenes of dialogue that show off the acting skills of both leads. For quite a simple plot, it is surprising to see how gripping the film is, and how well it plays out onscreen.

So, what about the action? The fight scenes in this film are superb, with raw, all-body bouts proving to be extremely entertaining and enthralling to watch, and crafted with excellent precision. The passion from the director and the cast clearly shines through.

However, it does have a number of weaknesses. Hardy’s character feels slightly undercooked. The silent protagonist type suits him well at the beginning, but it wears rather thin towards the end. While Hardy and Edgerton have great screen presence, especially with Edgerton excelling as the emotional heart of the movie, the chemistry is never quite there. Nick Nolte’s turn as the abusive dad just about ticks all the boxes, yet this role definitely demands a stronger performance.

In spite of all of this, is greater than the sum of its parts. It is a terrific fighting film that will be very hard to top in the entertainment stakes this year.