Gavin O'Connor
Warrior

I understand when a bunch of MMA fanatics see a movie about this sport and then say, "Amazing!" But when such exaggerated judgments are expressed by major film review sites, there's really something amiss.

Compared to the usual teenage nonsense like Never Back Down, Warrior is already a step ahead because it at least delves more into the motivations and psychology of the (main) characters, even while offering dialogues that are very poor in content.

Another aggravating factor is that the film aims to bring the usual American family drama to the scene (using the success of MMA as bait), with the fairytale of two brothers and a Tom Hardy, who after Bronson hasn't been used to his full potential and ends up acting in a highly contrived role.

Warrior is built on a heap of superficial clichés: there's the usual theme of reconciliation, the usual American wife who doesn't want to see her husband fight because she's afraid he'll get hurt, the usual father wanting to redeem himself in the eyes of his children, all embedded within an overly elementary plot and even the atmosphere in various scenes carries an antiseptic aftertaste.

If we add a script that makes even Undisputed appear intellectual to the almost complete absence of originality in the screenplay, we certainly do not obtain anything that can justify such a spread of praises and enthusiastic reviews. Other clichés worth mentioning include the classic super Russian who in 2011 steps into the ring with the old Soviet Union flag (not even in Street Fighter) and Tom Hardy who kicks everyone's butt as if he were Terminator, making the film lose even the realism it strives for. Want to add a characterization of secondary characters that is practically absent, and we get a mediocre movie swinging between banality and pretentiousness, delivered by a rather mediocre director.

What is saved? The choreography of the tournament fights that will please MMA enthusiasts along with Nick Nolte in the role of the father, delivering a splendid performance that makes his character very humanistic. For the rest, it's one of the most overrated films of the year. In comparison, Redbelt is an absolute masterpiece and even The Fighter is 10 times better. Not to mention the ending that displays a pathos that only Americans are capable of.

Moreover, the poster is utterly appalling.