WARRIORRRRR
So, yeah I went and saw Warrior today, and since I've had a few hours to recover from being asdfghjkl;, I can tell you guys what I thought (though I'm sure since I was going asdfghjkl;, you can already pretty much figure it out.
All right. So, first of all, I have to be honest. Most of the time, I don't give a shit about fighting movies. I don't watch Rocky or anything like that, and if Tom Hardy hadn't been in Warrior, I probably wouldn't have gone to see it.
However, after seeing it, I've got to say... It is excellent. Not just as an action movie, but as a movie on its own. It is beautifully performed, all of the actors are wonderful, and it's a perfect balance of drama and action (ala more drama, less action-- it makes the action seem so much more important after all).
And since everyone's going to be talking about Tom Hardy, I'm going to start off with the other wonderful actors in the movie, because I feel like they deserve their due as well. Joel Edgerton does an absolutely great job as Brendan Conlon. You really feel for the guy, and you want him to succeed in his goals, even though he's going up against his brother who has his own reasons (I'm trying to be vague so as not to spoil too much). I really enjoyed watching him, and I'd like to see more of him. I haven't seen very many movies of his, but I'd like to see what he's accomplished. Jennifer Morrison as his wife was also cute and awesome, and I loved her through the whole thing. Her relationship with him was very believable.
Now, one of the performances I was especially impressed with was Nick Nolte who plays Tommy and Brendan's father. Now, of course, this is Nick Nolte, but Jesus Christ. He was amazing. My heart ached for him as I watched him try so hard to reconnect with what he lost, tried to show that he had changed only to be put under the impression that it was years too late. I just wanted to make special mention of how great his performance was. I would go see the movie again just for his performance.
All right, and of course, I have to talk about Tom Hardy (and really, that's all you guys came to read anyway). Tom Hardy is kind of the star of the show here in his heartbreaking performance as Tommy Conlen. From the very beginning we see him as a broken man, holding himself together with no one on his side. He's watched his mother die, watched his best friend die, and doesn't want anything to do with his father or brother because he cannot forgive being abandoned by them. The only reason he even communicates with his father is so that he can be trained to fighting condition. He drinks and takes pills (at least until his father takes the pills away), and he doesn't have a nice word to say about his family. Throughout the movie, it didn't escape my notice how, throughout the movie, Brendan has the support of his wife, his children, his students and the principal, his trainer... Tommy comes into the ring and, though he has his father trying to cheer him on, eventually, he's there alone. Tommy is always alone... and Tom Hardy brings forth that loneliness and sadness as beautifully as I expected and then some.
The fighting is as incredible to watch as it is painful. I found myself wincing and shouting and cheering and chewing on my thumb throughout all of them. It was as if I was watching a real fight, as if I was there at the sidelines.
During the emotional scenes, especially the ones between Tommy and his father, I actually found myself tearing up, and the final fight was the biggest roller coaster from shock and fear to sadness. By the end of the movie, my adrenaline was pumping.
All I can really say is that if you haven't seen it, GO SEE IT. It's indescribably good. It's got something for everybody.
The only thing I wish was that we'd gotten to see a little bit of the aftermath after the final fight, but I guess that's what fanfiction is for.
All right. So, first of all, I have to be honest. Most of the time, I don't give a shit about fighting movies. I don't watch Rocky or anything like that, and if Tom Hardy hadn't been in Warrior, I probably wouldn't have gone to see it.
However, after seeing it, I've got to say... It is excellent. Not just as an action movie, but as a movie on its own. It is beautifully performed, all of the actors are wonderful, and it's a perfect balance of drama and action (ala more drama, less action-- it makes the action seem so much more important after all).
And since everyone's going to be talking about Tom Hardy, I'm going to start off with the other wonderful actors in the movie, because I feel like they deserve their due as well. Joel Edgerton does an absolutely great job as Brendan Conlon. You really feel for the guy, and you want him to succeed in his goals, even though he's going up against his brother who has his own reasons (I'm trying to be vague so as not to spoil too much). I really enjoyed watching him, and I'd like to see more of him. I haven't seen very many movies of his, but I'd like to see what he's accomplished. Jennifer Morrison as his wife was also cute and awesome, and I loved her through the whole thing. Her relationship with him was very believable.
Now, one of the performances I was especially impressed with was Nick Nolte who plays Tommy and Brendan's father. Now, of course, this is Nick Nolte, but Jesus Christ. He was amazing. My heart ached for him as I watched him try so hard to reconnect with what he lost, tried to show that he had changed only to be put under the impression that it was years too late. I just wanted to make special mention of how great his performance was. I would go see the movie again just for his performance.
All right, and of course, I have to talk about Tom Hardy (and really, that's all you guys came to read anyway). Tom Hardy is kind of the star of the show here in his heartbreaking performance as Tommy Conlen. From the very beginning we see him as a broken man, holding himself together with no one on his side. He's watched his mother die, watched his best friend die, and doesn't want anything to do with his father or brother because he cannot forgive being abandoned by them. The only reason he even communicates with his father is so that he can be trained to fighting condition. He drinks and takes pills (at least until his father takes the pills away), and he doesn't have a nice word to say about his family. Throughout the movie, it didn't escape my notice how, throughout the movie, Brendan has the support of his wife, his children, his students and the principal, his trainer... Tommy comes into the ring and, though he has his father trying to cheer him on, eventually, he's there alone. Tommy is always alone... and Tom Hardy brings forth that loneliness and sadness as beautifully as I expected and then some.
The fighting is as incredible to watch as it is painful. I found myself wincing and shouting and cheering and chewing on my thumb throughout all of them. It was as if I was watching a real fight, as if I was there at the sidelines.
During the emotional scenes, especially the ones between Tommy and his father, I actually found myself tearing up, and the final fight was the biggest roller coaster from shock and fear to sadness. By the end of the movie, my adrenaline was pumping.
All I can really say is that if you haven't seen it, GO SEE IT. It's indescribably good. It's got something for everybody.
The only thing I wish was that we'd gotten to see a little bit of the aftermath after the final fight, but I guess that's what fanfiction is for.