FILM REVIEW: Warrior

8 out of 10

Two for the price of one

The film Warrior is a hard one to judge without just a little bit of cynicism. The reason? It comes off the coattails of a very similar film that had success in The Fighter. Both centre around the relationship of two conflicted brothers, involved in contact arena fighting, in split families with substance abuse. Both films are rags-to-riches narratives and share artistic style through the lens. Like The Fighter it is also quite good.

The difference in this version of the fight movie, is that the brothers are pitted against each other in the ring. It's not a case of the 'good' brother vs the 'bad' brother, and the sympathy garnered for both does build suspense through the story to the finale. Nick Nolte, as the reformed abusive father, is probably the standout, and will hopefully find some deserving praise and accolade.

It does lose some points being so much like The Fighter which was so recent, but is still a worthy film of note in its own right.