Warrior

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)

Cliché over cliché where everything goes according to a template seen hundreds of times, following the expected tracks, when it’s very easy to guess the development of the plot for long minutes ahead, even the dialogues you can chew in your mind before the actors let them out of their mouths. The comparisons with Rocky are ridiculous; more than anything, Rocky was an original and unconventional love affair, while Warrior has nothing original and unconventional at all. PS: Forget the much-vaunted Oscar, boys and girls. (10/12/2011)

Deceptively familiar plot template, masculine sweat in every minute, and problems that will forever stare back at you. Warrior is at first glance a kind of screenwriting calculation. It takes elements from various plot premises of famous boxing dramas and wraps everything up in themes that appeal to both audiences and critics. Iraq, heroism, trauma, high school, debts, alcoholism intersect here, with the strongest family values remaining at the center, wrapped around bitter memories. But it works, and it works perfectly. Gavin O'Connor has learned from Miracle that some emotions work better implied and without words, and with each scene that delves into broken family relationships, he escalates the atmosphere of unwavering fandom and desire for reconciliation. And last but not least, it features Tom Hardy in the forefront, who shatters all doubts with his brute strength. It's hard to say why guys so easily succumb in a moment when they hear the characteristic sound of a blow hitting a muscular body, but the adrenaline that surged in me during each significant fight could power a regional power plant. When even the most hidden memories and associated emotions bubble up during the final song, there is no defense against the power of this narrative. (09/12/2011)

If someone had told me a couple of days ago that there would be a combat sport drama that would get close to my TOP films of 2011, I would have laughed to their face. Fighter, The Wrestler, Cinderella Man, Rocky, Raging Bull… I didn’t give five stars to a single one of them and I’m actually trying to remember whether I’ve given such high rating to any other sports film. Warrior has a very straightforward plot and nobody will have a hard time figuring out how it ends – although I must say that I thought of two other endings while I watched it, both fairly effective, so I wasn’t all that sure. In the end, the creators took the path of least resistance, but it doesn’t matter, I can forgive that, because if I look at the not very sophisticated script (which doesn’t mean that it was stupid!), it’s brilliant and it works both as a drama and as an action film about fighting. In the end, Warrior arouse in me more rapturous emotions than any other film this year. Tension, followed by joy, followed by sadness, all with a great soundtrack in the back. I really prayed that the barrage of emotions wouldn’t be ruined with some pointless dialogue. Fortunately, it didn’t happen. PS: Now I believe that Hardy’s Bane will match Ledger’s Joker, really. (02/12/2011)