Warrior
Movie, 2011, The 2010s, Set in A mixed martial arts tournament
Warrior is #26 of 35 in release order and #26 of 35 in chronological order in the Sports Movies.
The story
The youngest son of an alcoholic former boxer returns home, where he's trained by his father for competition in a mixed martial arts tournament – a path that puts the fighter on a collision course with his estranged, older brother.
Warrior recap
Warrior (2011) follows two estranged brothers from Pittsburgh, a Marine and a schoolteacher, who both enter a winner-take-all mixed martial arts tournament. Gavin O'Connor directs the MMA drama. Tommy Riordan (Tom Hardy) turns up at the door of his father Paddy Conlon (Nick Nolte), a recovering alcoholic whose abuse drove Tommy and his mother away years earlier, and asks him to train him but refuses to forgive him. A video of Tommy knocking out a top middleweight in a sparring session spreads online, and he enters Sparta, a $5 million tournament in Atlantic City. His older brother Brendan Conlon (Joel Edgerton), a physics teacher and former UFC fighter, faces losing his house after his daughter's heart surgery and starts fighting in parking lots for cash, which gets him suspended. His old trainer Frank Campana (Frank Grillo) gets him into Sparta as a late replacement. A Marine reveals that Tommy tore open a sinking tank in Iraq to save him, and the press calls Tommy a hero. Warrior comes after Moneyball in 2011 and before Rush.
Warrior ending explained
Warrior ends with Brendan forcing Tommy to tap out in the final, then the two brothers walking out of the cage together while Paddy watches. Tommy, who deserted his unit and plans to give the prize to a dead friend's widow, crushes his opponents, and Paddy relapses after Tommy rejects him. Brendan wins by submission against the unbeaten Russian Koba (Kurt Angle). In the final he dislocates Tommy's shoulder, and Tommy fights on until Brendan chokes him, telling him he loves him, and Tommy gives up. Military police have agreed to let Tommy finish the tournament before taking him in.
Post-credits scenes
No. Warrior has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch Warrior
Warrior is streaming on Prime Video, Kanopy, Fawesome, and Amazon MX Player in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 8.1/10, Rotten Tomatoes 84%
Where it fits
Cast
- Joel Edgerton as Brendan Conlon
- Tom Hardy as Tommy Conlon
- Nick Nolte as Paddy Conlon
- Jennifer Morrison as Tess Conlon
- Frank Grillo as Frank Campana
- Kevin Dunn as Principal Zito
- Maximiliano Hernández as Colt Boyd
- Bryan Callen as Bryan Callen
- Sam Sheridan as Sam Sheridan
- Fernando Chien as Fenroy
- Jake McLaughlin as Mark Bradford
- Vanessa Martinez as Pilar Fernandez
Directed by Gavin O'Connor.