Warrior: An Absolute Knockout Kevin Helmers & Zack Coon ‘12 You might be wondering why we’re just now writing an article on a movie that is over five months old. But this could be the first time hearing about the movie Warrior . When this movie first came out, it was underrated and did not get the credit it deserved. Therefore, we are going to give you a little inside on the movie, so you can decide if you want to give it a try or not. Warrior didn’t get much attention during its original release because it wasn’t loaded with big name stars like Brad Pit or Leanardo DiCaprio. This movie stars Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton. Tom Hardy is an up and coming English actor who has played major roles in unknown movies such as Bronson . In that movie, Tom reenacts the life of notorious prisoner Michael Gordon Peterson who is one of Britain’s most famous criminals; re-named Charles Bronson by his fight promoter. He also played a big role in the movie Inception, where he played the role of Eames. In 2011, Tom flawlessly portrayed the role of Tommy Reardon in Warrior , an ex-marine who deserted the corps after his unit was wiped out in a friendly fire accident. Tom Hardy was the perfect man for the role and we honestly believe the movie wouldn’t have been nearly as good if someone else would have cast. A couple of weeks ago, Tom was featured in another recent release; Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy . Here he plays Ricki Tarr, a British Intelligence agent who discovers a mole in the agency. Tom already has a busy 2012 lined up for him in which he will play the role of the villain Bane in The Dark Knight Rises . From the previews, The Dark Knight Rises looks like it’s going to be just as sick as The Dark Knight . Tom is also starring in a spy comedy which will debut later in 2012. He is well on his way to be one of our age’s next great actors. The other big star in Warrior is Joel Edgerton. Joel is an Australian actor who has played numerous small roles in dozens of TV shows and movies such as The Three Stooges , Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones , and The Thing . Joel plays Brennan Conlon, who is currently a physics teacher and an ex-UFC fighter. Warrior has really sparked this actor’s career because his schedule is practically full in 2012. He is starring as Tom Buchanan in the upcoming Great Gatsby remake. The original Great Gatsby is an Elder favorite. We can’t wait to see these two very talented actors in the upcoming years. The plot of the movie Warrior is split between these two characters. They are brothers who haven’t seen each other since their parents split when they were in their early teens. They suffered a rough split due to their father being an alcoholic and their mother being sick, which eventually lead to her death. The brothers then parted ways as Brendan stayed with his father and Tommy moved away with his mother. The film begins with Tommy Conlon’s story. He is an ex-marine and was an all state wrestler in high school with his drunken father as his trainer. The movie starts off with Tommy visiting his father, whom he hasn’t seen in years. He asks his father to train him for an upcoming MMA fighting competition with a reward of five million dollars. Throughout the movie Tommy plays the “badass” type character as he battles his past. The other part of the film follows the story of Tommy’s older brother, Brendan. He is almost the exact opposite of his brother, a regular family man and high school physics teacher. He faces some hard times in his life, and he needs money to prevent the bank from foreclosing on his home. In spite of his family, Brendan, who was once an MMA standout himself, returns to the Octagon to make a few quick bucks. However, the school where he is a teacher suspends him for this activity. With no other option, Brendan unknowingly decides to enter the same MMA contest in which his brother is already participating. He reunites with his former trainer/friend and becomes the “underdog” of the tournament. I don’t want to spoil it, but the rest of the film plays out to form with one of the most unforgettable endings since Rocky . Although this movie wasn’t a big hit in theatres, it was a big hit with the critics. During the SAG awards, Nick Nolte (Paddy Conlon), won the award for “Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role”. Nolte also won “Best Actor in a Supporting Role”, while Tom Hardy won “Best Actor in a Motion Picture” in the Satellite Awards. Nolte was also tagged with a Critics’ Choice Award.