Warrior
This raw and emotional tale of family and forgiveness is the best Mixed Martial Arts movie ever made.
PRE-GAME 👊🏻
Welcome back to Balls on Film! 👋🏻
It’s been almost five whole months since I started writing this little newsletter, and trying to share my love of sports movies with anyone willing to read about it and join in on the discussion with me. I love this little community and I’ve had so many fantastic discussions and interactions with people on this app since launching Balls on Film. It was only when I sat down to start writing this post, that I noticed that the newsletter is only a few subscribers away from getting that 100 subscriber milestone. I know that there are loads of publications on here from fantastic authors with thousands of subscribers, but to almost be hitting the 100 mark means a lot. When I started this, I had no idea if anyone would read it - so thank you, everyone! 😊
I’d also like to remind everyone that I’ve started the Balls on Film subscriber chat, which you can access from the main page or via the chat tab at the bottom of the screen in the Substack app. I’ll post a few threads in there every so often, and would love to hear about all the new things you guys are watching, if you’d like to dive in and share.
I was inspired by
’s Holiday Gift Guide post over on this week, and I’d like to try and do something similar here. There’s a ton of cool (or useless, depending on how you look at it) sports movie merchandise and memorabilia that I’ve come across online, so I’m going to compile the best of it in a gift guide which I’ll aim to publish as a bonus post over the next couple of weeks or so. If you have any cool sports movie-related merch on your shelves at home, I’d love to see it!Side note: I can’t believe that 2024 is almost over already. Where did the year go?
With that, let’s talk MMA movies. There’s not a lot of them out there, so I thought we’d start with the best one.
FIRST HALF 👊🏻
I still remember how excited I was to see Warrior when it was released back in 2011. Back then, I was a huge fan of Mixed Martial Arts. The sport was beginning to break through and become mainstream after being seen by many as sort of a sideshow for many years. As a huge pro-wrestling fan growing up, I felt like I naturally moved on from wrestling to MMA after the magic of the squared circle started to wear off as I got a bit older. Along came the UFC, which retained a lot of what I loved about pro-wrestling, but with real combat. I was hooked early on, and watched the sport get bigger and bigger. I’d stay up until the early hours of the morning in the UK just to watch fights live, and I even attended UFC 100 in Las Vegas. Back then, I also wrote for an MMA website and did some freelance work for Fighter’s Only Magazine here in the UK. I got to sit cage-side at a UFC event here in the UK as a member of the media too. It all feels like a lifetime ago, and like I dreamt it all at this point.
Perhaps it was just getting older and getting into my mid-thirties and now forties, but I began to drift away from the sport. Initially it was because it simply became oversaturated and too hard to keep up with - but then when I tried to go back to it, I found that I no longer really enjoyed watching two people beat the shit out of each other, and actually found it off-putting more than anything else. I haven’t watched a UFC fight in years now, but I still enjoy movies that focus on both MMA as well as boxing. I could spend all day rattling off a list of great boxing movies, but the same can’t be said for movies about MMA. Sure, the likes of Never Back Down and Here Comes the Boom might be fun popcorn flicks, but they’re no Raging Bull or Million Dollar Baby. Warrior, however, stands head and shoulders above the others when it comes to this particular sports movie sub-genre. It terms of MMA movies, it’s the undisputed heavyweight champ.
Despite being remembered for its gritty and brutal fight scenes, at its core, Warrior is more about broken relationships, family and redemption. The MMA element is just the backdrop.
The film tells the story of Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton as two estranged brothers who face off in a high-stakes MMA tournament. Hardy plays Tommy Conlon, a former Marine battling with past trauma, and Edgerton plays Brendan, a struggling high school teacher who returns to fighting to provide for his family, much to the dismay of his wife Tess (Jennifer Morrison). Connecting them is their father, Paddy (Nick Nolte), a recovering alcoholic who’s trying to make amends with both of them.
It’s this family element that makes the story so effective, because it grounds the physical fights in emotional stakes that anyone can relate to. The relationships between the three characters are messy and painful, and the way in which the film ties the fights and physical brutality to the unresolved family issues actually feels quite cathartic at times. It’s made possible, of course, by both Hardy and Edgerton’s performances which are very raw and genuine. Their relationship feels real and complicated, and the resentment between the two, as well as their underlying love for each other comes across both in subtle little gestures and the more intense confrontations throughout the film. It’s why the inevitable fight at the end of the film is so powerful - the release of the emotional weight that’s built up over the course of the film is as hard-hitting as any punch thrown between the two.
The fight scenes overall are well choreographed, and utterly brutal. The film, overall, has a very gritty look and feel and really captures the physicality of MMA like no other film has. It treats the sport with respect, and it adds an extra layer of authenticity by featuring real MMA fighters and wrestlers too. Former UFC fighter Nate Marquardt plays Karl Kruller, one of Brendan’s opponents in the tournament. Perhaps the most recognisable face, though, is WWE legend Kurt Angle as the undefeated Koba. Angle musters all of his WWE acting abilities here and actually makes the character feel intimidating. Along with these added touches of realism and authenticity in the fight scenes, the film is peppered with personalities and real-life branding from the fight world. You’ll see real TV talk shows, commentators and other personalities pop up, which adds a nice element of immersion if you’re a fan of the sport.
Hardy and Edgerton are both fantastic and I would still rank Warrior as career-best performances for both, but it’s Nick Nolte’s turn here that really anchors the film. Nolte portrays the heavy burden that his character is carrying this with real vulnerability, showing a man who has been truly broken by his own mistakes and his desire for a second chance. There’s a reason he was nominated for an Academy Award for this performance. As I said previously, this is a story about family and forgiveness first, and a sports movie second.
Warrior is more than just a sports movie; it’s a story of forgiveness, and the complexity and messiness of family bonds. With three utterly compelling performances, gritty, authentic direction, and a relatable story, it’s a modern classic that’s as much about the battles outside the cage as it is the fights themselves. It’s also the gold standard for Mixed Martial Arts movies.
Warrior is available to rent or buy via most digital stores.
HALFTIME 👊🏻
Let’s take a break for halftime.
Let’s get into what else I’ve been watching this week.
Heretic
There are two separate moments in this movie where Hugh Grant does an impression of Jar-Jar Binks and also puts on a Scottish accent - and yet neither of those moments are the most terrifying in Heretic. This is super atmospheric, with a constant sense of dread and uneasiness. Hugh Grant has never been better - despite the aforementioned, and is absolutely superb here. You can tell he’s having a lot of fun playing a character like this one. The single location setting really works, and even though it runs of steam just a little in the third act, it’s still one of the best horror movies of 2024.
In theatres now.
English Teacher
I’m a bit late to the classroom with English Teacher, after hearing so many people raving about it. So far it’s not quite a total rave from me, but I am enjoying it at the mid-point of the season. It’s a super-easy watch at just 20 odd minutes per episode, and the ensemble cast of characters are really fun. It’s nice to see a modern show about teachers in their place of work, and the show feels fresh and tackles some serious themes without ever feeling heavy. I’m looking forward to seeing where the second half of the season goes.
Streaming now on Hulu (US) and Disney Plus (UK).
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Let’s get back into the cage.
SECOND HALF 👊🏻
Let’s jump into some awards and bonus content.
BEST SCENE 🏆
It’s got to be the final fight between Tommy and Brendan. It’s just so emotionally charged and it’s all built up to masterfully.
BEST LINE 🏆
Brendan: “I'm sorry Tommy! I'm sorry... Tap out Tom! It's OK! It's OK! I Love You! I Love You Tommy!”
It’s enough to make anyone cry…
MVP AWARD 🏆
Everyone delivers fantastic performances, but I have to give this award to Nick Nolte. His performance brings a real sense of vulnerability to the character, and captures Paddy’s regret and desire for redemption.
IMDB TRIVIA HIGHLIGHT 🏆
Joel Edgerton tore his MCL in the cage during production, halting fight scenes for six weeks. Tom Hardy suffered a broken toe, broken ribs, and a broken finger.
BEST LETTERBOXD REVIEW 🏆
BONUS FEATURE 💿
This 31 minute making-of documentary is a great companion piece to the film.
POST-GAME 👊🏻
Thanks for checking out Warrior with me this week. Let me know what you thought in the comments, and tell me what else you’ve been watching.
Before I go, I wanted to share a totally off topic discussion that I had with a co-worker recently. We were talking about movie theatre experiences, and having to deal with noise and annoyances from other people in the audience. This then led on to a discussion about preferred cinema snacks, and he suggested that marshmallows should become the standard movie theatre snack over popcorn(!), to avoid noise from people crunching and rustling paper bags. I laughed at first, but I don’t know…the more I think about it, the more it makes sense! 😂 What do you think? What’s your preferred movie theatre snack?
Next week I’m going to pivot to something a little different. We’re going back to soccer next week, but with a movie that couldn’t be more different to our first soccer movie, which was Escape to Victory. Next week, it’s time for Shaolin Soccer! I’ve actually never seen it, so I hope you’ll join me for a first-time watch.
See you then! 👋🏻
~James
I'm SO excited for you to check out Shaolin Soccer. What an insane film.
I remember you practically dragging me to see this film all those years ago. I thought it was going to be yet-another-sports-drama, but thankfully it was a lot better than I thought it would be. I’ve even watched it again a few times since!
Btw, if you’re going to watch Shaolin Soccer, try and find the original Cantonese cut. The US-released Miramax cut is a bit of a mess at times.