Warrior

One one hand, there’s a blue-collar family drama about redemption and reconciliation. On the other, there’s an underdog sports saga set in the world of mixed-martial arts.

They somehow come together in Warrior, an intense crowd-pleaser that packs its punches both internally and externally.

It is a project that does feel like two disparate ideas forced together, but it’s redeemed by a smart character-driven approach and a trio of superb performances.

Tommy (Tom Hardy) is a troubled former wrestling champion who harbors secrets as he returns to the home of his estranged father (Nick Nolte). There is tension galore, but Tommy needs his dad to help him train for a prestigious MMA tournament that will help him pay off a debt.

Equally desperate is Brendan (Joel Edgerton), a financially-strapped schoolteacher who enters the same event as a washed-up underdog against the wishes of his family. However, the stakes are heightened for both fighters when past betrayals and bitterness surface in the days leading up to the tournament against some of the toughest competitors in the sport.

The film is co-written and directed by Gavin O’Connor, whose biggest success to date was Miracle, which ranks as one of the top sports films of the past decade. And if there’s a primary fault with Warrior, it is the script’s indulgence in underdog clichés (including a training montage that employs a tired split-screen visual technique).

But O’Connor finds the right tone most of the time, and he obviously appreciates the sport. His character confrontations are both hopeful and heartbreaking, while the film’s fight sequences convey an intimate authenticity. It’s clear that Hardy and Edgerton did much of the fighting themselves instead of relying on stunt doubles.

Nolte is back in top form with his portrayal of a broken man who is vulnerable without seeming hopeless. British native Hardy (Inception) and Aussie actor Edgerton (The Square) are each rising stars who are convincing here in American roles. They play complex characters in a film that gradually reveals certain secrets to the audience without turning manipulative.

Warrior seems cheesy and formulaic on the surface, but it has a real affection for its characters. The outcome of the tournament might be predictable, but the winner is beside the point. That the film has the audience rooting for both fighters by that time proves its success.

Rated PG-13, 139 minutes.