Warrior

Catholic Lane has a nice piece up on a new film that is coming out September 9 called “Warrior“.

I went and saw it the other night (got tix to a preview) and I really liked it. It’s the story of two estranged brothers and their reformed alcoholic father (very well played by Nick Nolte, who inhabits the role). Both sons, for very different reasons, enter a mixed martial arts championship and have to fight their way through a punishing series of battles. Consequently, it is, at one level, an “action movie” with well-choreographed fight scenes that left my wife (whose father was a boxer from the age of 5 in the hardscrabble existence of Depression-era Idaho) a bit squeamish.

At it’s heart though, this is a film about redemption, forgiveness, and mercy which doesn’t pull its punches about just how screwed-up a family can get. The younger brother is not unlike the Prodigal Son, except he has every reason to wish his father dead. His father carries his back-breaking penance for his crimes against his family with the dignity of Job. And the (departing from the parable) the older brother labors to save his family in a flawed but sincere way.

It resolves in an anguished and beautiful way, which I won’t spoil for you. My son’s verdict on the (emphatically PG-13) film was “That’s the first time I’ve ever been brought to tears by a film about people beating the crap out of each other.”

I like it. Go see it. I think it’s as good as, if not better, than “Rocky”.