WARRIOR

Writer-director Gavin O'Connor (Tumbleweeds, Miracle) has assembled a perfect cast for his latest film, Warrior (Lionsgate), a family drama dropped into the world of Mixed Martial Arts (M.M.A.). Nick Nolte stars as the patriarch, a reformed alcoholic named Paddy who is estranged from his disaffected sons— one played by the enigmatic British actor Tom Hardy {Bronson, Inception) and the other by Australian Joel Edgerton (.Animal Kingdom). Paddy has failed his children on every level, and the onetime promising wrestlers soon find themselves gravitating toward M.M.A., only to end up on a collision course with each other. A seemingly simple story set in the ultra-macho world of extreme fighting turns out to be a riveting and complex character study that draws you in from the first scene. Hardy gives an explosive performance as Tommy, the younger, tortured son, and Edgerton more than holds his own as Brendan, a high-school science teacher desperate to make a clean break with his past. Both of these relative newcomers are reason alone to see the film. The true genius, however, lies in the way O'Connor balances the violence of the fight sequences with tender moments of human frailty and, ultimately, triumph. Although Warrior premieres this month, it should have the legs to endure through awards season.

KRISTA SMITH