Well-acted 'Warrior' delivers emotional punch

The bluntly titled "Warrior" has been marketed as a thrilling mixed-martial arts battle between two estranged brothers, and it's every bit as tense and suspenseful as the greatest sports movies.

But the true heart of "Warrior" lies in its specific, authentic characters and the story's near-biblical use of forgiveness as the only balm powerful enough to heal a broken family.

"Warrior" has been directed by Gavin O'Connor, who gave us the tension-packed hockey drama "Miracle," the true story of how team U.S.A. defeated the unbeatable Russians at the Olympics.

O'Connor infuses the same underdog elements in "Warrior," but this marks a work of cinema on a whole higher level. O'Connor pushes this drama to be a much more complex, daring and surprising movie than the populist "Miracle," and even last year's Oscar-winning boxing drama "The Fighter."

Actor Tom Hardy, bearing a slight resemblance to 1950s-vintage Marlon Brando, plays Tommy Conlon, an Iraq War vet returning to his Pittsburgh home after 14 years.

The moment he sees his father, Paddy (Nick Nolte in a rare, magical bond between character and performer), the poison darts fly.

In between numerous references to Herman Melville's classic "Moby Dick" (a character quirk never fully explained), Dad proudly proclaims he's about to hit his 1,000th day of sobriety.

That's little comfort for Tommy, who remembers how Dad's violent, alcohol-fueled rages drove his now-dead mother and him away many years earlier.

As much as Tommy hates the repentant Paddy, he knows that Dad was always an excellent sports coach, and that's why he's reaching out: he wants Dad to prepare him for a major mixed martial arts contest called Sparta, an event that will pay $5 million to the last man standing.

Meanwhile, across town, Tommy's brother Brendan (Aussie Joel Edgerton) works as a physics teacher to pay the bills and provide for his wife Tess (a gritty, unaffected performance by Arlington Heights native Jennifer Morrison) and their children.

There's no love lost between the brothers ever since Tommy left with Mom, and Brendan stayed in Pittsburgh to be with his Tess, his high school sweetheart.

Now, with his mortgage underwater and the family finances drowning, Brendan, a former fighter, feels compelled to compete in Sparta and begins a horrific training regimen under mentor Frank Campana (Frank Grillo).

I had the good fortune to see "Warrior" without knowing much about it. So the fact that Brendan and Tommy wind up as the final Sparta contestants came as a real surprise because of how skillfully the screenplay (by O'Connor, Anthony Tambakis and Cliff Dorfman) set events in motion.

Unfortunately, TV commercials and trailers for "Warrior" pretty much have ruined that for everyone else.

That will hardly ding the impact of "Warrior," a highly physical, exhaustive sports movie so realistically mounted that the press notes say that, even with stunt doubles, Hardy and Edgerton wound up with multiple injuries performing 85 percent of the action seen on-screen.

Hardy's Tommy conjures up "Raging Bull" in the ring as an animalistic, feral fighter, in contrast to Edgerton's more cerebral, calculated and efficient approach to fighting.

The Academy Award race officially starts with this movie. All the major players here could be contenders, although the only absolute nominee will be Nolte for his sublime performance as a repentant father so guilt-stricken over past behavior that he has lost the will to raise his voice.

Most sports movies end with victories. "Warrior" does, too.

But the victory here has nothing to do with fighting, but with surrendering to the idea that forgiveness - not $5 million - is the truer and longer lasting source of happiness.

<b>“Warrior”</b>

Starring: Tom Hardy, Nick Nolte, Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Morrison

Directed by: Gavin O'Connor

Other: A LionsGate release. Rated PG-13 for language and violence. 139 minutes