The Big Screen event in the O2 Arena in London hosts 'secret screenings' in which the audience has absolutely no idea what they are going to see.
While queueing for the first secret screening, I heard that the film was 'Warrior' and as I'm not a fan of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) I considered whether or not I would stay to watch the film and because there was nothing else on that interested me I decided I would and I'm very glad I did.
The film was excellent.
The story follows the broken family of two brother who are fighters, albeit ex-fighters, and their father. Both brothers Tom Conlon (Tom Hardy) and Brendan Conlon (Joel Edgerton) enter into a MMA championship with a prize of $5 million.
Starting with Tom returning to his fathers house after many years of separation he learns that his father is now a recovering alcoholic who has found the lord, Tom is quick to explain that he has no interest in a relationship with him and purely wants help training.
With the return of Tom, his father Paddy Conlon (Nick Nolte) tries to reunite his family but Brendan won't speak to him and no matter how hard he tries and Tom isn't interested in anything except training.
Whilst the main focal point of the film is the championship, the real story is in the relationships between the three main characters and there are some great emotional scenes between them.
The fighting in the film is choreographed and filmed extremely well and makes for some really gripping scenes, at some points quite violent. So if you are someone who does not enjoy violence on the big screen then this film is definitely not for you.
After the film ended is was quite evident that the audience had enjoyed it and I didn't see a single sour face among the crowd.
Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton and Nick Nolte all played their roles perfectly and are supported by the likes of Jennifer Morrison (House), Frank Grillo (Prison Break) and Kevin Dunn (Transformers). Directed by Gavin O'Connor, Warrior will be available for your viewing pleasure on the 9th of September in the USA and the 23rd of September in the UK.
