10 Best Sports Movies Of The 21st Century

Released: 2011

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 82%

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past two or three years, you will have seen UFC’s popularity soar. Of course the rise of athletes such as Connor McGregor and Ronda Rousey has played its part in this, but some may argue that mainstream cultural attention from films like Warrior helped feed that trend too.

Trying to find a way to eliminate his demons, ex-marine Tommy Riordan (Tom Hardy) seeks out the help of his father and former coach (Nick Nolte) to train him for an MMA tournament featuring 16 fighters. One of those fighters is estranged brother Brendan Conlon, a former MMA fighter who must win the tournament or find himself and his family homeless.

Although Hardy has never proclaimed to be a method actor, the way he commits himself to a character suggests so and his performance in Warrior is a shining example of that. Not only does he connect with his character Tommy emotionally, but physically Hardy wouldn’t look out of place in the octagon. And on top of that, the performances of Joel Edgerton and Nick Nolte are equally as brilliant.

Surprisingly, like many Tom Hardy films before it, Warrior fell under the radar following its release in 2011. And considering the film failed to reclaim its budget, many will see Warrior as a failure, but it's a reductive - and frankly wrong assessment - that undervalues an already under-rated gem.