Over four weeks into its theatrical release, “Warrior”, the mixed martial arts movie is still packing a punch. The Lionsgate picture remains in the Top 25 draw ahead of “Cowboys &Aliens” and “Midnight in Paris”.
The film has proven it has legs largely due to the compelling nature of the story. Haunted by a tragic past, Marine Tommy Conlon (Tom Hardy) returns home for the first time in fourteen years to enlist the help of his father (Nick Nolte) to train for Sparta, the biggest winner-takes-all event in mixed martial arts history. 
A former wrestling prodigy, Tommy blazes a path toward the championship while his brother, Brendan (Joel Edgerton), an ex-fighter-turned teacher, returns to the ring in a desperate bid to save his family from financial ruin. But when Brendan’s unlikely, underdog rise sets him on a collision course with the unstoppable Tommy, the two brothers must finally confront each other and the forces that pulled them apart, facing off in a stirring climax.
This dramatic glimpse into a family’s journey from brokenness to reparation is directed and co-written by Gavin O’Connor (“Miracle”). O’Connor also produced the acclaimed 2003 HBO documentary “The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Mark Kerr,” which took a hard look at the life of MMA fighter Kerr in and out of the ring, as he battled his own demons and attempted to hold his personal life together while traveling the world as a mixed martial arts professional.
Looking back at his personal filmmaking journey and the impact those two movies had on his most recent effort, the director reflects, “I would never have been able to make WARRIOR without having made my other films. They freed me to up the artistic and emotional ante, and though there’s a continuity, I think I found in myself a voice that is stronger and more concentrated. I have no idea how the film is going to be received commercially, but I do know artistically it’s been the most satisfying and fulfilling experience of my career.”
