Tom Hardy gave one of his best performances while also undergoing a stunning transformation in a 2011 film that more people need to see. Hardy’s best movies showcase the physicality of the actor, which adds to his imposing screen presence. In fact, Hardy’s breakout role in Bronson showed his commitment to gaining the necessary weight for a role.
However, one of his best movies came in 2011 with the realistic sports drama Warrior, which was sadly overlooked. Though Warrior earned solid reviews, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 84%, the excellent sports drama failed to earn back its modest $25 million budget.
The movie itself is an exciting and moving step inside the world of mixed martial arts, as well as telling a complex family drama. However, it is Hardy’s performance and physicality in the role that is the most stunning aspect of Warrior and the main reason more people should seek out the movie.
Tom Hardy Gained A Lot Of Muscle Mᴀss For Warrior
Hardy Also Used The Added Muscle To Play Bane
In Warrior, Tom Hardy plays Thomas “Tommy” Riordan Conlon, a former soldier who has gone AWOL from the army and reluctantly seeks out his estranged father, Paddy (Nick Nolte). Though Tommy left home with his mother when he was young, never seeing his father or older brother again, he reunites with Paddy to train as a mixed martial artist.
Like many of Hardy’s most memorable characters, Tommy is a man of few words who lets his actions do the talking. In order to pull off the role successfully, Hardy needed to be believable as a fighter. This led to his following an intense training regimen to learn how to fight as well as transform his body into that of a fighter.
Hardy explained the intense preparation in an interview with The Guardian:
“I did two hours boxing a day, two hours muay thai, two hours ju jitsu followed by two hours choreography and two hours of weightlifting seven days a week for three months. So come on! You have to really want to do that, so it was a challenge.”
While the hard work, sadly, did not get much recognition for Hardy in Warrior, the imposing physique would be used later. Following his role in Warrior, Hardy stepped into the role of Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, playing the powerful enemy of Batman and taking Hardy’s fame to another level.
Warrior Is Quietly One Of Tom Hardy’s Best Movies
Warrior Brilliantly Mixes Sports Entertainment With Family Drama
Tom Hardy’s past decade in movies has seen him become a major star, but Warrior still remains one of his best films. He is sensational in the role of Tommy, seemingly animalistic and completely driven in his fighting scenes. Tommy is a man filled with hate and anger, but he also shows compᴀssion for those he cares about.
The fight sequences are thrilling, but it is all elevated by the family drama and the layered characters at the center of it all that make Warrior an underseen masterpiece.
At the center of the story is Tommy’s relationship with his brother, Brendan (Joel Edgerton), a family man struggling to pay the bills who also turns to mixed martial arts. With both brothers in the same tournament, it is inevitable for them to face off and force them to confront their complicated past.
Nick Nolte is also brilliant as their father, a recovering alcoholic trying desperately to regain trust from his two sons. The fight sequences are thrilling, but it is all elevated by the family drama and the layered characters at the center of it all that make Warrior an underseen masterpiece.
