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Quickie Review and More - Warrior and the Evolution of Tom Hardy

Last night, I finally saw Warrior. When it came out, I remember it was compared to Rocky and I ignored it. I remembered all the people who had told me I was crazy for saying The Fighter was a better movie than Rocky and I couldn't imagine this was better than either. Well, it's not, but it's a very good film. Almost great, but it simply is so incredibly flawed by design, that it can't be. That being said, the actors perform magic with what they are given, warts and all.

One of those actors is Tom Hardy and he's quickly becoming not only the hottest star out there, but the best. Unlike a lot of others, he's a legitimate actor. Much like Fassbender and Gosling, he seems to pick roles that are catered to his strengths and steer clear of his weaknesses. In Warrior, his physical presence, plus is human quality is on full display and it's a pleasure to watch.

Since Warrior has come out, I've seen Hardy in Rock 'n' Rolla, Inception, The Dark Knight Rises, Inception, Locke, The Drop, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Bronson. The funny thing is, in two of three of these, I wasn't sure who he was. The Dark Knight Rises was a mistake in my mind. Sure he was allowed to make gobs of money and get his name in lights, but it hid all of his talents. Something that flew off the screen in his brief spot in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and was quite evident in Locke, despite my dislike of the film. I'm still waiting to see what I saw in Bronson and in Warrior, I've come close. It's hard to portray a pugilist and seem human, but he and especially his co-star Joel Edgerton (who was unbelievable in Animal Kingdom) do it with style.

Warrior isn't Rocky, because Rocky came first. It does have much better fight sequences and an incredibly well delivered script, but it misses that certain something and maybe it's just plain simplicity. Rocky was a feel good movie, despite the fact the champ loses. In this film, we know one will win and one will lose and that is a problem for the viewer, because we're cheering for both. It's handled well and avoids the obvious cop out, but it does have a few along the way. What separates Warrior from other fight films and even other family drama's is that we realize that every person is damaged, but in ways we're familiar. Alcohol, abuse, priorities, sickness and time apart are all things we know too well. Sure there's one plot twist that is borderline ridiculous, but we ignore it, because it's not important to us when we find out. It's not even important to those involved in the movie. The important thing is that when the credits roll, the film wins and so do the viewers, but most of all, we get to see Tom Hardy doing what he does best. Being human, in a role that one might try to exaggerate. We're lucky to have him and I'll personally be waiting for another Bronson!

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