Director Gavin O’Connor takes viewers on an emotional rollercoaster in his 2011 film The Warrior. Tom Hardy, Nick Nolte, and Joel Edgerton star in this sports drama that is sure to have you cheering, crying, laughing, and crying all over again. Tommy (Tom Hardy) is an ex-marine haunted by his troubled past who returns home from war and recruits his estranged newly sober father (Nick Nolte) to be his trainer for the biggest Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) tournament, “Sparta”, ever held. This starts the course for a showdown between brothers, when Tommy’s long-lost brother, Brendan (Joel Edgerton) defies odds and makes it into the tournament. The brothers are forced to face each other and what has torn them apart in an exhilarating fight for redemption.
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The raspy and gravelly voice of the lead singer from the band the National opens the movie and lays ground for the feel of the movie and what the viewers are going to see. His voice provides a note of desperation and loneliness. This use of non-diegetic music is repeated again at the end of the film. Brendan’s coach Frank uses Beethoven to train his athlete’s and help them stay calm and cool in the face of adrenaline and pressure. As the brothers walk out of the octagon holding onto each other while Beethoven plays, the viewers are given the idea that the brothers have found a calm and peaceful place with each other. They have redeemed themselves from their past failures. The diegetic sounds emphasize and highlight what it takes to become a warrior, which the two flawed brothers are, each in their own right. The hard breathing that is amplified during training and during the fights help the viewers understand just how hard they are working. The smacks, cracks, and crunches of the blows landed show power, strength, determination, redemption, and the brutality of what is actually taking place. When these two sound elements are used together, the overall effect it has on the film is outstanding. Add in the editing and cinematography and you have one well depicted
The raspy and gravelly voice of the lead singer from the band the National opens the movie and lays ground for the feel of the movie and what the viewers are going to see. His voice provides a note of desperation and loneliness. This use of non-diegetic music is repeated again at the end of the film. Brendan’s coach Frank uses Beethoven to train his athlete’s and help them stay calm and cool in the face of adrenaline and pressure. As the brothers walk out of the octagon holding onto each other while Beethoven plays, the viewers are given the idea that the brothers have found a calm and peaceful place with each other. They have redeemed themselves from their past failures. The diegetic sounds emphasize and highlight what it takes to become a warrior, which the two flawed brothers are, each in their own right. The hard breathing that is amplified during training and during the fights help the viewers understand just how hard they are working. The smacks, cracks, and crunches of the blows landed show power, strength, determination, redemption, and the brutality of what is actually taking place. When these two sound elements are used together, the overall effect it has on the film is outstanding. Add in the editing and cinematography and you have one well depicted