1. Warrior (2011)
Stars: Joel Edgerton, Tom Hardy, Nick Nolte
MMA cameos: Nate Marquardt, Anthony Johnson, Roan Carneiro, Josh Rosenthal
Cheesy tagline: Family is worth fighting for.
Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 83
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92
How to watch it: Rent or buy through iTunes/Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video
Key review: “The movie is so skillfully made, and the performances are so convincingly real (Hardy is sensational), that, as it reaches its cathartic, winning finish, it achieves a surprising compassion and honesty.” – Bruce Diones, The New Yorker
Synopsis: Our top pick is more than just a good MMA movie. It’s a good movie, period. Hardy and Nolte were talked about as Oscar contenders for their performances, and while they didn’t make the cut, being in the discussion for an MMA movie seems like a big deal. An estranged son returns home to his alcoholic father (Nolte), a former boxer, to make amends. Nolte is exceptional and was nominated for an Oscar and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Supporting Actor. When Tommy (Hardy) hears about a $5 million MMA tournament, he wants to enter. Problem is, his estranged brother (Edgerton) is in it, too. Of course, their paths are set to meet in the final, and they’ll have to come to terms with each other at the same time.
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