Story of a "Warrior"

Warrior, the new Lionsgate film directed by Greg O'Connor, is a multi-faceted story of a family torn apart by alcoholism, anger, and resentment. Starring Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton, Warrior takes the audience on an emotional journey, while including the excitement of the UFC fighting ring.

Hardy plays Tommy Conlon, an ex-Marine who returns to his Philadelphia home to relinquish his fighting skills for Sparta, a $5 million mixed martial arts competition. With the help of his ex-alcoholic father, Paddy (played by Nick Nolte), the angry, bitter and resentful Tommy has one only one focus: to win the prize money for a fallen soldier's family.

Edgerton (Star Wars: Episode III) plays Brendan Conlon, a high school physics teacher and Tommy's older brother, who isolates himself from his family's hostile environment by starting a family of his own with his wife Tess, played by Jennifer Morrison (How I Met Your Mother). Also a former fighter, Brendan begins to indulge in underground bouts for extra cash upon the news that his home is under foreclosure. Desperate to make ends meet, Brendan enters Sparta as an unlikely competitor.

Unbeknownst to both brothers, they enter the same competition after years of separation and a torn relationship.

Hardy shines in his role as Tommy Conlon, depicting a deep-seeded hatred for his father, whose absence precedes his mother's sudden death. Determined to use his father solely for training, Hardy becomes cold and heartless.

This role comes after Hardy's appearance in the 2009 blockbuster thriller Inception, as his first starring role. He is also slated to play Bane in the upcoming The Dark Knight Rises next year.

Edgerton also comes alive as Brendan Conlon. Balancing the opposing sentiments of family man and lethal underdog wrestler, Edgerton is convincing, despite the inability to fully shed his Australian accent.

Most noted for starring as Jack Cates in the classic film 48 Hrs, Nick Nolte, as Paddy Conlon serves as the primary emotional component to a film with a UFC tournament as its climax. His apologetic  role as a father who has failed his son grabs empathy right out of the audiences' chest.

Warrior also features wrestler Kurt Angle as Koba, the unstoppable, undefeated mixed martial arts champion-to-beat.

With a simple combination of drama and action, Warrior is a heartfelt film that is sure to get audiences' hearts pumping and eyes watery, all at the same time.