Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List
Spoiler-free premise
Estranged brothers Brendan and Tommy enter the same mixed-martial-arts tournament while carrying opposing grievances toward their recovering alcoholic father.
Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free+
Former Marine Tommy Conlon asks estranged father Paddy to train him for the winner-take-all Sparta MMA tournament. His brother Brendan, a physics teacher facing foreclosure, also returns to fighting, placing unresolved family history on converging brackets.
Why it belongs
Warrior clarifies a tournament's emotional stakes through distinct fighting styles and three performances carrying shame, anger, sobriety, and need.
Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case+
Training mats, classroom stakes, bracket graphics, walkout music, cage geography, and each brother's contrasting movement keep the sports structure clear—Hardy, Edgerton, and Nolte make reconciliation physically difficult rather than sentimental.
Major award wins
No verified wins in this six-institution crosswalk.
Awards are reference metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20
Institutional reference ranks
Sight & Sound—IMDb Top 250185AFI 100—
Reference metadata only · not part of the 40/40/20 score
Great Cinema Master List scores
Greatness8.2
Engagement8.5
Ease8.4
English · PG-13 Narrative Feature Mood: Absorbing & Reflective
