Warrior (2011)

Mixed martial arts (MMA) is the fighting style of choice in the 21^st century, it provides the level of aggression people need to be entertained by in the Internet age. Warrior then is a Rocky wannabe for our current generation, bulging its biceps and pounding the senses of sport-movie fans.

Gavin O'Connor (Miracle, Pride and Glory) directs and he is certainly a lesser-known name in the directors’ circle. Through this feature though he does show his capability of handling material and may go on to bigger projects in the future.

The film tells the story of an MMA tournament that has a prize fund of $5 million dollars. Two brothers separated when their parents divorce enter the contest not knowing they will be reunited through the winner takes all contest. Starring in the fight-fest is Tom Hardy who plays troubled former marine Tommy Conlon, he is fighting for a fallen comrades wife. Tommys’ brother Brendan is played by Australian tough guy Russell Crowe, sorry Joel Edgerton. Brendan needs the prize money in order to keep his family home. Supporting the brothers is Nick Nolte whose dishevelled face perfectly fits the role of the neglectful father, Paddy Conlon. The writers have really gone to town on the emotional back-story and the dvd comes with an American flag to wipe the tears away with.

Most sports films follow a similar formula and Warrior is certainly no different. It does however deliver this formula with more tenacity and interest than others, whilst unashamedly piling on the emotional baggage. The final scenes and the human elements of the tale are undeniably enjoyable, mixed in together with a rousing soundtrack and solid acting performances we are provided with a greased up macho-fest of solid proportions.

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)

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Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille) directs the latest entry in the Mission Impossible franchise. A strange choice as he has only previously worked on animated productions.

Tom Cruise is still the main player in the film as IMF agent Ethan Hunt. Cruise is supported this time by Simon Pegg who plays the comical and clumsy sidekick Benji Dunn, Pegg did feature in MI:3 but this time has a much more prominent role. Paula Patton packs the female punch and firm legged sexuality because no spy film is complete without bums and tums. Jeremy Renner, currently one of Hollywood’s busiest men, co-stars as an analyst for the American government.

MI:4 ticks all the action boxes with well-constructed sets and engaging sequences. Where lies the problem is the balance and films tone. The presence of comedy has not been evident in the previous films and here it is lavishly spread amongst the chaos. When humour is added to the mix an action flick can lose its power, especially when the comical moments make light of any tension created. With Ghost Protocol we are able to see a movie that has been made to entertain the masses and drag in the 12a audience.

Regardless of this the film does entertain and some of the action sequences and sets are well thought out and creative. With mega bucks and a strong cast it is always going to be a safe bet for a mindless cinema outing. It has also performed well at the box office and is the highest grossing instalment in the series which will certainly encourage company execs to whisk up another outing.