If I were to write out the plot of writer/director Gavin O’Connor’s movie, the list of contrivances would be fairly long. For one, the story of a down-on-their-luck troubled nobody finding answers/redemption in fighting is extremely familiar. The Fighter did it well last year. Million Dollar Baby, Cinderella Man, all the way back to Rocky. Here, we have two brothers, with a troubled past, an alcoholic father who used to hit their mother. Separate lives until the movie begins. Simultaneous needs for both to get their hands on money, to resort to the fighting they were brought up (by aforementioned father) doing well. Both of them serendipitously entering a worldwide tournament of only 16 MMA fighters for a $5 million prize. The whole thing is laid out for you in advance, that inevitable path as the brothers fly head-on towards each other for a final showdown (emotional and physical). Seen it, right?
What’s so surprising by this film is, despite all of the above, the assured, confident, steady, well-acted pace of the whole thing makes it work so wonderfully well. Sure, you know where it’s pointed and where it’s going to go, but it takes so much time getting there that what you discover are the hundreds of little details in-between that lesser films speed over to get to the next act break. I’m not saying the film is slow, it isn’t. It held me from the start. It was like watching a great World Series game from the year before, one you know the outcome of; only this time, you never cut away for commercial between innings. It’s slowed down enough to allow you to walk onto the field, look at the pitcher thinking about the next pitch, the on-deck batter checking the way the outfielders are positioned, the manager poring over his line-up, trying to guess what the other manager’s got up his sleeve. Sure, you know how Game 7 ends, but look at all this great stuff you missed!
Slowing such a volatile story down to examine those little things could be death, were it not for the unwavering, perfectly understated performances of Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, and Nick Nolte. Hardy’s rough character has a lot of damage and some secrets, but he doesn’t overplay that pain or toughness. He’s quiet, ruminating over things. Edgerton’s family man underdog has that pain, too, but he must protect his wife and kids from it. And Nolte’s regretful father tries so hard to bring them together, while fighting his own demons. They own this film, and it’s all such a refreshing surprise. As I said, the plot itself has been done before. But it’s the moments between the plot that’s new here. I’m only slightly embarrassed to say I was moved to tears more than once. Watching a mixed martial arts film.
