Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton play bitterly estranged brothers whose paths converge in a mixed martial arts tournament
Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton play bitterly estranged brothers whose paths converge in a mixed martial arts tournament. Hardy is a troubled ex-marine and one-time teenage wrestling champ, Edgerton a former MMA fighter-turned-high school physics teacher and responsible family man. Both bear emotional scars from childhood, when their alcoholic abusive father (Nick Nolte) split the family apart and both are rank outsiders when, unbeknown to each other, they sign up for the $5million winner-takes-all contest, Edgerton out of financial desperation, Hardy for murkier personal reasons. They have completely different fighting styles - volatile Hardy is brutally direct, Edgerton cannily reactive - but both upset the odds as they embark on surprise winning streaks. With a plot that's as contrived as a pro-wrestling bout, it's blatantly obvious where the film is going. But thanks to the skill of director Gavin O’Connor and Hardy and Edgerton's ferociously committed performances, solidly supported by a forgiveness-seeking Nolte, it's easy to be won over.
