Nick Nolte Trains A Warrior
Nick Nolte hits every mark with his latest role as a brawling, alcoholic, Vietnam vet healing the rift with his estranged son through the power of mixed martial arts in Warrior. I’m a sucker for a good blue-collar dust-up, though I don’t understand why a fighting style as visually unappealing as mixed martial arts has become so prevalent in modern cinema. I’ll admit to enjoying both Redbelt and Never Back Down, but for reasons in spite of the fighting rather than because of it. Maybe the low-key approach of MMA lends itself best to drama, where it helps that the action doesn’t detract from the story.
As excited as I am for the return of Nolte, I’m equally intrigued by the addition of Tom Hardy as Nolte’s youngest son and trainee. Tom Hardy plays the title character in Nicolas Winding Refn’s Bronson, a semi-fictional biopic about Britain’s most violent prisoner. The incredibly vicious trailer for Bronson moved it right into the upper echelon of my must-see list for 2009, and Tom Hardy’s gonzo performance is what sealed the deal. Unlike so many performers who enter the ring, I have no doubt that both Nolte and Hardy will be able to bring the pain.
Comments (3)
Where did this guy, Tom Hardy, come from? i love it when actors find their break out roles like he did with Bronson
Posted by coffee maker on March 22nd, 2009He’s played many roles for British TV, film/American PBS/film. Starred in Virgin Queen as Sir Thomas Dudley, Oliver Twist as Bill Sikes, Wuthering Heights as Heathcliff, Star Trek Nemesis as Shinzon, BlackHawk Down and Band of Brothers(minor roles). He’s multifaceted and I think, extremely talented.
These are just a few of his roles in the past 7 or 8 years. He’s quite young, 31, I believe. There’s a great website TomHardy.org with much information about him. Some interviews on YouTube concerning his roles of late.
Posted by Meg Bianchi on March 27th, 2009Sorry. Sir Robert Dudley in Virgin Queen.
Posted by Meg Bianchi on March 27th, 2009Leave a Reply