Warrior

"An improbably effective and affecting mix of raw emotions and exciting smackdowns."

"A tougher, meaner animal than close cousin The Fighter, with Hardy, Edgerton and Nolte at their pugnacious, heart-wrenching best. Shame O’Connor diluted the pay-off."

"It is appropriately blunt, powerful and relentless."

"Brings such complexity to the final showdown that hardly anything could top it - but something does, and Warrior earns it."

"It shows promise but finally hits things so hard, both literally and metaphorically, that it's hard not to feel pummeled yourself by the time it's over."

"It grabs you in early scenes, intense though low-key before all hell breaks loose, then keeps you riveted to its mostly male characters."

"Warrior is a powerful, moving and brilliant sports-pic-cum-family drama."

"For all its titular bravado, Warrior never lets the audience forget the economic and spiritual desperation driving its two main characters, who bleed for the screaming arena crowd in exchange for their shots at redemption."