newjerseynewsroom.com

BY JERRY MILANI

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

The sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) got a big boost toward mainstream this past Thursday when the UFC and Fox announced a multi-platform deal that will finally bring The Octagon to broadcast television, and will propagate UFC programming across all of Fox’s platforms going forward. It is still a calculated risk to bring MMA to broadcast TV and see how it does – CBS's efforts with ProElite and MyNetworkTV’s work with the International Fight League, though great early efforts, were not ratings bonanzas. The announcement, however, does create the perception that the UFC is gaining more steam and will make it easier for sponsors and maybe those opposing the sport in New York, to take another look.

The Fox announcement precedes another potential boost for the sport, the September 9 release of the movie "Warrior" by Lionsgate Films. The film is more about the story of a family trying to find itself in difficult times than about hardcore fighting, but its central theme revolves around the sport of MMA, with two brothers a military vet played by Tom Hardy ("Inception") and a schoolteacher played by Joel Edgerton eventually facing off against each other in a Grand Prix style tournament in Atlantic City. Although one defeats the other in the final, the metaphor that “we are all winners in the battle of life” comes through loud and clear, and makes the movie appealing to a wide range of audiences, including anyone who really is dealing with the challenging times we are in today.

At over two hours, the film is a bit long, but the direction of Gavin O’Connor ("Miracle") and the acting of Hardy and Edgerton, as well as Nick Nolte as their troubled father/former coach and Jennifer Morrison as Edgerton’s wife, makes for very compelling viewing. Fans of fight sports will enjoy the well choreographed fight scenes which explain the complex sport better than any other movie in the genre before. “Rocky” fans will love the series of underdog battles the brothers go through to reach the tournament final, including one with an Ivan Drago-like character (played well without dialogue by Olympic Gold Medalist and TNA wrestling star Kurt Angle). Fans of "The Fighter" will enjoy the sibling rivalry and sniping throughout the movie and of course the fighting.

“In Warrior, you know who you are rooting for throughout the film,” said O'Connor. “There are two different entities, and the challenge is to ask the viewer who you are rooting for at the end [between the two]. That's unusual in cinema. In 'Miracle,' we had the added challenge that everyone knew the outcome.”

If you are looking for blood and gore and grotesque broken bones and special effects, this movie is not for you. If you want a real honest to goodness slice of what the life sport of MMA brings to people, and if you want to learn more about the sport, then you will really enjoy "Warrior."

Now will this movie appeal to the diehard UFC fan, the one who spends $50 a week on pay-per-view and never misses Spike’s “The Ultimate Fighter”? It just may. Who it will appeal to are the millions more who follow the sport in some way, shape or form or train in one of the disciplines. Just look around the state at all the tae kwon do studios, kickboxing classes, wrestling programs and karate classes, run by hardworking mom and pop outfits who fill their gyms with moms and kids every night of the week. That is Warrior’s true sweet spot. A mass appeal for the underdog more than an underground hardcore film. It is bright lights, solid names and a good budget to back it up.

Even more of an added appeal is a contest that Lionsgate is running to have anyone submit a name and a story to tell people “What You Fight For.” The program, which can be seen along with all the movie details at http://www.warriorfilm.com/index2.html#/whatdoyoufightfor, will give anyone with a great story – teachers, fireman, mentors – a chance to win their own screening of the film following the opening.

What will all this mean for the sport? More acceptance? Maybe. More mainstream growth? Could be. However, for movie fans, especially those who like a good story, it means that “Warrior” is a must see come September.