Sandra Hall, The Age, reports
IS the Australian leading man becoming a marketable figure in Hollywood?
It's taken a while. A young Mel Gibson raised the possibility in the 1980s. Then came Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman, Heath Ledger and Sam Worthington, among others. At last, their efforts have achieved "an Aussie mystique of sorts", to quote Gavin O'Connor, the director of Warrior. More specifically, O'Connor sees Australian actors as being more intimate with life's rugged realities than their smoother American counterparts.
You can observe this effect in action in Joel Edgerton's performance in Warrior opposite the equally hot and sweaty British prospect Tom Hardy (Inception). They both play Americans - estranged brothers who take on cage fighting, a mixed martial arts sport involving boxing, wrestling, ju-jitsu and kickboxing. There are rules but if you're not already familiar with them, don't expect to get a handle on them here. All that is clear is the fact the brothers are going to wind up in the ring together.
The cause of their estrangement is Nick Nolte, who has never lost his ability to make trouble. He plays their father, Paddy, a former boxing trainer and alcoholic whom neither son has forgiven for knocking their mother about. But after an absence of 14 years, Tommy (Hardy) has come to his father with a demand - that he help him train for Sparta, an international mixed martial arts contest with a $US5 million purse.
Tommy's older brother, Brendan (Edgerton), knows nothing of this. An ex-boxer, he is a high school physics teacher with a wife, Tess (Jennifer Morrison), and two children. But he, too, is resuming his career in the ring because his teaching salary can't pay the mortgage and the medical bills.
With the help of the Aussie mystique, this is shaping up as Edgerton's year. He is also on show in the prequel to John Carpenter's The Thing but this is the movie that could propel him into the big time.
O'Connor is not the most sensitive of directors. Excitable is the word for him. He's heavy on big music, tight close-ups, large crowds, hyperactive editing and declamatory dialogue. His taste for the inspirational makes Rocky seem like a delicate exercise in social realism. But he's been astute enough to sign up actors who can somehow persuade you to overlook the triteness of their words.
Let's start with Nolte. His Paddy is a remorseful, exhausted-looking character whose world has contracted to the point where he's content to spend his days plugged into an audio recording of Moby Dick. With Herman Melville in his ear, he can try to forget the past and stave off thoughts of the future - until Tommy comes back.
Hardy's performance is essentially one long sulk yet he and Nolte pull off a couple of poignant scenes together. He's such a muscular bundle of concentrated energy that you can't look away for fear of missing something extraordinary. He'd be a wonderful Caliban.
In contrast, Edgerton makes deceptively light work of Brendan, who likes the kids he teaches and is happily immersed in family life. It's an attractively relaxed performance and O'Connor is right. While he looks as if he really can throw a punch, he's also unpretentious enough to seem at ease doing the washing up.
The film's settings, too, impart an air of authenticity. Much of it was shot in Pittsburgh with an excursion to seedy Atlantic City for the gung-ho finale. And while I found the fighting matches pretty incomprehensible, there's no denying O'Connor's ability to extract the maximum amount of suspense out of Brendan, the underdog, and his steady climb through the ranks.
This is a movie that defies analysis. Try to take it apart and it disintegrates into pure corn. I think it qualifies as a guilty pleasure - which probably won't hurt its chances at Oscar time. Its three leads certainly deserve consideration for their artfulness in being able to infuse it with intimations of quality.
For Edgerton it's good news. His Brendan looks as if he belongs in a much better film. He makes a great calling card for an actor who's been doing fine work for a long time.
IS the Australian leading man becoming a marketable figure in Hollywood?
It's taken a while. A young Mel Gibson raised the possibility in the 1980s. Then came Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman, Heath Ledger and Sam Worthington, among others. At last, their efforts have achieved "an Aussie mystique of sorts", to quote Gavin O'Connor, the director of Warrior. More specifically, O'Connor sees Australian actors as being more intimate with life's rugged realities than their smoother American counterparts.
You can observe this effect in action in Joel Edgerton's performance in Warrior opposite the equally hot and sweaty British prospect Tom Hardy (Inception). They both play Americans - estranged brothers who take on cage fighting, a mixed martial arts sport involving boxing, wrestling, ju-jitsu and kickboxing. There are rules but if you're not already familiar with them, don't expect to get a handle on them here. All that is clear is the fact the brothers are going to wind up in the ring together.
The cause of their estrangement is Nick Nolte, who has never lost his ability to make trouble. He plays their father, Paddy, a former boxing trainer and alcoholic whom neither son has forgiven for knocking their mother about. But after an absence of 14 years, Tommy (Hardy) has come to his father with a demand - that he help him train for Sparta, an international mixed martial arts contest with a $US5 million purse.
Tommy's older brother, Brendan (Edgerton), knows nothing of this. An ex-boxer, he is a high school physics teacher with a wife, Tess (Jennifer Morrison), and two children. But he, too, is resuming his career in the ring because his teaching salary can't pay the mortgage and the medical bills.
With the help of the Aussie mystique, this is shaping up as Edgerton's year. He is also on show in the prequel to John Carpenter's The Thing but this is the movie that could propel him into the big time.
O'Connor is not the most sensitive of directors. Excitable is the word for him. He's heavy on big music, tight close-ups, large crowds, hyperactive editing and declamatory dialogue. His taste for the inspirational makes Rocky seem like a delicate exercise in social realism. But he's been astute enough to sign up actors who can somehow persuade you to overlook the triteness of their words.
Let's start with Nolte. His Paddy is a remorseful, exhausted-looking character whose world has contracted to the point where he's content to spend his days plugged into an audio recording of Moby Dick. With Herman Melville in his ear, he can try to forget the past and stave off thoughts of the future - until Tommy comes back.
Hardy's performance is essentially one long sulk yet he and Nolte pull off a couple of poignant scenes together. He's such a muscular bundle of concentrated energy that you can't look away for fear of missing something extraordinary. He'd be a wonderful Caliban.
In contrast, Edgerton makes deceptively light work of Brendan, who likes the kids he teaches and is happily immersed in family life. It's an attractively relaxed performance and O'Connor is right. While he looks as if he really can throw a punch, he's also unpretentious enough to seem at ease doing the washing up.
The film's settings, too, impart an air of authenticity. Much of it was shot in Pittsburgh with an excursion to seedy Atlantic City for the gung-ho finale. And while I found the fighting matches pretty incomprehensible, there's no denying O'Connor's ability to extract the maximum amount of suspense out of Brendan, the underdog, and his steady climb through the ranks.
This is a movie that defies analysis. Try to take it apart and it disintegrates into pure corn. I think it qualifies as a guilty pleasure - which probably won't hurt its chances at Oscar time. Its three leads certainly deserve consideration for their artfulness in being able to infuse it with intimations of quality.
For Edgerton it's good news. His Brendan looks as if he belongs in a much better film. He makes a great calling card for an actor who's been doing fine work for a long time.
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