At first glance, Warrior — one-part Cain and Abel, one part Rocky and one part a blatant cash-in on the surge of interest in the Mixed Martial Arts phenomenon appears to be a seat-filling tub-thumper.

A film that looks glossy, is glossy and will sell to shiny-faced people.

"The joy to be had here is in the journey. The viewer is literally forced to pick a side."

 You may think that Warrior is a sequel of sorts to The Fighter, and you'd be forgiven, as the premise is familiar: estranged blue collar brothers Tommy amd Brendan (Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton) sort out their differences against the backdrop of an athletic competition (MMA tournament).

The passion imbued in the storytelling and the performances, however, is not.

As with The Fighter, supporting turns are strong (Nick Nolte as the alcoholic father nee trainer is superbly grizzled) but Hardy (Bronson, Inception) and Edgerton (Animal Kingdom) are immense – both physically and emotionally.

They can fight, sure, but why they do it is the film's key and it's USP.

Brendan is a retired fighter, a father of two and a struggling science teacher desperate to support his family.

Tommy, meanwhile, is an ex-Marine, barely able to control his pent up rage and the sadness he carries. Both are by turns sympathetic and frustrating as ego clashes with good-sense.

Warrior has the predictable climax, yet announces it in the trailer, so there is no spolier in saying that the two brothers will fight.

The joy to be had here is in the journey.

The viewer is literally forced to pick a side.

Listen, the MMA pitch is likely what got Warrior made but it's the performances that stand out.

Yes, this hits all the obvious sporting melodrama cliches, but does so with its heart in the right place.

No, not on its sleeve, but on the floor, battered to a pulp yet grappling for all it is worth.

And sometimes that is everything good cinema should be.

We award this film 5 stars.