Line #96 Film/Warrior


1	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/warrior-poster-3-10-11-kc_2274.jpg]]
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3	2011 film starring Creator/JoelEdgerton and Creator/TomHardy as a pair of estranged brothers who enter a UsefulNotes/MixedMartialArts tournament, each for their own reasons. Also stars Creator/NickNolte as their father, a retired, recovering alcoholic boxer.
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5	The film opens when the younger brother Tommy (Hardy) returns to Pittsburgh after leaving with his mother years ago to escape his father's out-of-control alcoholism. He begins working out at a local gym and asks his father Paddy (celebrating 1000 days on the wagon) to train him for the Sparta tournament, a 16-contestant, single-elimination MMA tournament with a winner-take-all $5 million purse. Tommy's got a few demons in his past though, and it turns out he's not just in it for the money.
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7	When Tommy left, his elder brother Brendan (Edgerton) moved Philadelphia for the sake of his future wife. He is a former UFC fighter, but has retired and now teaches high school physics. He's having trouble making ends meet however, and his house is on the brink of foreclosure, so he starts fighting again to supplement his income. Turns out the school board doesn't approve of him moonlighting as a cage fighter, so he ends up suspended without pay from his teaching position. He knows it's a longshot, but if he can win the Sparta tournament, he'd be able to keep his house. This, of course, puts him on a collision course with Tommy, who still resents him for staying with their father while Tommy took care of their ailing mother.
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9	Unrelated to the [[{{Comicbook/Warrior}} comic book]] or the [[Series/Warrior2019 TV series]].
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11	----
12	!!This film contains examples of:
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14	* TheAlcoholic: Paddy was a major one for much of his life and was a violent, abusive man as a result. He's since become sober at the start of the film.
15	* AloofBigBrother: Inverted. Brendan actually tries to reach out to Tommy, while Tommy is actually the one who is dismissive.
16	* AndStarring: Nick Nolte in the CBB.
17	* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Tommy is quite a {{Jerkass}} towards Brendan.
18	* ApologeticAttacker: [[spoiler:Brendan, when he realizes Tommy won't concede the fight even with a dislocated shoulder, apologizes as he puts him in the match-ending chokehold.]]
19	* ArtisticLicenseSports: One character very obviously gets his arm broken in the middle of a bout, but continues to fight on. In reality, getting your arm broken would result in an immediate stoppage, no matter how much you want to continue fighting.
20	* AsHimself: A few MMA personalities who appear in the film play themselves:
21	** Stephan Bonnar and Rashad Evans both appear as themselves on ESPN
22	** The Tapout founders Skyscrape and Punkass make several appearances
23	** Referee Josh Rosenthal oversees the final bout, making several terrible calls. Non-MMA fans might be confused as to whom Frank Campana is talking to when he repeatedly chastises "Josh." It should be noted that in the credits, the character "Referee Josh Rosenthal" is credited as "Josh Rosenthal" instead of "Himself" like all the other real life personalities, presumably because the character is a comically inept referee, while Rosenthal himself was considered to be one of the best refs in the business.
24	* TheAtoner: Paddy to his sons. He fully admits he was a terrible father growing up and they are justified in hating him but is desperate to try and make things right now.
25	* AttackAttackAttack: Tommy, when he's not outright knocking out his opponents with the first punch of the first round.
26	* BadassFamily: The Conlons. Brendan and Tommy are promising MMA fighters, while their father Paddy is a retired boxer.
27	* BadassTeacher: Brendan, who is a Physics teacher.
28	* BenevolentBoss: The principal in Brendan's school, who is also a ReasonableAuthorityFigure.
29	* BerserkButton: Do not EVER insult the Marines or mock them when Tommy was around. Mad Dog doing so is one of the few times where Tommy gets genuinely angry and nearly beats Mad Dog to death in retaliation.
30	* BerserkerTears: [[spoiler: One round after getting his shoulder dislocated by Brendan, Tommy gets these. Whether it's from the pain, or from all the circumstances he's faced with is up to interpretation]].
31	* BewareTheQuietOnes: Koba never spoke in the entire film but is a very lethal fighter. While Tommy spoke, he avoids any sort of interviews during the tournament but [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomped]] his opponents, nonetheless.
32	* BigBrotherInstinct: Insomuch as you can still show brotherly concern while delivering a beatdown. The slightest mention of Tommy is the only reason why Brendan didn't walk away halfway through his conversation with Paddy. More telling is Brendan's reaction to [[spoiler:dislocating Tommy's shoulder during the final fight, and the aftermath.]]
33	* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Brendan gets the 5 million dollars he needs and wins the competition]] but Tommy gets very little closure and is about to face some serious charges. Their father's off the wagon (Tommy's fault), although it might just be a lapse, and seems to realize that keeping his distance is the best thing to do, rehabilitation or no, so he gets to keep being lonely. Tommy does seem to have forgiven Brendan and accepts him as a brother. However, [[spoiler: since he lost, he won't be able to give any money to the widow of his soldier friend who died in Iraq. While her financial situation is unclear, it's implied she needed some aid considering she was caring for children.]]
34	* BloodKnight: Tommy has some combination of this, DeathSeeker and SurvivorsGuilt motivating his fights. At one point the comentators point out that if he were to fight someone outside the ring with the same level of excessive brutality (he had to be pulled off his opponents several times) he would face assault charges.
35	* BloodSport: Although the sport itself is treated pretty realistically, the idea that MMA is a brutal bloodsport where competitors could die at any moment is played up for dramatic effect, particularly with Brendan's wife.
36	* BrokenAce: Tommy. He's an exceptionally talented fighter who won numerous tournaments as a kid but is still struggling both with the trauma of his mother's death and losing his friend.
37	* BunnyEarsLawyer: Frank Campana is known for his unusual training methods involving classical music, but damn if he gets results.
38	* ButtMonkey: Mad Dog Grimes only has two major scenes and he [[spoiler: gets his rear absolutely handed to him by Tommy in both (Though he does bring it on himself on both occasions)]].
39	* ByronicHero: Tommy is a quiet, distant loner, who has [[DarkAndTroubledPast very painful experiences]] in his family life and in the Marines. When fighting, he is very ruthless, [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomping]] his opponents in one hits. In addition, he is shown to have a certain disregard for rules, such as not attending press-conferences and leaving the ring immediately after matches. He also has quite the charisma, as he actually gains a huge number of fans because of this.
40	* CainAndAbel: Subverted. The brothers' issues has nothing to do with SiblingRivalry but more on abandonment and familial duties.
41	* CelebrityParadox: The UFC exists in this world. Several UFC fighters appear [[AsHimself as themselves]], while other UFC (and former UFC) fighters appear as fictional characters.
42	* CooldownHug: At the end.
43	* CoolTeacher: Even before Brendan's students find out about his MMA skills, it is clear that he's very popular with them. Unsurprisingly, they like him even more when they find out he's a badass MMA fighter.
44	* CulturedBadass: Frank Campana trains his fighters using classical music and philosophies.
45	* CurbStompBattle:
46	** Tommy overwhelms all of his opponents save Brendan with superior speed and power, quickly defeating them in brutal fashion. His fighting style highlights his role as the AntiVillain of the film.
47	** Koba too decimates every other opponent he faces and dominates the majority of his fight with Brendan.
48	** Brendan easily defeats his opponent in betting fight near the strip club.
49	** Mad Dog Grimes crushes his sparring partner, [[KickTheDog needlessly without any reason]].
50	** Tommy's second "fight" with Mad Dog Grimes can only be described in such terms with Tommy demolishing him within ''seconds'' and Mad Dog not having time to get even a single hit in before Tommy pounds him unconscious and keeps going, only stopping when his own manager demands the fight stop out of a not unjustified fear that Tommy would outright kill Mad Dog otherwise.
51	* DarkAndTroubledPast: Why Tommy left Iraq.
52	* DarkHorseVictory: [[spoiler: Brendan pulled one after the other, ultimately winning the tournament. Tommy's NoHoldsBarredBeatDown against Mad Dog Grimes may also fit.]]
53	* DavidVsGoliath: Brendan, due to being a teacher rather than a professional fighter, is seen as an underdog from the outset and, even after racking up a number of victories, no one imagines he has a chance against Koba with commentators only speculating how long he will last before being defeated. Everyone is shocked when Brendan actually defeats him.
54	* DefeatMeansFriendship: A classic example. [[spoiler: Tommy can't set aside his resentment towards Brendan until Brendan reluctantly gives him a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown. Brendan only does it because Tommy's fighting despite a dislocated arm and needs to be subdued quickly or else risk more intense injury fighting. While choking him out, Brendan asks for forgiveness in anguish and tells Tommy he loves him (keeping in mind Tommy had just gleefully tried to punch the life out of Brendan), at which point Tommy finally taps out and they embrace as brothers]].
55	* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: Brendan when he defeats Koba, [[spoiler:and again when he defeats Tommy.]]
56	* DelinquentHair: Mad Dog sports a colorful mohawk to let us know that he's a JerkAss. He even colors it camouflage for his fight with Tommy as a TakeThat to all the servicemen in the audience.
57	* {{Determinator}}: This is Brendan's primary fighting style, highlighting him as the hero of the film. He's a heavy underdog all the way through, but always manages to persevere and find a way to win via sustained grappling. In the end, Tommy also shows himself to be one, but in a more tragic way. He keeps fighting even after his defeat is certain, refusing to just let go because he's determined to support his best friend's widow [[spoiler:and he breaks down when he realizes that he can't win with one arm]]. This sets Tommy apart from [[MotherRussiaMakesYouStrong Koba]], who taps out when in the same position.
58	* DomesticAbuse: When his father mentions swearing off women, Tommy mumbles that it must be hard to find a woman who can take a good punch these days.
59	* TheDutifulSon: What Tommy sees Brendan as, especially since Brendan stayed behind for the sake of his wife and to care of Paddy.
60	* DysfunctionalFamily: The first generation of Conlons (i.e. Paddy's nuclear family) are this, with even implied DomesticAbuse. The second generation (i.e. Brendan's family) averts it entirely.
61	* DysfunctionJunction: Paddy is a lonely recovering alcoholic, Tommy suffers from PTSD (and a hast lot of chips on his shoulders regarding his family), and Brendan has inferiority and abandonment issues.
62	* FightClubbing: Brendan intends to scrape together a living by fighting in "smokers," which are small-time, often unsanctioned fighting events.
63	* GeniusBruiser: Brendan's physics students see him this way when they find out about his MMA moonlighting. This one's based on the real-life history of UFC middleweight Rich Franklin, a math teacher before his fighting days.
64	* GrayAndGrayMorality: The film portrayed its characters really well by equally highlighting their strengths and flaws.
65	* HappilyMarried: Brendan and Tess, even if they don't always see eye to eye.
66	* HateSink: Mad Dog Grimes. You can't hate Tommy, Brendan or Paddy because they're all too sympathetic and Koba, while the main obstacle, [[PunchClockVillain is just another fighter with no personal gripes with anyone]]. But Mad Dog Grimes is an utter asshole with no redeeming traits whose humiliation we are encouraged to enjoy.
67	* HeadbuttOfLove: Brendan eventually gives one to Tommy [[spoiler:after he beats him in the tournament.]]
68	* HeroicSecondWind: Brendan's fight with Koba goes entirely in the latter's favor for the first two rounds until Brendan gives back, eventually defeating him.
69	* HeterosexualLifePartners: Even though the movie is about two brothers, the true bromance is between Brendan and his trainer Frank.
70	* HighschoolSweethearts: Brendan and Tess are a couple since high school.
71	* HumiliationConga: Mad Dog Grimes. He starts off being utterly demolished in a fight by Tommy that goes viral and badly undermines his reputation and image, has to endure months of humiliation as a result and his planned comeback at Sparta and defeat of Tommy blows up in his face when Tommy absolutely destroys him in their fight, leaving him unconscious and even more humiliated than before. Though given what a massive dickhead he is throughout, it's hard to feel too much sympathy for him.
72	* InstantWebHit: A video of Tommy [[spoiler: beating Mad Dog]] at the gym gets uploaded on Youtube by the gym receptionist. It becomes so popular the soldiers overseas are checking it out.
73	* InstantFanClub: Tommy gets one on the second day of the tournament.
74	* {{Jerkass}}: Tommy to his father, Paddy, and brother, Brendan. [[spoiler: He later warms up to them]].
75	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Tommy
76	* KickTheDog: Mad Dog kicks several dogs so that we don't sympathize with him when [[spoiler: Tommy humiliates and crushes him in the ring.]] He's a cocky asshole when he knocks out his first sparring partner. He also dyes his mohawk camoflauge to mock Tommy's past as a Marine.
77	* LaserGuidedKarma: Mad Dog Grimes brags that he will take Tommy out with one punch and that he will have to pulled off. The fight does indeed play out in that manner but with Mad Dog on the receiving end.
78	* {{Leitmotif}}: Brendan's trainer Frank Campana uses Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" as his intro music, which is at odds with the rap and Russian music intros of the other fighters. Unlike the other fighters who psyche themselves up with strong beat Frank suggest something that make him more serene.
79	* LightningBruiser: Tommy [[spoiler:knocks out all his opponents early in the first round - until he fights Brendan]]. Koba also qualifies.
80	* LittlestCancerPatient: Brendan's financial troubles came from needing to pay for a heart operation for his daughter.
81	* MadeOfIron: While this is standard for any professional fighter, Brendan's incredible capacity to endure pain and keep fighting is noted as exceptional even by MMA standards, especially in his fight with Koba where commentators openly wonder how much more abuse he can take and worry that his bravery could get him killed.
82	* ManlyTears: The ending, both in-universe and out.
83	* MegatonPunch: Something of a speciality of Tommy's. His first fight in the tournament ends ''really'' quickly courtesy of one, and his whole fighting style revolves around demolishing his opponent's defence with a barrage of knock-out punches.
84	** Given that he allegedly tore part of the door of an armored personnel carrier off to rescue his comrades, it appears as though Tommy is ''incredibly'' strong, likely playing into his massive punching power.
85	* MemeticBadass: Tommy becomes one in-universe after his video hits the web. He does eventually prove to be worth his fame.
86	* MorallyBankruptBanker: The banker shows absolutely no sympathy for Brendan's situation. At one point he rolls his eyes and mutters about how hard it is to keep all of his clients' sob stories straight.
87	* MsFanservice: The ring girls, as in any MMA event.
88	* MuggingTheMonster: After seeing Mad Dog roughing up his sparring partners (and being offered some cash), Tommy offers to fight with him. Mad Dog agrees, mocking Tommy and assuming it'll be an easy fight. 30 seconds later, Mad Dog is unconscious on the floor.
89	* MultiCharacterTitle: There are ''a lot'' of fighters in the movie aside from the two main leads. Even their father is a retired boxer.
90	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Unlike Tess, Paddy defies the "seeing your children compete in a BloodSport" fear and even encourage them, or at least Tommy, to do it. [[spoiler: Once his sons compete against each other at the finals, he plays the "my kids are hurting each other really bad" fear ''completely'' straight.]]
91	* NeverTrustATrailer: Advertising materials for the film states that Tommy fights for his country, which ''was'' probably true, but [[spoiler: he is a Marine who went AWOL and during the tournament, he mainly fights for the family of his fallen friend in the corps.]]
92	* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: The film often skirts amusingly close to actual MMA figures without ''quite'' hitting them on the nose.
93	** Although some reviewers mistook the reference for a take on ''Film/RockyIV'''s Ivan Drago, Koba is obviously Fedor Emelianenko with the serial numbers filed off. They are both bald, stoic, tattoo-free, sambo-based, dominant Russian champs who never fought on American soil. His background also takes from the guy who plays him, Wrestling/KurtAngle, as Koba is mentioned to be a gold medalist in wrestling just like Angle is.
94	** Brendan's trainer Frank Campana resembles Greg Jackson, both presented as personable top-level trainers with an intellectual approach. Both trainers use classical music as part of their system.
95	** Bryan Callen as a ringside color commentator is an obvious Joe Rogan impersonation. Both are brash comedians with a casual commentating style. They're also good friends in real life.
96	** The sponsor of the Sparta tournament is a bald businessman who is always hanging around the press and got rich before getting into the fight game. He's a combination of the billionaire Feritta brothers who bought the UFC and the bald UFC president Dana White, an infamous media hound.
97	** Brendan's story is inspired by Rich Franklin, who is also a former math teacher who made it big in MMA.
98	* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Tommy inflicts an utterly savage one of these on Mad Dog Grimes, leaving him unconscious. Even the commentators seem shocked at the sheer brutality and Tommy's own manager calls for the fight to be stopped, likely out of a justified fear that Tommy would beat Mad Dog to death if not stopped.
99	* NomDeMom: Tommy uses his late mother's maiden name to show how much he detest Paddy. [[spoiler: Also because he went AWOL.]]
100	* OffTheWagon: [[spoiler:Paddy Conlon after Tommy berates him one time too many.]]
101	* OohMeAccentsSlipping: In the scene where Paddy visits Brendan for the first time, Joel Edgerton's Aussie accent slips out when he says "I've got a wife and kids; I don't have time for whatever this is." (It's adorable.)
102	* OvershadowedByAwesome: Brendan like Tommy is a newcomer to the tournament but unlike Tommy who has a lot of fame due to his video and trouncing his opponents. It doesn't help that Brendan is pinned against known and well prized fighter like Koba while Tommy has a pretty easy line up that he breezes through with little issue.
103	* PetTheDog: After [[spoiler: pushing his father back into the bottle, Tommy tucks him into bed upon discovering him drunk and despondent]].
104	* {{Pride}}: Brendan's main flaw is his absolute refusal to file for bankruptcy or move to a smaller house, even though his wife would rather take that option than watch him risk his life in the ring.
105	* ProdigalFamily: The news that Tommy, his younger brother, is also competing in the Sparta MMA arts tournament, wrecks Brendan. Tommy resents his older brother for having stayed with their alcoholic, abusive father instead of skipping town with him and their mother; so they are estranged. Brendan loathes the idea of facing his brother not because Tommy is a formidable LightningBruiser but also because he still loves him and doesn't want to hurt him. Encountering his father --who is training Tommy-- during the tournament is also a nasty surprise. The other part of the conflict is that Brendan needs the tournament's monetary prize for his daughter's medical treatment. In an {{inver\|tedTrope}}sion of this trope, it's Brendan who seeks to reconnect with the estranged family member that pops out of nowhere.
106	* ProductPlacement: This film is brought to you by Tapout! The brand is plastered everywhere. The fictional tournament is sponsored by the company, its two surviving founders appear as themselves in several scenes, and the film is dedicated to the memory of late Tapout founder Charles "Mask" Lewis.
107	* ThePromise: Tommy's motivation in the tournament is to win the prize money for his dead best friend's family. When he's entered into Sparta, he calls the wife of the family to say to her he hasn't forgotten his promise. [[spoiler:When Brendan pops his shoulder, in between rounds he breaks out into tears knowing he isn't going to be able to keep his promise.]]
108	* PunchClockVillain: Koba. He's the main obstacle in Brendan's quest but he never does anything malicious or cruel and we're never meant to assume he's a bad person in any way.
109	* PyrrhicVictory: [[spoiler: Although Brendan already had Tommy since the 3rd round, he becomes more concerned for his brother's well-being than actually winning the tournament. His wife is also obviously uncomfortable watching her husband dominating his own brother despite their urgent need for the prize money.]]
110	* RedOniBlueOni: Tommy is the red to Brendan's blue. Their gloves are ColorCodedForYourConvenience.
111	* RetiredBadass: The Conlons. Paddy is a retired boxer, Brendan is a former UFC fighter and comes back ''much'' better, and Tommy served in the U.S. Marines.
112	* SemperFi: Both Tommy and Paddy were in the Marines Corps.
113	* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]]. Tommy, the badass LightningBruiser, has huge abandonment and ParentalIssues and fights brutally as an outlet for all the bad things that happened in his life. Brendan, the passionate one, has guilt for not going with Tommy and their mother (especially when he realized things went FromBadToWorse) when he decided to stay with their father despite being TheUnfavourite [[WellDoneSonGuy because he wanted to have a proper relationship with him]], in addition to the only reason for him fighting again is to keep his own family afloat.
114	* ShellShockedVeteran:
115	** Tommy is a veteran of the Iraq war.
116	** Paddy. If his drunken ramblings are historically accurate, he was reliving his closest friends and coworkers heading toward certain doom courtesy of a foolish leader.
117	* ShownTheirWork: While it's not perfect, the film gets quite a lot right about MMA.
118	* SickeningCrunch: [[spoiler:Tommy's shoulder makes a very unpleasant sound when Brendan snaps it like a twig in the final fight.]]
119	* SignatureMove: Brendan's main tactic is to put opponents in armbars or kimura wrist locks or kneebars and wrench them as much as he can until the pain becomes so great that his opponents tap out.
120	* SimpleYetAwesome: In contrast to Tommy who tends to rely on his strength and takes opponents out quickly, Brendan's fighting style consists of using all of his skills to put his opponents in arm and knee-bars or a kimura wristlock where he causes excruciating pain until they tap out. It even works against Koba who has never been defeated prior.
121	* StoneWall: Possibly Brendan. His main strategy is to wait and defend until he sees an opening. However, he's still considerably strong offensively to fit in this trope.
122	* TechnicianVsPerformer: The contrast between Tommy and Brendan's fighting styles. Though Tommy would not care either way, he is an ''incredibly'' flashy fighter to watch: he wastes no time and goes immediately for the knockout. He usually succeeds, thanks to his extraordinary power. Brendan, by contrast, is older and relies on getting his opponents to submit instead of knocking them out. It's even lampshaded in Brendan's fight against Koba, when the play-by-play announcer remarks on Brendan's "endless bag of submissions." [[spoiler: And, sure enough, Koba shakes off a straight armbar from side mount and a kimura wrist lock, only to fall victim to a kneebar.]]
123	* TigerVersusDragon: Like the tiger Tommy uses strength and force to brutally and quickly knock out his opponents while Brendan uses Brazilian Jiu-jitsu in order to use force grappling submissions on his opponents which is like the dragon as they are more calm and calculating than the tiger because the tiger would have a fixation on brutality and effectiveness in combat.
124	* TournamentArc: The whole movie revolves around an MMA tournament.
125	* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: Or rather, posters and DVD cases spoil [[spoiler:Brendan and Tommy not only together in the ring but reconciling and leaving the cage -- the last sequence of the film.]]
126	* TrainingMontage: The training montage for both brothers, overlaid with commentary and Beethoven (Brendan's leitmotif).
127	* UnderdogsNeverLose: [[spoiler: Brendan pulls one dark horse victory after another, ultimately winning the tournament.]]
128	* TheUnfavorite: Brendan, who was ignored by their father in favour of training Tommy.
129	* UnknownRival: Mad Dog Grimes to Tommy.
130	* VictoryByEndurance: Brendan runs on this in the tournament.
131	* WellDoneDadGuy: Paddy.
132	* WhamLine: Two InUniverse examples;
133	** Brendan's "I forgave you and mom" speech to Tommy made the latter go from indifferent to extremely pissed off.
134	** TheReveal that Brendan and Tommy are brothers made Brendan's co-workers and students' jaws drop.
135	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: [[spoiler:The film has no epilogue, so we never see the repercussions of Tommy's desertion nor find out what becomes of the family he promised to support.]]
136	* WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief: The film relies on some {{Contrived Coincidence}}s.
137	* TheWorfEffect: We see Mad Dog crush his sparring partner with a spinning back elbow, only to be crushed himself by [[spoiler: Tommy the first time we see him fight.]]
138	* WrestlerInAllOfUs: Koba defeats an opponent with a picture-perfect powerbomb, and later nails Brendan with a German suplex. Likely an [[ActorAllusion allusion]] to Kurt Angle's pro wrestling career.
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Context Film / Warrior