Call it "Rocky on steroids" if you like, but Warrior is a film with its testosterone levels set through the roof. We're talking not boxing but mixed martial arts (MMA), a full-on contact sport that blends a host of traditional fighting techniques, from wrestling to ju-jitsu. Put that with two of the most exciting actors of their generation, British-born Tom Hardy (Inception) and Australia's Joel Edgerton (Animal Kingdom), and the result is an explosive fight film that pulls no punches.
We meet in London's Soho Hotel, where Edgerton and Hardy are sitting together on a grey sofa - about the only thing soft in this room. Bulked up to 84kg for his role as Bane in the forthcoming Batman release, The Dark Knight Rises, Hardy's long-sleeved grey sweatshirt looks as though it is about to rip under the strain of his muscular frame. Dressed in a denim cap and jacket, Edgerton may not quite be as Hulk-like, but given that he earned a black belt in Shotokan karate in his teens, you wouldn't want to tangle.
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Playing estranged brothers who both enter Sparta, a winner-takes-all MMA elimination tournament, these boys spent two months training in Pittsburgh - eight hours a day in the gym, learning boxing, weightlifting and ju-jitsu. "It felt good to be strong," says Edgerton, 37, who added 9kg of pure muscle. "And it felt good to learn something new. I certainly felt, by the time we were in the cage, standing there with a pair of gloves on, that you felt … at least part of you belonged."
Not that a sense of "belonging" resonates much with their characters, particularly Hardy's Tommy. An ex-Marine and former wrestling prodigy, he returns from a tour of duty in Iraq weighed down by emotional demons, in particular his feelings towards his abusive, alcoholic father (Nick Nolte) and his brother Brendan (Edgerton), a former street brawler turned teacher who he believes abandoned him. "The fight is within Tommy," says Hardy. "He's fighting for country and for self, for reasons towards his own self-centredness and pain."
Factor in Brendan's "financial reasons" for entering Sparta - he's desperate for money to support his family - and the pain in Warrior is not just physical. "These are normal people in extreme circumstances with the backdrop of MMA," says Hardy, who gives the director Gavin O'Connor (Pride and Glory) the credit for ensuring the drama is not just in the ring.
"When you ask, what does Warrior do for the MMA world where others have failed, it's talking about it as a sport as opposed to making a kung fu movie or a martial arts movie. It's like Rocky meets Kramer vs Kramer, if you like."
Still, with real-life MMA fighter Greg Jackson on board as technical adviser, Hardy and Edgerton felt duty-bound to represent accurately a sport often maligned for its violence. "It's no more brutal than a game of rugby," argues Hardy. "If you go on to the pitch with the All Blacks, you'd know about it. And that's 90 minutes. These guys do 25 minutes, one on one."
Edgerton chips in: "Boxing allows you to keep engaging in the fight, even if you start to lose brain cells. With mixed martial arts, the moment you can no longer defend yourself, there is a clear winner."
Thrown into the cage with all manner of MMA fighters (many of whom appear in the film), Hardy, 33, even found himself facing off with Hans Marrero, one of whose sparring partners is the former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson. "I had a moment where I was like 'I really don't want to be here!' I was standing there in my gloves and my shorts, and I was like 'This is really not for me!'" Edgerton concurs. "Any of those guys would probably have me seeing stars within about 20 seconds."
Get ready to rumble, as they say.
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Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The%20specs
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In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
RESULTS
5pm: Rated Conditions (PA) Dh85,000 (Turf) 1,600m
Winner: AF Mouthirah, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: AF Alajaj, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Hawafez, Connor Beasley, Abubakar Daud
6.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m
Winner: Tair, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m
Winner: Wakeel W’Rsan, Richard Mullen, Jaci Wickham
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 2,400m
Winner: Son Of Normandy, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
