Warrior

Brother fighting against brother is a tale as old as time. Brother fighting against brother in a mixed martial arts arena? So current you could almost see it on tonight's sports highlight reel. Nick Nolte's Academy Award-nominated performance caps a powerhouse cast that deftly and hauntingly tells a story of family, duty, forgiveness and glory - and a mean left hook.

Nick Nolte Oscar 2012 Nominee for Best Supporting Actor

1. Art imitates life: both the character of Koba and the man who plays him, Kurt Angle, are Olympic gold medalists in wrestling.
2. The film's co-writers, Anthony Tambakis and Gavin O'Connor, met through comedian Bryan Callen. His reward? A role as himself in the movie.
3. Tambakis and O'Connor wrote the role of Paddy specifically for Nick Nolte, who went on to earn an Oscar nomination for the performance.
4. Letting the muses speak: Tambakis and O'Connor wrote the final scene by listening to The National's song "About Today" on repeat.
5. The film is dedicated to TapouT founder Charles "Mask" Lewis, who had been written into the movie as the fight promoter. He was killed by a drunk driver just days before filming began.
6. What's in a name? The character of Koba was originally going to be called "King Kong," but the name had to be changed for legal reasons. That's one litigious ape.
7. We're gonna need more sand: the Iraq scenes were actually shot in a parking lot outside Pittsburgh.
8. What you didn't see: an alternate opening shot at Moundsville State Prison in West Virginia featured Tom Hardy's character cage-fighting in jail.
9. Actor Frank Grillo used famed MMA trainer Greg Jackson as inspiration for his character. Jackson helped Grillo and star Joel Edgerton train for the film at his New Mexico gym.
10. Going for it: Tom Hardy showed up on director Gavin O'Connor's doorstep at midnight the night before his audition, having come straight off a flight from England.