In a nutshell...
Before I start into this review I just want to make clear that I haven't seen a big lot of movies staring Mickey Rourke from his career in the 1980s. The films I tend to associate with Mr Rourke would be modern cult movies such as Sin City, Domino, Man On Fire, Once Upon A Time In Mexico etc so to say this is his comeback role is a bit of a null point from where I am sitting as you can see from looking as his career he has consistently worked for the past 20 years. However, either way I've always enjoyed his work. To sell this movie for me, it appeals to the child in me who would stay up to the wee hours to watch professional wrestling live from America and the teenager who did backyard wrestling with his mates. Don't regret a single bit of it...
The Wrestler is the fourth film by the ever brilliant Darren Aronofsky, and upon watching the film is by far his most straightforward and probably his most intimate work as oppose to mind boggling situations like communicating with God in Pi or a man trying to save the woman he loves over 3 separate lives through time and space in The Fountain, no this is simply about a man. A wrestler (believe it or not...). Rourke plays Randy "The Ram" Robinson a wrestler harking back to the glory days when pro wrestling was at its highest in the 80s, winning titles, selling out stadiums, selling the American dream and over the course of his career he has sacrificed everything for his passion, including his loved ones creating an extremely strained relationship with his daughter Stephanie (played excellently by Evan Rachel Wood). Fast forward to 2008 and time has simply passed Randy by, instead of selling out Madison Square Garden he's playing to a couple of hundred people in a high school hall, what's quite endearing about it is he's not bothered because of his love for the industry and interacting with the remarkable men behind the scenes and even more bizarrely he seemingly acts as if its still the 80s (he still has an original Nintendo, and is one of the few men left on earth who uses a pay phone, says it all really...). However with old age catching up with him he's now gotta start to consider his health, his retirement and future plans, and a life without wrestling. So he starts to rebuild bridges with loved ones and create a new relationship with his on again, off again stripper girlfriend Pam played by Marisa Tomei (if Rourke deserves an Oscar for his role, then this woman deserves a nod for best supporting actress) albeit with a few cock ups along the way.
One of the things I loved about this movie is that it did not try to be any more than what it was, its by no means original, we've seen this kinda movie before but the quality of the story telling and the actors was flawless and Rourke does indeed deliver one of great performances of modern cinema and what's even more wonderful about it, isn't an intensity that is often associated with these kinda hyped roles, but his honesty, his warmth and that he can display a character so likeable and so relating to the point it makes your heart melt. Applause should also go to the director who has deliver his first film that does not alienate any of the audience, The Wrestler will probably not be the most original film I'll watch this year but its without a doubt a contender for one of the best, and the final scene on top of a wonderful song created specifically for this movie alone by Bruce Springsteen is simply beautiful and in typical Aronofsky style leaves you guessing and wondering til the end.
Stand out scene...
The second deli counter scene or (for the geek in me) Randy playing the Nintendo with a local neighbourhood kid and the kid trying to explain to him what Call of Duty 4 is...
Stand out quote...
"I'm an old broken down piece of meat and I deserve to be all alone, I just don't want you to hate me." or "The eighties fucking ruled, man, until that pussy Cobain came and fucked it all up." (damn straight...)
If you liked this movie watch...
Beyond The Mat (film documentary about the pro wrestling industry, the piece about Jake "The Snake" Roberts mimics this movie amazingly)
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