The Wrestler

Released: 2008

Directed By: Darren Aronofsky

Starring: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei

Certificate: 15

Reviewed By: Darryl Griffiths

On paper, this really shouldn’t have worked. Sure, it may have the directorial might of Mr Darren Aronofsky. But when you have your lead protagonist played by someone, who had been deemed a liability by Hollywood for more than a decade and a subject matter that is greatly dismissed as a ridiculous excuse for ‘sports entertainment’, you don’t sense a classic is on the cards. But against the odds, the tarnished reputation of Mickey Rourke and the wrestling world (avid fan right here by the way) deliver a middle fingered salute to the cynics, delivering the mother of all smackdowns.

The premise ’sticks to the script’ if you like and is classic Hollywood. Rourke plays a down on his luck and seemingly washed up wrestler Randy ‘the Ram’ Robinson, whose best days from the 1980′s are clearly behind him. In his prime, he was a beloved star who graced video games and immortalised by the creation of his own action figures. Now, a harsh sense of reality is kicking in and his life is disintegrating into an empty experience. His craving to roll back the years is emphatically on display, his hate for 90′s rock music, still having the bleach blonde haircut and continuing to perform to tightly congested crowds. On a personal level, his relationship with his daughter Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood) is strained to say the least and his head is consistently turned towards local stripper Cassidy (a sensual and seductive Marisa Tomei).

The strain eventually takes its toll as he suffers a heart attack soon after a gruelling match-up, where a key moment sees him slit his own forehead to draw blood (so much for being fake!) . Medical bigwigs try to plant the fear in him by playing the ‘quit the profession or die’ card. He may reluctantly agree in the early stages, by resorting to working in a deli for a unsympathetic boss. But as soon as a high profile comeback against a long term adversary offers him a way back in, would Randy dare put his health at risk once again, head back into the ring and end up challenging the opponent ‘Death’ head on??

Aronofsky’s opting for a intimate documentary style approach, for example the long shots from behind with Rourke centre frame almost as a faceless social outcast works wonders, capturing the high impact of the sport in question (Rourke reportedly trained to do all his own stunts) with the juxtaposition of Randy’s dreary reality who is always at odds with his true self. Plus the fights in themselves are brilliantly choreographed delights. The key aspect that really sets ‘The Wrestler’ apart from other genre entries and the real surprise for me is how much emotional depth Aronofsky is able to bring out of the material and the raw nature of it.

This is what makes the appointment of Rourke as Randy the Ram such an inspired move. He may be ably assisted by an on form Wood and the gorgeous Tomei, but this really is his movie and the definition of a glorious and dignified comeback. Out of his own personal life, he has gained all the battlescars that come from working in such a popular medium and wears them proudly like a championship belt. His performance is as commited as they come and although he lets his heart rule his head more often than not, you can’t help but feel sympathetic towards the character. Talking of sympathy, the reconciliation he attempts with his daughter and the speech he provides.. a heart wrenching and remarkably honest highlight. He really does make you wonder, how on earth did he not win the Oscar over Sean Penn that year??

You may expect sentiment by the time the climax comes around like your typical sports fodder, but you may be left with your jaw on the floor and yourself in tears. Emotionally exhausting, but an outstanding piece of work. No need for the near falls, a straight up knockout!