Review: The Wrestler

The Wrestler
Written By Robert D. Siegel
Directed By Darren Aronofsky
January 2, 2009

In The Wrestler, Mickey Rourke plays Randy "The Ram" Robinson a run-down 80's wrestling superstar who is in the slump of his career, mostly due to age. By having to deal with the awareness that his body is rapidly collapsing and can no longer take much more. Think about everything you've seen about Hulk Hogan and add a slight bit of less fame and definitely fortune and you have The Ram. On top of receiving very little compensation for his emotionally and physically exhausting act. He deals with a disconnected relationship with his daughter Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood). Over time Rourke begins to get to know Cassidy (Marisa Tomei) a stripper who ironically is struggling with the same things Rourke is dealing with, they both are doing the only thing they know how to do to survive. Rourke is told that at the end of the month is the 20 Year Anniversary of "Fan Fest" and they want to bring back Rourke's retired rival "Ayatollah" for the main event. Rourke see's this as his opportunity to be "back on top".

After having an all-out no holds barred bloodshed in the ring, Rourke exits the stage and is sat down by the medics, as beautifully crafted editing takes you through the match in a separation of scenes as he psychologically flashes back to the match. Rourke becomes overwhelmed and faces a life threatening heart attack. After having triple bypass surgery on his heart Rourke is told that should he wrestle again, it could be his life. Rourke very unsure about what he wants to do seeks guidance through Cassidy, who recommends that he speak to his daughter about the incident. Which leads us to what may be on the only little flaws of The Wrestler the predictability of the daughters reaction just is not as strong as it needed to be to fill the emotion of the long lasting tension between the two. Over time Rourke begins to build a stronger relationship with her and they exchange an emotionally gripping scene of dialogue that sounds very promising about there future.

Things begin to look up for The Ram, as he decides to retire from Wrestling and begin to work full-time which eventually drives Rourke to his breaking point. The final scene we see of Rourke and his daughter leaves you with a breathtaking moment of genuine desolation to feel for Rourke. Rourke having lost his daughters trust and his promising relasionship with Cassidy, goes back to the only thing he knows, wrestling. He decides that the "fan fest" is on regaurdless of his heart. During the match Rourke begins to have trouble breathing, the eerie silence of the Rourke having his heartbeat slow, the pain of his chest, but will not let it stop which leads us to our emotionally imperative ending. Music transcends with the camera to create a feeling of closure to our story.

The Wrestler is the powerful story of a man who has passed the highlight of his life and is beginning to struggle on the grasp of reality of how much further his profession can take him. A very raw, gritty, in your face expeirance into the world of wrestling entertainment, as well as the great risks and damages some of the athletes face. Darren Aronofsky has gives a true authentic feel to the screen and is easily his best work. Alongside the outstanding performance of Mickey Rourke, who triumphs over almost every aspect of the film because of the physical endurance he had to confront. Aronofsky has officially taken his work to another level, we will see if the academy agrees.




Rating: 9/10