In Review

04 July 2009 09:40 BST

The Wrestler

Directed by Darren Aronofsky, out January 16th in cinemas, starring Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood, 100 mins.

In a nutshell...

Aging wrestler attempts to come to terms with the end of his career

What's it all about?

Back in the 1980s Randy "The Ram" Robinson (Mickey Rourke) was a headlining professional wrestler. Fast-forward twenty years and he is still trying to earn a living performing for a few diehard wrestling fans in high school gyms and community centres.

After a heart attack forces him to retire, Randy attempts to rebuild his life with estranged daughter Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood), while developing a relationship with aging striper Cassidy (Marisa Tomei). However, real life doesn't really compare to the adoration and passion of wrestling, and Randy finds himself drawn towards a return to the ring.


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Who's in it?

The ultimate hellraiser Mickey Rourke was hugely successful in the 1980s starring in Nine 1/2 Weeks, Body Heat and Johnny Depp's favourite film - The Pope of Greenwich Village. The ultimate fame and fortune didn't appear to suit him though and a series of addictions and major flops led to Rourke abandoning acting to become a professional boxer.

He boxed until 1995 when he retired having sustained severe facial injuries which required extensive facial surgery before returning to acting. He famously turned down roles in Beverly Hills Cop, Die Hard and Pulp Fiction while continuing to make seemingly bizarre film choices. The turn of the century saw a return to form for Rourke with roles in Man On Fire, Sin City and Domino. Throughout his career he has been accused of wasting a unique talent, squandering it on women, drink and a lifestyle of ultimate excess.

Marisa Tomei won the Oscar for best actress in a supporting role for In The Bedroom in 2001. She was previously nominated almost ten years earlier for her role in My Cousin Vinny. Other films of note include What Women Want and recently the award-winning Before The Devil Knows You're Dead.

Famously the ex-girlfriend of Goth attention-seeker Marilyn Manson, Evan Rachel Wood received considerable mention for her performance in 2003's Thirteen and was recently seen in Running with Scissors.

As an example...

"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." – Randy to his daughter Stephanie

"You hear that? That's where I belong." – Randy to Cassidy referring to a passionate wrestling crowd

"The 90s sucked... The 90s sucked" - Randy and Cassidy reminiscing

Clip 1 - The wrestling scene



Likelihood of a trip to the Oscars?

The film already has three Golden Globe nominations, one each for Rourke and Tomei and one for Bruce Springsteen's harrowing score.

It's very likely that all three will also be nominated by the Academy and if there's any justice, Rourke will walk away with the best actor statue.

What the others say

"Emotionally raw and with a climax that draws tears, Mickey Rourke gives the performance of his career." – Empire

"Witness the resurrection of Mickey Rourke in Darren Aronofsky's deeply affecting film." - Newsweek

So is it any good?

It has already been said but is worth saying again, there has rarely ever, if ever, been a role that has suited an actor as Rourke suits Randy "The Ram" Robinson. A battered and beaten aging giant who is being forced to come to terms with and face all his mistakes and life choices as the world that once loved him begins to turn its back on him.

You get the sense that The Wrestler has finally allowed Rourke to come to terms with the years of excessive and the talent he has wasted through his life. In the past he has claimed it too painful to think of what he may have thrown away, the chances he may have squandered. But think of this - without all that wastefulness, without those decades of self-destruction, could he have played Randy with such heart-jerking realism and painful acceptance? It's very unlikely.

There will be a tendency to relate The Wrestler to films such as Rocky, but to do so would be unfair to Aronofsky and Rourke's performance. This is more than a simple sports film about an aging hero who rises from the ashes for one last heroic shot at the big time. There are no happy endings here.

Forget the fact that his role painfully mirrors his own personal life; Rourke puts in one of the greatest performances of the decade. He plays the old wrestler as a sweet, kind-hearted soul who simply wants to perform and please those around him – even if it's just at the cheese counter at the local supermarket. He is completely beaten and broken, with a hearing aid, a body pumped full of chemicals to keep it working and the inevitable heart attack testament to that. And even when life wants to beat him further down, to grind him into the gutter, Randy (not Robin, his real name, as the supermarket insists on calling him) still wants to get back and keep entertaining.

Elsewhere, Tomei also puts in a wonderful performance as Cassidy, herself struggling to come to terms with an aging body and the fact the demands of her family outweigh those of the strip bar. Her commitment to the role must be praised - it is rare to find an Oscar-winning actress willing to spend the majority of a film walking around almost completely naked.

As Randy's estranged daughter Wood is on top form too, but in fairness her role simply allows Rourke to perform his most emotional and hard-hitting scenes. This is Rourke's show and he is immense. At last all that wasted talent has found an outlet in which to pour.

This is immediately an iconic role and an amazing performance. The Wrestler is a wonderful, wonderful film, switching from high-action well choreographed wrestling action to emotional scenes of such raw passion there will not be a dry eye in the house, anywhere. A truly brilliant piece of work.

10/10

Richard James


Clip 2 - Randy tells Pam about the heart attack