Review of Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows (1998) by Iain S — 11 Mar 2007

For years he was loved by millions but, for reasons he could not fathom, those same fans grew tired of him and turned their backs. Wrestling With Shadows is an excellent look at a key figure during perhaps the definitive time of the industry.

The "Montreal Screwjob" will live on in infamy for all wrestling fans and this documentary focuses on the career of Bret Hart during the buildup to an event which would change him and the business he loves forever.

Predictably the doc is skewed in favour of The Hitman who, as the central figure, cannot be seen as anything but the victim by the time the "screwjob" takes place. There were far more elements contributing to what happened at Survivor Series than are shown here.

But then this is not a documentary about what happened that night, it is a close examination of a dedicated worker who finds that his workplace is no longer what it was, and that he is in danger of becoming absolete when, mere months earlier, he was the very centre of everything.

Obviously this film will appeal more to wrestling fans but, if one can overcome the bizarre prejudice the industry engenders in so many, therein lies an important study of how fickle stardom can be.