Review of The Wrestler (2008) by Kunal S — 13 Dec 2011

Simply fantastic.

Growing up as a pretty big wrestling fan I've both admired its craft and despised its consequences. I've watched as outsiders generally denigrated it for being nothing more than a "fake" sport and always wondered when a movie would come out that would do the business justice. Well, this movie is it. Mickey Rourke's Randy "The Ram" Robinson is a walking showcase of the professions highs and lows and proves that the damage that occurs in the ring takes its toll both physically and mentally. The character essentially blends the experiences of 95% of the wrestlers that worked in the industry during the '80s with notable similarities to the likes of Hulk Hogan and Jake 'The Snake' Roberts.

Darren Aronofsky continues to impress and exhibit his range as a director by creating a movie that's completely different from the frenetic films that he'd made before. Performances are great across the board as well. Evan Rachel Wood is quite good as Randy's estranged daughter and Marisa Tomei not only looks stunning but continues to prove in the past few years that her Oscar win back in the 90s was deserving afterall. But of course, the real highlight here is Mickey Rourke. A fixture of the '80s himself, there's a lot of similarities between The Ram and Mickey and I'm pretty certain that he will never find a script more suited toward his own life. If he doesn't win Best Actor for this, it's likely he never will.