The Wrestler (SteelBook Edition) [Blu-ray + DVD]

Randy 'The Ram' Robinson fought the Ayatollah in Madison Square Garden back in the 80s, and still battles today. Ill met by fate, bruised and battered, his sinewy muscles scarred, his bones creaking in protest he still has the fight, and like a One Trick Pony he sticks to what he knows. It's a desperate life.

As you may recall in Raging Bull, Robert De Niro put on about 40 pounds to play fighter Jake La Motta as he got older, and he won an Oscar for his dedication to the role.

Mickey Rourke does something no less astounding here, putting on huge bulk to assume the persona and convincing physique of a professional wrestler. It's an amazing acting performance. The lines between actor and character blur and disappear. The kind of pain you see on Randy's face cannot be pretended. It can only be relived from the actor's parallel experience, which is what makes Rourke's performance so compelling.

For female companionship, he goes to a local bar, where a fetching stripper played by Marisa Tomei, Academy Award winner for My Cousin Vinny, gives him a lap dance for a fee. He can barely make rent, yet he has priorities.

Marisa gives an incredibly authentic performance, and it's a welcome surprise see her take it off in the name of art. I applaud her courage in doing so. Her physique is simply amazing, her body art very intriguing.

Evan Rachel Wood plays his estranged daughter. Previously, she played the female lead part in Across The Universe, and already has a quite impressive filmography under her belt. Here she sports a different look, and gives a perfect performance.

Some of the wrestling sequences are truly outrageous, and not a little disturbing. Having cut my finger on a ham slicer early in life, seeing people operating ham slicers gives me the heebie jeebies. If you have a problem with the sight of blood, I caution you that there are some disturbing sequences in the movie.

The Academy's actor awards tend to go to actors in two types of role:

1.Psychopath- No Country for Old Men, The Usual Suspects, There Will Be Blood, Training Day, Silence of the Lambs.

2.Mentally Disabled, Social or Physical Handicap, overcomes great adversity or discrimination- Shine, As Good as It Gets, A Beautiful Mind, Ray, Scent of a Woman, Capote, Philadelphia, The Pianist, A Beautiful Life.

Randy definitely has a handicap, and last year was the year of the psychopath, with both Daniel Day Lewis, and Javier Bardem winning Oscar.

I think you will enjoy it and I hope this review was helpful.

I just finished watching Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler. Wow. This is about as realistic a movie as I've seen. There were times when it felt like I was invading this guy's privacy. The story is about a man with a tragic flaw. All the best protagonists have a tragic flaw - Macbeth and Hamlet both sought vengeance. With Rourke's character Randy "The Ram" it is only being able to feel valued when he's getting the crap kicked out of him in the ring.

The Ram has no inner sense of value. His complete and utter lack of self-worth drives him to make absolutly terrible relational decisions. He feels completely alone and he knows the world only cares for him when he bleeds for them - otherwise he's invisible to them. The Ram has become cynical and no longer cares whether he lives or dies. His story intersects with that of Marisa Tomei whose character is an older stripper nearing the end of her days. She is similar to Randy except that she has an outer source of value - a nine year old son to live for and sacrifice for. Tomei does easily as good a job as Rourke in the film but Rourke's character pushes into excellence on a few occassions - especially when he is attempting to renew a relationship with his daughter played by Evan Rachel Wood.

The film is incredibly sad. It is the portrayal of a man whose life is empty and meaningless except when he's doing that which will ultimately kill him. There is an early scene when Tomei's character quotes Isaiah 53 "He was wounded for our transgressions, pierced for our iniquities..." She is reminded of the verse by Randy's experience as an aging wrestler...she calls him a sacrificial Ram jokingly playing on his wrestling name. The film picks up this theme and runs with it till the end when it looks as though Randy will ultimately offer himself on the altar of public popularity.

I cannot recommend the film to those under 18. There is nudity and foul language although the director Daron Aronofsky ensures that whenever it occurs it is appropriate to the story and not gratuitous in any sense. The final credits roll to the fantastic new Bruce Springsteen song by the same name as the movie - The Wrestler...very poignant. It is easy to see why Rourke won best actor at the Golden Globes for this film. He really shines in an honest and pained portrayal of a washed up star...something he probably related to when the film was first made.

For another movie that showcases Rourke's hidden talents look for Barfly.

I can see parallels between this and Raging Bull, but it's kind of like a prequel to Black Swan. Mickey Rourke sets the stage on fire, and I love that Brice Springsteen song in it. It's probably not essential to watch, but it's pretty good.