The Wrestler

A gut-wrenching tale about shattered dreams and pursuits of passion that leave you filled with regret and pain. This film was really devastating to me because I recognized those themes as being my greatest fears for the future, and for that reason this is one of my favourite films in the last three of four years. Everything that has been said about Rourke's performance is spot on, he goes beyond method acting and actually lives this guy's suffering and desperation. But you've got to give serious kudos for the success of this picture to director Darren Aronofsky, who (eventually) made one of the most brilliant casting decisions ever and cohersed this once in a lifetime performance out of Mickey Rourke. I have renewed respect for Aronofsky, showing incredible versatility and resiliency after the setback that was his poorly received opus "The Fountain". Here is his directorial precision stripped bare of imagery and flashy editing, painting such a vivid portrait of how pathetic this man's life has become. The sights and sounds of the wrestler's environment really sink into your bones and stay with you after you've left the theatre. A simply written piece that refuses to ever become melodramatic or overly wordy, but tells a man's story as straightforward as he lives it. Clint Mansell's subdued score is effective without being very noticeable, and the cinematography while for the most part lacking in visual style still manages to be quite striking at times and very memorable. The Wrestler is highly comparable to films like Half Nelson, Love Liza, or even About Schmidt, and I highly recommend it to fans of those pictures. Don't see it expecting any kind of redemption for Randy the wrestler, it's not that kind of movie. But depending on how you see it, at the end you may be uplifted, or you might be beaten into the ground. Depending on what kind of audience member you are. But no matter how you feel about the character and the material delved into, there is no doubt that this is a phenomenal character study, and any review on this page below an 8/10 should be cast aside as uniformed dribble.