The Wrestler

Desperate to continue a career as a professional wrestler after his golden years pass him by, Randy "The Ram" Robinson (Mickey Rourke) works the amateur circuit. A heart attack forces him to trade in the tights for a normal life as he searches for relationships with stripper friend Cassidy (Marisa Tomei) and estranged daughter Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood).

The picture belongs to Rourke. His performance is sublime, physically and emotionally vulnerable, and painful to watch. Even with the brutal beatings and countless injuries suffered, wrestling has been far kinder to Randy than real life.

You can’t help but root for the guy, which makes his scenes of breathtaking self-destruction hard to swallow. The camera frequently follows Rourke creating a unique and especially personal aesthetic.

Even if wrestling is more of a spectacle than a sport, the pain is as real as it gets. Colliding with barbed wire, staple guns, and shattering glass are typical. Intricate details of the fights and performers talking shop backstage create a legitimate feeling world for the film.

The only false step in the entire film is Wood’s slightly undercooked role, and the fact that her acting prowess pales when next to Rourke. Stephanie has been understandably jaded by years of her father’s absence, but Wood’s performance isn’t much more than one-note callousness. A far more interesting relationship is played between Randy and Cassidy.

Both are aging performers far from their peak. Both have different names for on stage and off. Offstage, Cassidy prefers her real name, Pam. But Randy is Randy “The Ram” everywhere. He shudders to be summoned by birth name “Robin.” He’s only alive when performing; Cassidy performs because it’s a living.

On paper it may seem like a typical underdog story, but I never once felt the pang of cliché. Rourke is dazzling, the style gritty, the story compelling.

This is Darren Aronofsky’s most conventionally done picture yet – the frenetic visual style of earlier works is gone - but it just might be his best. He’s paid his dues; this should have been his shot at best picture and directing. Though the Academy unrighteously snubbed this outstanding film, “The Wrestler” deserves the highest accolades.

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