Rourke's Heartfelt Return

Rating: 9/10 (1 January 2009)

Darren Aronofsky has without a doubt proved his worth as one of the great poets of film. After a detour into the metaphysical and downright brilliant excursion of 'The Fountain', Aronfsky has returned to the gritty depths of humanity to deliver an endearing and heartbreaking story. It is an utterly well-made picture, and though there are many reasons to see it, the real success of 'The Wrestler' rests on the battered and bloodied shoulders of one man. Mickey Rourke.
After suffering a heart attack, the once popular but still fierce Randy 'The Ram' stands at one of life's many crossroads. He's told that wrestling with his heart condition will kill him, but retirement doesn't find Randy much better off. Living a life that lacks passion, our gentle giant is stuck in a futureless job and attempts to mend relations with his estranged daughter don't over as planned. His closest acquaintance is a stripper who, while meaning well, is hesitant to move as close as Randy might want.
'The Wrestler' finds itself as a film about redemption in more ways than one. For it is Mickey Rourke's absolutely devastating performance that will stick in your mind for a long time. Not only for its tremendous caliber that will help it go down as one of the greats, but because we really do witness the return of a man who, like Randy, hasn't had an easy life. His perseverance is staggering, his transformation is jaw-dropping. It's a performance that may very well win Rourke an Oscar, a meaty role that will in all likelihood become a career high point.
'The Wrestler' is in almost all aspects an actor's movie. While Rourke deservedly dominates the screen, Marisa Tomei turns heads in a gutsy, baring, but ultimately memorable role. She finds a way to separate her career as a stripper from her life as a mother. Something Randy has not been able to do, and therein lies the tragedy of 'The Wrestler'. Evan Rachel Wood's moving performance as Randy's daughter is filled with anger and grief. And she probably has every right to feel that way. Randy never gave her the life she deserved, and he knows it.
It's a profound film, a heartbreaking film. The story of a man who collides with life head-on. Even if it costs him everything he knows. Aronofsky has given us something truly remarkable that is at times difficult to watch, but never fails to entertain and move us. One of the best film's of the year is also one of the most affecting, and in 'The Wrestler' you will find one of the most mesmerizing and human performances of the year.
More reviews: rottentomatoes.com/vine/journal_view.php?journalid=219276&view=public