It delivers!

Rating: 9/10 (20 January 2009)

Gritty, realism--like a Lucien Freud painting set in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Please know that not all of New Jersey is this ugly but it's the side of our state that is showcased in films of all kinds.
Some of these details in the film blew my mind.
1. The florescent glow of Randy's tan as he pleads with his daughter to give him a second chance at fatherhood in the middle of Winter just reminds you that there's no hope for reconciliation. It fades.
2. Needle dropping the roar of wrestling fans as he heads into work for his first day as a butcher.
3. Brando-like moments. A friend pointed this out and he was right. I mean there's that line at the end that reminded me of ON THE WATER FRONT. I read in another review that maybe this is the only role Rourke could've hit out of the park. Does that matter?
They tell us a 6 million dollar movie is extremely cheap but I think the budget probably added to the grit. There's some hand cam like shots that added to the realism. I often wonder how much and episode of, say, SMALLVILLE costs. Does that cost 6 million? I know they have to make a print but...
This film lived up to the hype. I only hated one scene --when the main character's reminisce about 80s hair metal. It's just too painful & repulsive.
Even though its been a long time since BARFLY they might as well hand Rourke the Oscar now.