Requiem For A Heavyweight; Rourke gives the performance of a lifetime

Rating: 10/10 (6 January 2009)

THE WRESTLER (2008) **** Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Mark Margolis, Todd Barry, Wass Stevens, Judah Friedlander. Triumphant return to form by Rourke in an Oscar caliber performance as a washed up professional wrestler whose current, bleak existence is at a cross-roads where Randy "The Ram" Robinson attempts a comeback at past glory and a shot of redemption in his personal life in the unlikely form of veteran stripper Tomei (equally top notch) and his estranged daughter (Wood gives the film a nice shot of reality). Filmmaker Darren Aronofsky corrals a career defining/resurrection force-to-be-reckoned complex experience from Rourke whose own real-life histories/demons underscore the underdog appeal to this excellent film about requiem and respect. The original screenplay by novice Robert D. Siegel echoes Hemingway in its deceptive simplicity. Rourke appealed to Bruce Springsteen to contribute a track to the film and his poignant tune is pitch-perfect, as is the rest of the film as a whole. One of the year's best.