A wonderful study in desperation

Rating: 8/10 (31 December 2008)

First, let me join the chorus and say Mickey Rourke is a treat here. Wow does he look different, and it helps him fully inhabit this character: A run-down, washed-up, mostly broken former pro wrestling star. Marisa Tomei plays a similarly past-her-prime stripper, also carrying some baggage.
Together, these two characters inhabit a beautifully grim world, painted by Darren Aronofsky in the pallid tones of desperation he used so perfectly in "Requiem for A Dream." There is no redemption here, just the fumbling about of people destined to the second-tier heap of humanity.
If I make it sound too much of a downer, rest assured the script doesn't let it become depressing. A light touch and bits of humor (playing a wrestling video game against Rourke, a pre-teen neighborhood boy cracks you up when he utters under his breath, "This game's so OLD") keep the story engaging and entertaining.
I almost ended up rooting for these people, if only because they seem to be trying so hard. In the end, though, this movie packed nearly the same punch as "Requiem": When you're on the wrong side of your fate, there might be some fading glory, but there is no way out.