A mundane film elevated by outstanding work

Rating: 9/10 (3 July 2017)

There is nothing startlingly original here. The story of a has-been hanging on to past glory has been done a million times, and here it's largely constructed with stock characters ... a stripper with a heart of gold, an alienated daughter ... we've seen it before. What makes this gem stand out is the remarkable lead performance by Rourke ... among other things, one of the best physical performances I have seen in a drama ... his amazing supporting cast (Marisa Tomei in particular), and Aronofsky's surprisingly restrained, realistic treatment of the material.