Rourke's Masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (18 December 2009)

When I saw this title, I thought, "Good Lord. It's a rasslin movie. I assumed it would be some juvenile portrayal of the Smackdown people and their ilk. I was wrong. What we have is an insider's view of the incredible world of these people. Rourke is an aging hero called the Ram. He is past his prime and when he does wrestle he ends up loaded with more bumps and bruises than he can count--if not real, it is a tremendously athletic sport. There are subplots with an off and on relationship with Marissa Tomei, an exotic dancer, and his estranged daughter. He is unpredictable, messed up on pain killers and life. He also finds out he is living with a time bomb--a heart that could give out at any time. The strength of this is the subtle, beautiful performance of Mickey Rourke. His acting is superb. We can see the pathos in his eyes. A man who was great but has nothing left to show for it. It's about a man just trying to get by, who wants to make one more score. This is superb film about something we know little of.