'The Wrestler' is one of the year's best

January 11, 10:34 PMPro Wrestling ExaminerMark Satrang

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All the critics were right. “The Wrestler” is one of the best movies of the year.

Mickey Rourke puts on a performance of a lifetime as aging professional wrestler Randy “The Ram” Robinson. Robinson was a big star in the 1980s that saw his success fade over the years. Now he finds himself living in a trailer on the Jersey shore, working as a grocery store stocker by day and performing in front of small wrestling crowds in armories and VFW halls all through the northeast on the weekends.

He still lives for the rush of the crowd and refuses to let go of the limelight that once showered him with fame and fortune. He finds solace in an aging yet still quite attractive stripper named Cassidy, played to perfection by Marisa Tomei. Their roles are eerily similar as performers who have gone on past their primes in industries built on youth and cosmetic beauty.

After a heart attack threatens to put Ram’s career in jeopardy he looks to reunite with his estranged daughter Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood), who is still quite bitter about her father not being there while she was growing up. The time away from each other has put a lot of strain on their relationship and trying to reconnect is a tougher task than The Ram’s in-ring matches.

Robinson ultimately decides to call it quits in the wrestling business and get on with a normal life, but when a customer at his deli counter recognizes him as the ‘80s icon “The Ram” he snaps and realizes the allure of the ring is too much stay away from, and goes back for one more match – the 20th anniversary rematch with his old rival The Ayatollah, a man who shared his fame and fortune in their heyday but successfully moved on his life.

It goes without saying that Mickey Rourke is absolutely amazing as the titular character. The parallels have been made over the past few months how Rourke’s rocky past and fall from grace is so eerily reminiscent of The Ram’s trials and tribulations. Nicolas Cage was originally in talks to play the lead role, but thankfully Rourke took over to give the film its much-needed gravitas. While I’m sure Cage would have done well in the role, I really don’t believe the film would have received the recognition it has had he been in it.

Director Darren Aronfsky’s filming style is dark and gritty and off-center, almost documentary style. The fact that there’s rarely a scene without Rourke present lends credibility to its documentary-style filming. It’s as if you are right there and really watching Randy the Ram live his life, no matter how much of a struggle it may be. The tracking shot of Randy walking through the back halls of his grocery store en route to emerging behind the deli counter is eerily reminiscent of his entrance before a packed wrestling crowd as The Ram and one of the most visually stunning shots in the entire movie.

As for the wrestling scenes themselves, which yours truly was quite interested in, they are shot and performed in impressive fashion. Rourke did much of his own wrestling and “stunts” so the camera was able to shoot tight and close, to give you the impression that you are right there in the ring with The Ram. The film also takes you behind the curtain of the wrestling business, as it shows The Ram interacting with his fellow wrestlers, laying out the specifics of his match, preparing the razor blade to cut himself with later on and of course seedy dealings with steroids and other drugs. To add to the authenticity of the film, the wrestling scenes were filmed at real wrestling events, using real wrestlers and real wrestling fans. As a hardcore fan myself it was fun to see legit wrestlers I am a fan of in the background.

All three principal actors -- Rourke, Tomei and Wood -- are outstanding in their respective roles. Early talk has already pegged Rourke and Tomei as potential Oscar nominees for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress respectively. Aronofsky should be on the short list for Best Director as well, and Bruce Springsteen already won a Golden Globe for his original song “The Wrestler,” written as a favor to his friend Rourke. In fact, Randy the Ram’s entrance theme music is old-school Guns ‘n’ Roses, which was lent to the film as a personal favor from Axl Rose.

Run out and see this film immediately. It’s not just a “wrestling” movie, it’s a movie about a man trying to find his way through life. It’s about a man trying to come to grips with his lost fame and make up for his past errors in life. It’s really a story about redemption.