Title: The Wrestler

Directed by: Darren Aronofsky (RoboCop, The Fighter)

Starring: Mickey Rourke (Sin City 2, The Informers), Marisa Tomei (Marisa Tomei, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead) and Evan Rachel Wood.

Scores: Technical: 90, Story: 95, Acting: 100, Overall: 98

The Wrestler was a movie I had heard a lot about but, I didn’t think I would ever really watch it. Sometimes the hype you hear about a movie, ruins it for you. The Dark Knight was like that. I had to watch it again to really understand the attraction to The Joker. I thought Heath Ledger was amazing and the movie as a whole was fascinating. But my expectations were so high, it couldn’t match up. That is exactly what I thought was going to happen with The Wrestler. I had heard so much about Mickey Rourke, I didn’t want to be disappointed, and I most definitely was not.

The Wrestler tells a story about a past his prime pro wrestler Randy “The Ram” Robinson, who begins to realize his life is fading away. He attempts to reconcile with his estranged daughter (Evan Rachel Wood), has fallen for an exotic dancer (Marisa Tomei), and has had a heart attack. But, all things considered, life could be worse. As he starts trying to realign his path, you start to see the softer side and really start to feel for “The Ram”. Then begins the part of the movie that won Mr. Rourke his Golden Globe and countless other awards that he was nominated for. It is a very rare occasion that you see the pain in an actor’s real life come through the screen and smacks you in the face.

I found very little wrong with this movie. The story was very well written, the acting was great on all sides, and the cinematography was excellent. My only problem was the ending. I wanted to know more. Now I am not going to give anything away, by saying the ending could have showed what happened. Sometimes a movie can get away with leaving it up to you to decide. This one will have me thinking for way too long about the ending. I know, its selfish but ,I want to know. Trust me, if you have not seen The Wrestler, go rent it. This movie is absolutely worth it.

Don’t make me come over to your house and body slam you on to your kitchen table.

By Dave Minyard