The Wrestler

Ive been a fan of the business for nearly 20 years, Ive seen both the boom periods of "Rock & Wrestling" and "The Attitude Era", Ive laughed, Ive cheered, Ive rolled my eyes, Ive gotten annoyed over the booking, but Ive never stopped watching.

Darren Aronofsky's 'The Wrestler' is the first movie ever to pay any respect to the men that work in the bizarre world of professional wrestling, a business that seems to consume the men that work in it and creates an emotional bond with it's fans like few other.

Mickey Rourke is Randy 'The Ram' Robinson, a famous wrestler of the 80's that now lives in a trailer when he can afford to, at other times he lives in his broken down van, he works at a Deli for a man that looks down on him but keeps his weekends free so he can still wrestle on cards at little independent shows, a far cry from his heyday but he still needs it in any form.

The opening credits are fantastic, a bunch of old wrestling magazines litter the screen with covers of the Ram in his prime, then it cuts to the locker room and the Ram sitting hunched over on a chair, his back to the camera, breathing hard, this image epitomizes Randy, it single handedly tells you who he is, once he steps back through the curtain he is alone and damaged goods.

The hook if you will is a rematch fight with his old 80's nemesis The Ayatollah 20 years on from their last classic bout, in reality The Ayatollah  is a guy named Bob who runs a used car lot now.

The way Aronofsky depicts the realities of the wrestling business will be a real eye opener for many, the locker room comradere, especially on the indie circuit is brought to the screen as we see the guys talk over their match plans and the respect the younger wrestlers have for Randy.

The first half hour sets up who Randy is, how he lives and what the business is he loves and lives for, and introduces the object of his affection Cassidy, a stripper he likes to go and see when he has some money.

The turning point is a brutal hardcore match he has with a wrestler fans of the CZW promotion will know as "Necro Butcher". The way Aronofsky shoots this is amazing, he actually starts at the end of the fight as both men, bloody and battered, return to the locker room, no tomato ketchup, no make up bruising, the real thing, it then cuts between the medic patching both men up and the spots in the match where these injuries take place, showing yes, the business is predetermined, but the pain is very often real. It is after this grueling match that Randy has a heart attack and is told he can never wrestle again, and he must cancel all the dates he has booked,

In this scene we see the doctor refer to him by his real name of Robin and he politely asks the doctor to call him Randy, this is a recurring theme that displays the idea that many wrestlers would rather be the guy they are when they step through the curtain than who they are in reality, and that for many of them, they have spent so long as their wrestling persona, they are now more that guy than themselves.

This is where the Ram starts to evaluate his life and the movie comes into it's own, his relationship with Cassidy becomes a focus as he tries to find something positive in his life, he also attempts to reconnect with his daughter with mixed results. The scenes Rourke shares with his two leading ladies are a mix of warm, funny and painful, his difficulty in communicating with them is evident, yet his likability means they give him a chance, although Cassidy is wary of getting too close, she has a son and dreams of getting out of being a stripper as the years are ticking for her as well, and at over 40 the tips are drying up, this is a little more difficult to buy as while Rourke looks every inch the "Broken down piece of meat", Tomei looks fantastic for her 44 years.

I could go through all the scenes I loved but I'd rather not rob those that haven't seen it of experiencing them for the first time. Rourke's magnificent performance as The Ram is as good as anyone has ever been in a leading role, he feels 100% authentic and the performance is as raw as any I have seen, it's not surprising that wrestlers have said he literally became "one of the boys".

The film is Rourke's no doubt but Darren Aronofsky deserves a lot of credit, he researched the business to make it as true to life as he could, his choice to shoot the moving scenes from a POV angle was a brilliant one, you feel as if you are in the Ram's shoes at points, but he never overplays that or any card in his execution, he gives the film a harsh but touching look, he pulls no punches but doesn't wallow in misery, he shows the other side of the business and the men that work in it, he shows the excitement, the respect and the humour, he also shows the gentle side of The Ram in many scenes, including a nice one where he plays an old Nintendo game with one of the kids from the trailer park.

Inevitably the happy ending is not on the cards, this is not Rocky, he doesn't win the day and walk off with the girl, his attempt to be a regular every day person is something he can't maintain, he can't be Robin he has to be Randy The Ram! and so he decides to take up the rematch with The Ayatollah despite being offered a last chance at redemption from Cassidy, as he says to her before he goes out to the ring "Out there is the only place I don't get hurt".

The final shot is beautiful and mixes both a sadness and joy, as Aronofsky frames a stunning shot of Randy, who is struggling with chest pains, standing on the top rope with the fans cheering in the background, he looks up at the balcony curtain where Cassidy was standing and she is gone, but the crowd cheer and Randy leaps off....

The Wrestler is a brilliantly made, well written and superbly acted drama that just happens to also be about professional wrestling, and is the best film of 2008 in my book.

10/10