William ArnottA review of The Wrestler
January 9th 2009 06:54
Just seen The Wrestler. It stars Mickey Rourke and is directed by Darren Aronofsky, whose most well regarded film previously was Requiem For A Dream. This is Rourke's best role in some years and he is up for a Golden Globe for best actor in a drama. He should go on to be up for an Oscar now too I should think. His co-stars Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood are pretty good in this too.
The scenes of Rourke and his fellow wrestlers in the ring are brutal and skillfully handled. Rourke's character is named the Ram and he was once a champion wrestler in the eighties when the sport was at a peak. But the Ram is getting on and a heart attack gets him to face the reality of not being a champion any more. Tomei is a stripper and and his friend, while Wood plays his estranged daughter who he's let down.
Aronofsky has shot this film and told this story in a gritty and warts-and-all way, but is wonderfully done, serving the material and the performers beautifully. This is already a contender for my top 12 of the year!
The scenes of Rourke and his fellow wrestlers in the ring are brutal and skillfully handled. Rourke's character is named the Ram and he was once a champion wrestler in the eighties when the sport was at a peak. But the Ram is getting on and a heart attack gets him to face the reality of not being a champion any more. Tomei is a stripper and and his friend, while Wood plays his estranged daughter who he's let down.
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