Wrestling has always made me feeling slightly cold. Is it a sport? Is it a show? Is it both? Darren Aronofsky's film, his most accessible, goes one step closer to explaining the phenomenon, but at the same time has brought back to the screen an actor who has been away far too long, and he is the reason this film works so well.
Mickey Rourke plays a fading, aging star of the 80s who is hanging on past dreams and triumphs, but when he is struck down with a heart attack, he has to re-evaluate his life and he has to redeem himself, particularly to his daughter who hates him, while at the same time wanting more than just a lap dance from stripper Marisa Tomei.
Rourke is a towering presence in this film, having to deal with the emotions of a man who cannot find a way out of his failing life. What makes him so believable is the quietness. he never goes into shouting and screaming, like most wrestlers would, he underplays every scene and that makes it even more heartbreaking. Marisa Tomei has, in my mind, been wasted in small cameos but here she is allowed to shine once more and is perfectly suited opposite Rourke.
Aronofsky handles the material in a documentary style, and this works well, and including some quite surprisingly funny moments. While there isn't the beauty of The Fountain, he manages to convey the downbeat mood well, but leaves most of the work to Rourke.
If you want to see acting at its finest, then this is for you.
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