The Wrestler

The Wrestler is a simple story about a troubled man. Randy "The Ram" Robinson, which is a fantastic name in my view, is a washed up wrestler, who solely lives for the roar of the crowd. No matter what the venue, how small the high school gym, when he hears the crowd he will stop at nothing to entertain. The ring is his home. When it comes to underground wresting, stopping at nothing results in many extremes. Slicing open a forehead here, why not toss a staple gun in there. There are no limitations.

After an extreme match, Randy has a heart attack and is told he can't wrestle anymore. He tries to do everything in his power to get back into the ring, but his heart just won't let him. Out of pure boredom, he tries to reunite with his estranged daughter. This was the least favorite part of the movie for me because so much of their "family issues" are quite cliche and the topics covered have been done time and time again. But the acting is strong, so it doesn't lose too much steam.

Mickey Rourke carries the movie like no other actor can. He IS "The Ram." When you see an actor play such an engrossing character, it's hard to imagine anybody else besides him pulling it off. Now Mickey Rourke is an enigma, and is about as troubled as the character he plays. I heard Sean Penn was pretty amazing in Milk, which I have yet to see. But if Penn is as good as publicized I would have to give the nod to him for best actor and agree with the academy, considering it's not much of a stretch for Rourke to play a washed up celebrity. Regardless, the role fits him perfectly. He's aggressive, crude, limited in emotion, and all in all, just not that great of a guy. Marissa Tomei does a great job playing Randy's only "friend". She's a stripper who has feelings for Randy, but doesn't want to get involved for obvious reasons.

Like I said, the story is pretty straight forward. But it is totally worth watching, just to see Rourke light up the screen. The ending is extreme and terrifying and is fitting. The Ram goes out, tough as nails, living up to his legacy.