Rama's Screen

If you’ve never seen Mickey Rourke’s movies in the past, then no worries, THE WRESTLER would be good enough because this is Rourke at his finest hour. There are some roles out there that… are destined to be played by certain actors only, this is one of them. I believe THE WRESTLER does for Rourke what the movie MONSTER did for Charlize Theron. Darren Aronofsky has crafted a gritty, emotional, heartfelt drama that makes the audience connect with and feel for the lead character like no other has done before.

Back in the late ’80s, Randy “The Ram” Robinson (Mickey Rourke) was a headlining professional wrestler. Now, twenty years later, he ekes out a living performing for handfuls of diehard wrestling fans in high school gyms and community centers around New Jersey.
Estranged from his daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) and unable to sustain any real relationships, Randy lives for the thrill of the show and the adoration of his fans. However, a heart attack forces him into retirement. As his sense of identity starts to slip away, he begins to evaluate the state of his life — trying to reconnect with his daughter, and strikes up a blossoming romance with an aging stripper (Marisa Tomei). Yet all this cannot compare to the allure of the ring and passion for his art, which threatens to pull Randy “The Ram” back into his world of wrestling.

This is simply one of the best independent movies of the year, and much applause to the performers including the wrestlers who show us that the job they do is no laughing matter, it may be fake, but it’s not like just anybody can do it. The beating they’re willing to take to put on a good show in the name of entertainment, is unbelievable.
It’s fascinating that no matter how brutal the scene may seem, you can’t keep your eyes off of it because of you’re amazed of what they’re willing to go through.
I like the cinematography, how the camera often follows Mickey Rourke from his backside wherever he goes, in a way, it goes along with the story of how wherever this man goes, his wrestling world is always with him, no matter how bad he tries to detach himself from that, in the end the camera is on his backside again.

What a great story, very rich, complicated, intriguing characters, I might add. To a certain extent, Mickey Rourke’s character, Randy and Marisa Tomei’s character Pam a.k.a Cassidy are no different, they’re both aging, in their gut they know that their prime time is behind them and yet they choose to not let go of the their old worlds because wrestling and stripping are all they ever know. Going outside those lines to them means to mess with the order of all things, it would turn out with them being F*-ups all over again.
Randy can’t seem to be able to get his act together to really re-connect with his daughter and gain her trust back,.. while Pam fears for the wellness of her son if she lets anybody new enter their lives.

Once again, I can’t tell you enough how extraordinary, powerful performance Mickey Rourke gives for this movie. Without sounding far-fetched I believe this role has put him among the list of great screen actors of all time. Oscar worthy is not even enough to describe how he much he understands the character to the point where it’s as if you’re actually watching an old wrestler who can’t seem to let go of the 80s and only feels at home when he’s inside the ring. His character can’t stand carrying the real name Robin, his alter ego Randy “The Ram” is the only one that gives him purpose, it’s his true identity. Both Marissa Tomei and Evan Rachel Woods also have done a fantastic job respectively.
If you want to watch a movie that deeply affects you right there in the heart, then go watch THE WRESTLER.

* Place the cursor on the image below to check my grade for this film