Robin PottratzRourke's performance makes gritty "Wrestler" extraordinary *** 1/2 stars out of 4
January 12th 2009 03:33
Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler
During my nearly 23 years on this planet, I have seen a lot of great film performances. What constitutes a great film performance usually has to do with a number of factors. An immensely talented actor or actress helps. An obvious connection with the character that they are playing is also important. With a little luck and a lot of skill...everything comes together and emotions and feeling can be set free and something unforgettable can result.
In all my years of watching film...I have rarely seen a convergence of actor and part that went together so perfectly and flawlessly as Mickey Rourke's performance as Randy "The Ram" Robinson in Darren Aronofsky's hard hitting and compelling new drama The Wrestler, that tells the story of a washed up 80's wrestling icon who is reduced to performing in bingo halls and armories, while he hopes that a second chance back on top will come his way.
Aronofsky has successfully translated the hard-edged world of professional wrestling to the big screen in a way that lets the audience feel every cut, crash, and broken bone that the theatrical presentation of pro wrestling tries desperately to both celebrate and hide. The pain inside the squared circle is real and Aronofsky wants us to squirm in our seats and feel and understand the blood, sweat, and tears that goes into the art of pro wrestling...Mission Accomplished.
So, what would make an audience care enough to see a movie about a washed up wrestler heading down his own self-deluded road to nowhere? Two Words: Mickey Rourke. The parallel between Rourke and Randy "The Ram" Robinson is the main reason why Aronofsky wanted to cast Rourke in the part and that the film soars to the levels that it does. 25 Years ago, Rourke was one of the hottest young actors in Hollywood after riveting audiences with his work in such films as Body Heat, Rumble Fish, and Diner. Then, after a series of bad films, alienating behavior, and paycheck whoring...Rourke seemed to be an afterthought. No studio would take a chance on him and Rourke decided to pursue a career in boxing instead.
He worked here and there and seemed to make a minor comeback in 2005 with his performance as the urban gladiator Marv in Robert Rodriguez' Sin City, but it is The Wrestler that has reminded us of why we loved to see this actor on screen in the first place. When we meet Randy "The Ram" he is sitting alone in what appears to be an elementary classroom, coughing and trying to put himself back together after a night of intense battle and glory in the squared circle...he is then brought back down to earth when his pay for the evening is lower than anticipated with the only excuse given being that "I thought the gate would be bigger." We don't see Rourke's face right away, but the disappointment can be read all over his bruised and battered body.
We are told that "The Ram" resides in a trailer park, frequents a strip club where he has a crush on a dancer (Marisa Tomei) and works at a grocery store, only truly living for the moment that he can step out from behind the curtain and enter the ring, where for 10 minutes he is a god again. Randy's faith is renewed when a promoter presents the idea of a rematch between "The Ram" and his 80's rival "The Ayatollah" (Ernest Miller)...Randy believes that this rematch could be his ticket back to the top, even though it is being treated as little more than a novelty match, which is only being presented for nostalgia sake.
After one particularly brutal match which will make you squirm in both its duration and aftermath, Randy has a heart attack and is told that he can never wrestle again. After coming down from having his life taken from him, he decides to pursue the other things he has in his life...most notably the stripper and the daughter he barely knows (Evan Rachel Wood).
All of the actors are top notch. Marisa Tomei is heartbreaking as Randy's love interest who hides her emotional bruises and embarrassments as a stripper who's age is catching up with her in the industry of sex. She feels a connection with "The Ram" because she is merely branded as a stripper as he is merely branded as a wrestler. Tomei shows us that her Oscar was no fluke as she delivers a truly heartfelt performance.
Evan Rachel Wood delivers another solid performance in her young career as Randy's disconnected daughter who is afraid to let her begging father back into her life, only to be betrayed when she finally relents and attempts forgiveness.
Nothing can prepare you for Rourke's tour de force. It has been written that Rourke truly felt the pain of Randy "The Ram" Robinson and that is indisputable in this truly devastating performance. Rourke captures Randy's desire for in-ring glory and infectious spirit that fills every frame of The Wrestler. When Randy loses everything in his life, Rourke makes us feel his pain and hopelessness in ways that are rarely seen in film and when we see Randy on the top rope to deliver his finishing maneuver the "Ram Jam," one last time, we are treated to seeing a king on his thrown for one final address. It is truly a monumental performance and one that you will never forget...academy take note.
Rourke has my vote for a Best Actor Oscar because he elevates an already solid film about a rough and dirty subject into something that none of us could truly expect...something absolutely beautiful and shockingly joyous.
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