The Wrestler
'Stunning', 'exemplary', and 'raw effort' are just some of the words you will hear to describe Aronofsky’s The Wrestler. In particular, it's Rourke's performance that transcends the meaning of acting into living.
Randy ‘The Ram’ Robinson, a professional wrestler 20 years on from his hey day, is now just playing a bit part wrester on the amateur circuit. You join him as he returns from the makeshift WrestleMania stadium (local primary school) to his trailer park home, which he is locked out of by the trailer park owner. You see a giant of a man, built, beaten, weathered, and hitting a bottom in life. During the next hour and half you join his tribulations through this dark period of his life, as his career ends and he attempts to connect with his daughter from a life he can hardly remember.
As a story, it's fair play as indie films go, but the real power of this film is Micky Rourke's performance. Much has been made of this and rightly so. So much of the film mirrors Rourke’s own life, which makes this film almost like a documentary. For the younger reader, Rourke was a professional boxer in the '80s with a relatively good fight record, and got into acting. He overindulged in Hollywood, sank into drug abuse, and pissed off every valuable contact in Hollywood. Aronofsky had originally budgeted the making of this film at $45m, which was acceptable to the studios, but when the first and second choices dropped out (Nicolas Cage and Sylvester Stallone, respectively), Rourke was named as the new lead, and all money was pulled. In the end, Rourke gave up any salary, Aronofsky partially funded it himself, Bruce Springsteen and Axl Rose donated songs for free, and the film was made for a meagre $4m.
From the word go you feel like you know this wrestler. In reality, he could have been any one of the wresters we all saw in the '80s and '90s during the WWF's hey day (when it was good). What his character goes through you can relate to. Micky Rourke’s performance is that of a man in the real world who has hit rock bottom and was given one last shot. As an actor he had to give this performance his all to get any respect. He pushed, he bled, he fought, and he cried for one last go at the game, and that’s what you see in the Wrestler.
When did you last see anyone else do that?
As a story, it's fair play as indie films go, but the real power of this film is Micky Rourke's performance. Much has been made of this and rightly so. So much of the film mirrors Rourke’s own life, which makes this film almost like a documentary. For the younger reader, Rourke was a professional boxer in the '80s with a relatively good fight record, and got into acting. He overindulged in Hollywood, sank into drug abuse, and pissed off every valuable contact in Hollywood. Aronofsky had originally budgeted the making of this film at $45m, which was acceptable to the studios, but when the first and second choices dropped out (Nicolas Cage and Sylvester Stallone, respectively), Rourke was named as the new lead, and all money was pulled. In the end, Rourke gave up any salary, Aronofsky partially funded it himself, Bruce Springsteen and Axl Rose donated songs for free, and the film was made for a meagre $4m.
From the word go you feel like you know this wrestler. In reality, he could have been any one of the wresters we all saw in the '80s and '90s during the WWF's hey day (when it was good). What his character goes through you can relate to. Micky Rourke’s performance is that of a man in the real world who has hit rock bottom and was given one last shot. As an actor he had to give this performance his all to get any respect. He pushed, he bled, he fought, and he cried for one last go at the game, and that’s what you see in the Wrestler.
When did you last see anyone else do that?
Here Is The Writer : Omer Bhatti
Omer Bhatti, Head Sales Trader of WorldSpreads and markets commentator during the week, is always happy to go to a cushy cinema and devour films on the weekend. No film is ruled out, be it French film noir, Hollywood CGI action, or Japanese Manga. Look to Omer for input on where to go and what to see, whether it’s for a first date, family outing, Sunday recovery session, or guy's - or girl's - night out. (Just don't make him watch Sex & the City again.)
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