Wow. So I guess it’s been awhile. And by awhile, I mean two months or so. Heh. Well, I do have kind of a good excuse. My laptop’s been broken for awhile, so I actually had to go out and buy a new one. Anyway, I guess I’m more or less back for now. So in case you actually happen to see this, I’ll just say that I plan on jumping right into things. I have a couple ideas for reviews and blog entries for the future, so hopefully I won’t be too lazy, and I’ll actually get around to doing it.

Now that we have got that out of the way, let us move on with the business at hand. Perhaps you have noticed the title to this entry, and you’re thinking to yourself, “Hey, that seems pretty arrogant”, so let me just say that the title has nothing to do with me. The title really applies to that of Mickey Rourke, and his role in “The Wrestler”, the movie that I plan on reviewing. So if you’re interested, sit back, relax, and read on my faithful readers.

So their you have it. Mickey Rourke makes his comeback with what happens to be (in my humble opinion), one of the best movies in recent years. With that aside, let’s get into the nitty gritty shall we. The movie is directed by the young albeit veteran director, Darren Aronofsky. Aronofsky is certainly known for his work in Pi, and Requiem for a Dream, although he has certainly out done himself with The Wrestler. Working along side Aronofsky and Rourke, are Marisa Tomei, playing Rourke’s love interest, as well as Evan Rachel Wood who plays the part of Rourke’s daughter.

The movie is reminiscent in a lot of ways of a modern day Rocky. Rourke plays a has been wrestler named Randy “The Ram” Robinson, who is simply just trying to make end’s meet by preforming at local sports centers, signing autographs, and working part time at a local super market. Eventually, Randy is offered a chance to headline a rather large wrestling event, to which he agrees upon. However, beforehand Randy suffers a heart attack and is told that if he ever wrestles again he may die. For spoiler reasons, this is about as far as I will go for explaining the plot.

As far as the finer aspects of the film are concerned,  Aronofsky is at the top of his game here. I won’t go as far to say that the visual work is better than that of Requiem for a Dream, but I will say that he does get some very nice shots, specifically the end scene (for those of you that have seen it). Along with this, Aronofsky does a very nice job of establishing atmosphere for the viewer early on in the film. Everything from the run down centers that the Ram wrestles in, to the dirty trailer park he lives in, all of it really gives you sense of pity for Rourke’s character, which is exactly what Aronofsky is wanting.

Another thing I personally liked about Aronofsky’s direction, is the use of a handcam to film almost all of the moving shots. For a good part of the movie, the camera is focused squarely on Ram’s back when he moving from place to place. This not only gives a more personal feeling for the audience toward the movie’s protagonist, but it also draws the viewer in and really makes them feel like they are a part of the movie.

So, in short, I’m sure all of you can see why I think so I highly of this movie. I give it a… wait, what? What was that you said? Oh, of course! How could I have forgotten? I still haven’t discussed the most major part of the film. THE ACTING. In case you haven’t heard, Rourke’s acting has been praised up and down by nearly ever critic that exists, but let me tell you why that is so.

Good acting is often judged on the believability of a character. Great acting can be defined by the level of depth that an actor gives to that specific character. And d**n near perfect acting can be defined by the said actor actually BECOMING that character. Let me tell you right now: Mickey Rourke didn’t play or act the part of Randy “The Ram”, he literally WAS Randy “The Ram”. Never before in a movie have I truly seen total immersion of an actor and a character, that is until I watched Rourke in “The Wrestler”. Everything he does and says really seem to embody the persona of “The Ram” character.

And if that weren’t enough, Rourke’s entire performance is noteworthy (at least in my book), for being one of the only characters in a movie that I truly had compassion on. I can say that I honestly felt bad for him at times. As things got progressively worse in the movie, I couldn’t help but feel depressed myself. The Ram is clearly a character with flaws, and the viewers are entirely aware of them, yet we still want to see him succeed, even if we know from the beginning that most likely things will not end good. The Ram is so human at times, that it is almost frightening. Rourke balances the line between being humorous at times, while simultaneously not breaking character, nor killing the mood of the film.  All of this is a sign of a great performance. It is of little surprise to me that he got nominated for an Academy Award, and if he doesn’t win then I will say it now: The Academy is full of fools.

The great acting does not stop their however, Maris Tomei is also very riveting in her performance. She plays her part very convincingly, and the chemistry between her and Rourke is nothing short than excellent. The two seem to work flawlessly together. Once again, I’m glad she got nominated. She deserved it.

I know their has been some debate over the ending of the movie, and all I can really say is that it’s fitting. Aronofsky obviously had a chance to give it a “Hollywood” ending in which everyone lives happily ever after. Or he also could have played off our feelings, and given it a real “tragic” ending. But Aronofsky doesn’t do either of things. **slight spoilers ahead** Ending the movie ambiguously as he does, shows a clear conscious decision on the director’s part, and it is in fact exactly what the movie needed. **End Spoilers**

In closing, if you haven’t guessed by now, it should be pretty obvious that I have a thing for this movie. Everything from the direction, to the fantastic acting, to the utter realism of the film, to the way it pulls you in, all of it is just simply top notch. It’s film at its best. If you haven’t seen this yet, and you at the very least have a small appreciation for good movies, go see this immediately. I imagine that if Rourke wins Best Actor this movie will get a pretty big increase in publicity, which possibly means more showings in different theaters. Then again, if he doesn’t, I make an oath right now to never watch the Academy Awards ever again.

9.1/10 (seriously, it’s THAT good)

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