The Wrestler

Directed by Darren Aronofsky

in theatres

*****

Mickey Rourke was once touted as being the next Brando, at the very least the heir apparent to De Niro and Pacino, a brilliant method actor with the innate ability to draw the audience into the film and stay close and interested to his character.

His small role in Body Heat (1981) was when I first became aware of Rourke; his gentle voice quietly discussing with his lawyer, William Hurt, as to how to build a bomb. He stole the film. In the years that followed he gave a string of impressive performances before his life and career veered dangerously off the tracks. He became less impressed with the film business, his behaviour became erratic and finally left movies to launch a boxing career. His once beautiful face was ruined in the ring. But a few years ago, Francis Ford Coppola cast him as a shady lawyer in The Rain Maker (1996) which began the slow re-birth of Rourke.

Director Darren Aronofsky had the courage to say no to Nicolas Cage, no to a big budget and went off and made The Wrestler on the cheap which allowed him to cast Rourke in the lead role.

Is it an understatement to say this is the role of a lifetime? Am I overdoing it when I say Rourke gives a career-defining performance not to mention one of the great film performances ever given? Nope, I don't think so because he and the film are really that good.

Aronofsky makes the wise move of opening the film with a series of photos and images of Rourke when he was young and good looking, holding off showing him today for as long as he can. We see him from behind, this muscled wrestler with long blonde Hulk Hogan hair. Randy "The Ram" Robinson was once a powerful wrestler who could draw audiences with his antics in the ring. Now he is over the hill, climbing into the ring to fight for money when he should have retired a long time ago. When a heart attack ends his fighting career, his life is forever altered. His relationship with a pretty young stripper, Cassidy (Marisa Tomei), is something he would like to take to the next level despite her maintaining the fact they are just good friends. He makes the decision to re-connect with his teenaged daughter Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood) who is at first angry and indifferent. Slowly we see this giant of a man put his life back together, piece by piece, and one cannot help wonder if Rourke understood how life-defining this role would be. While his character was trying hard to put his ruined life back on track, so was this once-great actor attempting to do the same.,

Rourke is nothing short of a miracle as Ram, brilliant, heartbreaking and devastating in this raw and angry performance, in many ways a howl at the Gods for what his life has become. Maybe he can crawl back to some respect with this work. Yes he looks different but under the scars and muscle is gentle-voiced Rourke.

Tomei at 43 is still among the most fearless actresses working in modern film. She is brilliant, again defying those who wrote her off so long ago after she won an Oscar for supporting actress for My Cousin Vinny (1992). As Stephanie, the alienated daughter, Evan Rachel Wood gives the same performance she has given in other films, but it works, so how can I complain about her? Her scenes with Rourke are permeated with a deep sadness, a sense of melancholy borne of sadness for what once was. Together, they quietly break your heart.

Rourke is Oscar bound, the only thing holding him back from winning that golden man are the many, many bridges he burned in previous years. It will be interesting to see if the Academy chooses to smile on him; no question he and Tomei are deserving.

One of the year's best films.

John Foote, director of the Toronto Film School, is a nationally known film historian/critic and a Port Perry resident. Get more reviews at www.footeonfilm.com. Contact him at jfoote@IAOD.com.