BY EMIL TIEDEMANN
It looks as though Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler has become more of a comeback vehicle for its star Mickey Rourke, than anything else, and deservingly so, as the former "it guy" mounts one of the most refreshing revivals in recent years.Rourke, 52, is cast as Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a mullet-sporting professional wrestler who reached his peak back in the Eighties, though this film focuses on the man two decades after his glory days. This older Randy Robinson is battered and beaten, physically and emotionally, alone in a bitter shadow of himself. He still wrestles, but with fellow has-been's, at smaller venues, and for paycheques that has him moonlighting at a local deli and living in a run-down trailer just to make ends meet.
Robinson is victorious only when he steps into the ring, to partake in low-key, premeditated fighting matches, which results in a near-fatal heart attack. When Robinson is forced to retire from wrestling he temporarily--and half-heartedly--rekindles his relationship with his only daughter (played by Evan Rachel Wood), and finds solace in a kinship with a local stripper, played by Oscar-winning Marisa Tomei. Rourke and Tomei's characters are steadily similar, as lost souls and single parents who degrade themselves to entertain others, parading around onstage, near-naked, performing worn-out routines for what seems like spare change. That is why they always seem to come back to one another, when no one else gives a damn.
Robinson is victorious only when he steps into the ring, to partake in low-key, premeditated fighting matches, which results in a near-fatal heart attack. When Robinson is forced to retire from wrestling he temporarily--and half-heartedly--rekindles his relationship with his only daughter (played by Evan Rachel Wood), and finds solace in a kinship with a local stripper, played by Oscar-winning Marisa Tomei. Rourke and Tomei's characters are steadily similar, as lost souls and single parents who degrade themselves to entertain others, parading around onstage, near-naked, performing worn-out routines for what seems like spare change. That is why they always seem to come back to one another, when no one else gives a damn.
The movie culminates in a 20th anniversary rematch that a destitute Robinson can't turn down, despite the risk to his ailing heart. But before we find out whether "The Ram" triumphs over his opponent or succumbs to the one thing that truly makes him come alive, Aronofsky pulls the plug and the credits begin to roll, leaving us only to guess. Perhaps we're better off.
The role was made for Rourke to play, reminding us of his real-life struggles that had him almost obsolete amongst the Hollywood elite. Like Robinson, Rourke's heydays were in the Eighties, with memorable roles in hit movies like Diner (1982), Rumble Fish (1983), and Nine and a Half Weeks (1986). But filmmaking was put on the backburner when Rourke took up semi-pro boxing in the Nineties, using Guns 'N Roses' "Sweet Child O'Mine" as his entrance song, just as Robinson does in The Wrestler. In 2005 a delapitated Rourke returned to his prime with a lead role in the cult favourite Sin City, and then took center stage with last year's The Wrestler. Earlier this month Rourke's resurrection earned the aging actor a Golden Globe statuette for Best Actor, perhaps his most deserved honour since winning a Worst Actor Razzie Award for 1991's Wild Orchid.
Looking back at The Wrestler I couldn't help noticing its semi-autobiographical story, pulling Robinson and Rourke together so that ends could finally meet, by breaking away from the standard sports films to deliver its point. The only thing standing in the way of giving this movie a perfect rating was not knowing what happens with "The Ram" in the end, although this same reason is why I avoided giving it a '4-out-of-5' as well.
Sometimes its the not-knowing that leaves us content and settled, a feeling I left with when The Wrestler ended, with none other than Bruce Springsteen setting the tone with one of his melancholy rock ballads. Now lets just pray Rourke will build on this role, bending the bar with stories that comebacks are made of.
Sometimes its the not-knowing that leaves us content and settled, a feeling I left with when The Wrestler ended, with none other than Bruce Springsteen setting the tone with one of his melancholy rock ballads. Now lets just pray Rourke will build on this role, bending the bar with stories that comebacks are made of.
4.5/5 stars
3 comments:
He had a heart attack at the end. It faded to black just like it did earlier when he had the first one. We just don't know if he lives or dies from said heart attack.
That's just an assumption...you don't know for sure if that's what the screenwriter or director intended.
They used the exact same setup though and a fade to black. So yes it may be an assumption but it would be a failure by the director to show something one way and change it just for a "guess" ending. Like I said that still won't tell us if he lives or dies.
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