Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, and
Evan Rachel Wood
Randy
“The Ram” Robinson is an aging professional wrestler. Once a celebrity who rose to fame in the
1980s, Randy now wrestles for the independent circuit in New Jersey. Randy falls for an aging stripper named
Cassidy (Marisa Tomei). Like her, he’s
gotten too old to do his job. In fact,
he has a heart attack after a hardcore match one weekend. According to his doctor, his heart can no
longer take the toll of wrestling, so Randy leaves his career behind and tries
to start over working at a grocery store.
Meanwhile, he tries to repair a damaged relationship with his estranged
daughter Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood).
Finding no love from Cassidy, his daughter, or the outside world
altogether, Randy decides to get back in the squared circle and compete again
in the 20th anniversary rematch of his classic battle against the
Ayatollah (Ernest Miller) despite recommendations against this from his doctor.
Darren
Aronofsky’s The Wrestler is a
powerful sports film that resuscitated the career of Mickey Rourke. As Randy “The Ram” Robinson, Rourke gives a
gripping, mesmerizing performance. With
Rourke’s powerful acting and some great filmmaking, Aronofsky shows just how
vicious and brutal the squared circle can really be.
