DVD Review: Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler
Golden Globe Performance Makes Aronofsky Film a High-Flying Triumph
May 6, 2009
The story centers on Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a 1980s wrestling sensation, who burned out quickly in the nineties, and now finds himself in the last stages of his career. The Ram plays small wrestling circuits to even smaller gymnasium crowds with a crew of up-and-coming talents that revere him as legend.
Unfortunately, the rest of the world sees him in a different light.
Mickey Rourke is The Ram
The condescending manager at the grocery store where The Ram works to make ends meet likes to heap ridicule upon him. With comments like "Is that when you sit on men's faces", he demonstrates and dramatizes the utter lack of respect anyone outside the world of wrestling has for its mythic qualities in simulating the struggle between heroics and villainy (or as one wrestler phrases it "faces" and "heels").
The Ram is fine with his life as long as he can still have his weekends for local events. Meanwhile, he flirts with an aging stripper (a solid turn from Marisa Tomei), and gives encouragement to all the young talent he works with, the only ones who still see in him the superstar that once sold out the Garden against rival wrestler The Ayatollah (surprising chops here from real-life wrestler Ernest "The Cat" Miller).
The Ram is heading for a rematch of historic proportions, at least to wrestling fans, at a 20th anniversary show - until he has a heart attack and nearly dies. This leads The Ram on a painful journey to reconnect with his daughter and perhaps find a life outside of the only one he's ever known. But as the film's moving Springsteen anthem moans, "If you've ever seen a one-trick pony, then you've seen me," and it's not long before The Ram realizes his place is in the ring, no matter what.
The Wrestler is Darren Aronofsky's Finest Film to Date
An unlikely Aronofsky film, The Wrestler is still the director's finest work. How the Academy could slight performances such as the ones given by Rourke and Tomei is puzzling. But while Aronofsky isn't quite ready for Oscar gold, he does appear to be coming into his own as a master craftsmen. His use of the abrupt transition combines with an effective "shaky-cam" style to create a foreboding and empathetic feel for the main characters.
But worry not, haters of the "shaky-cam"...it's more of a slight stagger, not the Parkinson's-fueled abomination you saw from J.J. Abrams' Cloverfield. You'll be able to tell what's going on at all times. It truly is nuanced cinematography.
Special Features
The 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation on the standard DVD is at times both drab and colorful. Regardless, it's always a crisp presentation with solid 5.1 sound to boot, though dialog levels could have been a little stronger in volume. The 1-disc also features a behind-the-scenes documentary and the Bruce Springsteen music video.
To read more on the cast and crew of The Wrestler, visit IMDB.
To purchase the film, check it out at DVD Empire.
 |
