Director Darren Aronofsky brings pro wrestling to life in 'The Wrestler' and in the process creates one of the best films in recent memory. The pro wrestling backdrop makes his virtuosity even more amazing.
Pro wrestling has been a popular part of American entertainment culture for nearly a century, but until now has been depicted very poorly in the movies. 1962' 'Requiem for a Heavyweight' may be the best wrestling movie ever made until now almost by default. Requiem starred Anthony Quinn as an aging boxer who is at the end of his career and running out of options. After a final knockout he turns to the pro wrestling out of necessity. The unique moral ambiguity of pro wrestling is completely foreign to Quinn's character (I fought 111 fights and never took a dive") and is at the crux of the films dramatic tension.
While Requiem is certainly a great film with some excellent performances by Quinn and Jackie Gleason it is at its core a boxing film. Pro wrestling is portrayed as the nadir of an over the hill pugilists decline, which has historical precedent (Joe Louis most notably) but does nothing to explain the phenomenon itself. Pro wrestling has endured as a popular attraction for over a century, and until now no one has bothered to do the work in order to get this right.
Pro wrestling has been featured in a lot of other movies"though never well. There have been a few documentaries of merit (Beyond the Mat), some low budget films more interesting for their classic footage than anything else (I Like To Hurt People) and a ton of bad movies of varying degrees of unwatchability. Ill admit to having a soft spot for All the Marbles due to Peter Falk and its portrayal of a bizarro-world sports universe where womens pro wrestling is a big deal, but thats the only other wrestling film worthy of specific mention.
In the starring role of Randy The Ram Robinson, Rourke turns in the performance of a lifetime. Some of the comparisons that critics made--Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront, Paul Newman in The Hustler, and Robert DeNiro in Raging Bull. The need for analogy is due to the fact that Rourke's performance leaves the viewer at a loss for superlatives. Most impressive is the accuracy and detail that both director and actor devote to correctly portraying the pro wrestling milieu.
Aronofsky had a high degree of difficulty in creating an honest portrayal of professional wrestling. On one hand, he had to illustrate the raw and gritty reality of life at the lower levels of the profession. On the other hand, he had to convey to the audience the appeal of pro wrestling"why men like The Ram put themselves through hell to stay involved and why hardcore fans care so much. Miss the balance in one direction and the result is a film that misses the ability of pro wrestling to touch magic in its own way that keeps wrestlers in the ring and fans watching them. Err in the other direction and youve got a film that overly romanticizes a business that is at best tough and unforgiving and at worst barbaric and dehumanizing. Perhaps the most amazing thing about The Wrestler is how well it succeeds on both levels, which likely accounts for the effusive praise it has garnered from film geeks who wouldnt know a headlock from a padlock as well as pro wrestling enthusiasts.
Thats what makes Rourkes performance so amazing and The Wrestler such a great film"it simultaneously depicts pro wrestling at its best and worst and gets them both right. We understand how the business can chew people up and spit them out, but also its appeal and why Rourkes character keeps getting back in the ring despite all of the risks and challenges it has created in his life. Aronofsky and Rourke manage to convey the lure and revulsion that is unique to pro wrestling and simultaneously extrapolate them to much larger truths about human existence.
Author Resource:-
Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and highly respected authority on NFL football betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.
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