THE WRESTLER

MPAA Rating: R for violence, sexuality/nudity, language and some drug use.
Run time: 115 min

I felt chill down my spine watching Mickey Rourke re-invented by Darren Aronofsky in this brutally honest film. As a pro-wrestler, Ram (Mickey Rourke) is past his prime, he is physically deteriorated, his fame has dimmed, his brain is still in his famous 80s wrestling match, his souls is tortured and he cannot even pay his own rent so he has to work on weekends in a supermarket.

Outside the ring he is a lonely man, his daughter Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood) doesn't want to know him at all, and the only person he can relate to is the aging stripper named Pam (Marisa Tomei).

For those who think that pro wrestling is just some fake show, they will be shocked to know that eventhough it is fake, the injuries are real. You cannot stop to cringe as medic pull staples over Ram's body or how Ram deliberately slit his own forehead for a realistic effect. With all the punches he deliver (literally and figuratively), you will sympathize with this man who would do anything to redeem his mistakes and back on the ring, despite his previous heart attack and a promise to retire, because inside the ropes is the only place he cannot get hurt and unconditionally loved by his fans.

This is not a physical wrestling but a psychological one and Aronofsky manage to wow the audience with flawless directing, see the scene as Ram walks from supermarket garage to the deli, uncut with a tracking shot, accompanied by the sound of loud cheer of wrestling fans or the scene as he sit giving signatures to fans and see other wrestler are limped, bored and unhappy. You can sense loneliness there. This film isn't cheesy or over melancholic, it is frank, heart-warming and heart-wrenching at the same time and as the credits rolled, will left you speechless.
I cannot imagine someone else playing Ram beside Rourke, he own every second of this film and definitely do to wrestling what Robert DeNiro do to boxing. Without a doubt, this is one of the year's best film, even better than the over hyped Slumdog Millionaire.