The Wrestler [DVD]

THE PEOPLE'S HEROThe Wrestler (2008)Mickey Rourke? Who's that? Within five minutes of watching The Wrestler you are no longer looking at Mickey Rourke. He is Randy "The Ram Robinson.Spellbinding, mesmerizing, captivating, awesome. All these half corny words are ground out for a performance like this but what it really is, is beautiful. Rourke has always had presence and he showed he still has it during his comeback as Marv in Sin City. As Randy the Ram however it is something else.I'm going to be bold and say not since Viggo Mortensen became Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings Triology, not since Robert De Niro became Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull, and recently as Meryl Streep became Maggie Thatcher in The Iron Lady. This is where Rourke's performance stands, in the beyond great category (yes there are more but I am trying to be concise).Randy the Ram is a past his prime wrestler, forced to do local gigs with minimal crowds. His boss (Todd Barry) belittles him for spraying himself with fake tan and rubbing his lycra clad body against other men on weekends. He fruitlessly pursues a single mother, Cassidy (Marisa Tomei) who works as a stripper where he drinks every night. It seems like his life is down and out but Randy opens up just a little for Cassidey to persuade him to reconnect with his estranged daughter (Evan Rachel Wood).It's through this almost reluctant attempt and reconnection that we see the real Randy. The man that put aside everything to become a wrestler because he felt that was the only place he was ever loved.The supporting cast is brilliant. Marisa Tomi (Before the Devil Knows you're Dead, Anger Management) graces us with a sublime performance and easily the best of her career.Director Darren Aronofsky's (Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain and recently Black Swan) direction is subtly brutal. He tiptoes around Randy's personal life as if we were on his shoulder and not supposed to be there. Yet it does not feel invasive despite the film's strong realism.Randy does only ever have one place he loves. The same place he is worshiped. The ring. Everything else he does seems to go wrong, and some of the mistakes he makes we can see him as he's making them. The film is deeply tragic in that sense. But we root for Randy, and we side with him taking hold of the `me against the world' mentality. At least I did.What's fascinating is the world of wrestling and Rourke, aged 56 at the time of filming, is in phenomenal shape. He did a lot of the of the stunts and both of his trainers Jon Trosky and Tom Farra have parts in the film. All of the locker room scenes were improvised and this genuineness is great. The film takes us through the whole aspect of being a wrestler. The fake tanning, the shaving of body hair, the hair dye and the steroids and weight room. Like it or hate it you can still respect these guys as showmen and professional athletes and stuntmen.A lot of professionals praised the film. Vince McMahon called it "deeply touching". Bret "The Hitman" Hart, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Mick Foley all came out in praise for the film.This film is a real film. There are no special effects, there are no gun battles or car chases, there are no cheeky blonde girls in bikini's (yes there is a strip club but it's not glamorous). There is just the camera, great locations, great directing, great script and beautiful acting.

If ever a part in a movie has been written with Mickey Rourke in mind, it has to be this one, the story of a man who had it all and then threw it all away, and every attempt to get it back just seems to make things worse. If that's not Mickey Rourke, I don't know what is. Rourke plays Randy "the Ram" Robinson, a former super-star of wrestling (he even had his own action figure), who has found himself down on his luck, estranged from his daughter, and barely getting by appearing in extremely violent showcase bouts for his die hard fans in school gymnasiums and exhibition centres, which barely make him enough money to survive on. Randy is alone, his body breaking down from years of abuse through wrestling, painkillers and prescription drugs, living a somewhat miserable existence in his trailer park home. His one ray of hope is his budding relationship with Cassidy (a great supporting role from Marisa Tomei), a stripper at a local bar who Randy regularly visits, and whilst he has a thing for her, it is obvious from the outset that she also sees him as more than just another customer. When Randy suffers a heart attack after a particularly vicious match, it serves as his wake up call, and he attempts to get his life back on track, even attempting to rebuild the burnt bridges with his estranged daughter Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood). However, even though it may prove fatal, the pull of the ring is to strong for Randy. In spite of how it may appear, this is not a tale of redemption, this is simply the tale of one man doing the only thing he knows how to do, and damn the consequences, rather like the One Trick Pony that Springsteen sings about in the films closing credits. Randy has messed up his life, and in spite of his best intentions, he simply cannot set things right. As Randy, Rourke gives what must rate as a career best performance as the broken down man who's every regret and mistake is etched on his face and his larger than life physique. That Rourke makes us feel for this man is a testament to his brilliantly convincing and totally authentic performance (when he wrestles, he really wrestles). Ably supported by Evan Rachel Wood as the daughter who hates her father for putting his career first, and see's his current situation as just punishment for his past misdeeds, the true supporting plaudits must go to Marisa Tomei as Cassidy. Her story sort of mirrors Randy's, as she is getting older and is not who the customers pick most of the time, but it is the only thing she knows how to do, so she sticks at it. The tentative relationship between her and Randy is given extra resonance through revelations later in the film, and is both touching and heartbreaking at the same time. Directed by Darren Aronofsky (who previously gave us the likes of Pi, Requiem for a Dream and the Fountain) and written by Robert Siegel, who deserves every plaudit going for turning in such a brilliant script, this is without a doubt Rourke's movie, turning in a career resurrecting tour de force of a performance.

Capolavoro di darren aronosky che mette in scena un Michelino più in forma che mai,ottima regia, fotografia film consigliatissimo!!!!

Gran película para todo el mundo pero sobretodo para los que disfrutaron de pequeños de Hulk Hogan y compañía. Se muestra la cruda realidad que hay detrás de la lucha libre y que nadie te cuenta.

el producto fue tal como fue descrito, excelente vendedor y gran producto, buena pelicula, llego en tiempos que se dijo llegaria...

Ayant vu par hasard ce film à la télé en VO sous-titrée, j'ai eu envie de le voir en VF pour profiter au mieux des images sans avoir à me concentrer sur les sous-titres ; je n'ai pas été déçu, le film est remarquable et Mickey Rourke tout démoli interprète en finesse le personnage du catcheur à bout de souffle.Cependant, pour mieux apprécier le film, il est nécessaire de voir le "Tour de table" dans les Bonus : des catcheurs professionnels américains parlent du film et de leur vie ; du coup, on a une vision claire du catch, surtout quand l'un des catcheurs, en réponse à une question du genre "Faites-vous semblant ?", répond que chaque soir il se prend une vraie raclée qui fait mal : le catch démystifié.En conclusion, un film excellent, mais qui nécessite de regarder le bonus pour vraiment l'apprécier.

Die Suche nach der großen Karriere beschäftigt viele Menschen. Doch bei nur wenigen Berufsgruppen kann sie so trickreich und hinterhätig sein wie bei Sportlern (ich bin mal so frei und bezeichne Wrestler als Sportler, wobei ich den Berufsstand auf keinenfall kleiner machen will als er ist.) In der einen Sekunde ist man ein gefeierter Star und Kinder hängen sich Poster von einem an ihre Zimmerwand und wollen so sein wie ihr großes Idol. Jedoch kann sich schon in der nächsten Sekunde alles wieder ändern.The Wrestler zeichnet das Alltagsleben eines solchen gefallenen Sterns: Randy "The Ram" Robinson, gespielt von dem kongenialen Mickey Rourke, der sich als Gladiator des Pop-Zeitalters durch sein leben kämpfen muss und auf der suche nach seinem längst vergangenen Ruhmes ist. Er ist dauerpleite, wohnt in einer Wohnwagensiedlung und gibt sein verbleibendes Geld für Steroide und Schmerzmittel aus. Doch ein Herzinfarkt lässt Randy erkennen, was in seinem Leben wirklich wichtig für ihn ist. Er gibt das Wresteln auf, versucht wieder Kontakt mit seiner entfremdeten Tochter aufzubauen, und nimmt einen Job in einem Supermarkt an. Doch dann erhält er eine große Chance auf ein eventuelles Comeback ....Die Bild und Tonqualität ist mit Blu-ray Qualität heutiger überdurchschnitt."So intensiv, dass man den Blick nicht mehr abwenden kann!" So steht es schon auf dem Cover. Und die Drankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung hat Recht! Der Film zeichnet das Bild einer Person die sich dem Wrestling verschrieben hat und dieses Leben abseits der glanzvollen Seite der Organisationen wie WWE führt, und sich durchschlagen muss.Eines der Besten Dramen der letzten Jahre, das ungeschönt das Bussiness des Wrestling zeigt.Auf jedenfall kaufenswertEuer Daniel