The Wrestler
The Wrestler
All the talk about this film has been centred on Mickey Rourke, and with good reason. He turns in a genuinely affecting performance as a man battling with the prospect of losing the only thing he has in his life. I was more interested, however, in the fact that it's the most recent film made by Daren Aronofsky.
His previous efforts since he made his low-budget but successful debut with Pi have been full of noteworthy set pieces and effects, with their own distinctive style. The Wrestler, however, is so gritty and down to earth that it almost looks like a Dogma 95 film or a reality TV style documentary. The pre-arranged matches are delivered in their full, pathetic and painful glory, as is Randy's pitiful day-job life in which he unwinds by playing an ancient videogame in his trailer with a local youngster.
The centre of stage attention and adulation from (some) fans are what keep Randy "The Ram" Robinson going in his otherwise lowly trailer park existence. When his failing health makes continuing impossible he tries the make the most out of the scraps of a life he has outside the ring, which are a daughter he hasn't seen in years or been much of a father to and a local lap-dancer with whom he is a regular customer.
The latter of those scraps of a life that Randy pursues brings another touching performance out of Marisa Tomei, who's character Cassidy is reluctant to solve Randy's problems. We see Randy, or Robin (his real name, which he almost refuses to acknowledge) struggle to cope, in stark detail with long, slow takes as a way of investment in the character. This can have a slightly tedious effect at times but ultimately makes the ending much more effective as a way of pay-off.
The Ultimate Warrior he is not. The film, however, is a triumph of genuine character development and basic, straightforward and thoughtful film making.
Ben Kippin
Excellent analysis Ben, I look forward to watching it. Do you have any thoughts on the upcoming release of 'The Watchmen'? It's the next release i am really looking forward to...
Terry Lee - Head of Recycling Paper
Thanks Terry. I'm actually hoping the Watchmen will be a lot more enjoyable than the recent crop of superhero films. There's been so many that its hard to care anymore as to whether they stay true to the comics or if they lose the real character in the translation. Hancock could've been a welcome different direction since it isn't actually based on a comic and takes a different approach, but having watched it recently I thought it was a missed oppurtunity due to its attempt to please everyone (and I couldn't help but wish someone other than Will Smith had been in the lead role).
But yes, The Watchmen. Alan Moore's graphic novels (V for Vendetta, From Hell, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) have always been understandably tempting material for studios to make into films, despite his refusal to have antthing to do with them, and they produce results of mixed quality. If The Watchmen is as good as V for Vendetta it will be well worth the hype, and the timing of a film that works as a parody of the genre is about right, and it gets released early enough to avoid being caught up in the slew of comic-films that will undoubtedly fill many of the summer blockbuster slots.
All things considered, I'm optimistic. I'd be interested to hear your views.
Cheers,
Ben
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