Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with a spy calling himself JediMoonShyne who caught a screening of Aronofsky's THE WRESTLER over in Italy. The more that comes out about this flick the more it seems Aronofsky knocked this one out of the park. Can't wait to see Mickey Rourke going crazy for myself! Enjoy the review!

Thanks again for posting up my thoughts on 'Choke', you guys rock. Last night I saw Darren Aronofsky's new one 'The Wrestler' which was excellent.
Here are a few words -

'The Wrestler'
Darren Aronofsky, 2008

A titanic Rourke slams his way into Oscar contention

As a concept, Darren Aronofsky's latest outing 'The Wrestler' is the closest this oft-misjudged director has ever been to conventional cinema, and it works for him. It's an intelligent move. Not only will the film reassure all those fans of his that were alienated after 'The Fountain', it will also undoubtedly win western audiences over in the theaters. For what is more American than wrestling after all? The story itself is in fact decidedly unconventional; following an aged, down-and-out grappler named Randy "The Ram" Robinson (played by a perfect fit in Mickey Rourke) whose loneliness and sudden ill-health provoke an attempt to contact his estranged daughter. We are introduced to Randy on fight night, as he wins over a particularly rowdy crowd to retain his position as champion. We feel the thrill of adrenaline as The Ram delivers his signature move. Then we experience his subsequent comedown after finding himself locked out of his trailer park home for not paying the rent. As his puffer-jacketed form shuffles to sleep in the back of a minivan plastered with peeling posters we realise that life hasn't been so kind to the burly Randy. Through all this Aronofsky employs the kind of hyperrealism that was used so effectively in 'Requiem for a Dream'. It is the perfect complement to a sport that is usually seen to involve so much colour and theatrics, yet here is exposed warts and all by some sharp direction.

With 'The Wrestler' Aronofsky creates a Hollywood hero story in new and unflattering clothing. Despite straying once or twice into cliché territory he manages to leave this melodrama in the locker room, for the most part. Randy is certainly a gladiator in the traditional sense, a hired performer whose job it is to satisfy the bloodthirsty appetite of a baying mob. And Rourke hands in a titanic performance to fill these boots until the laces are strained tight. His shaking hands and rasping breath. A face scarred by cosmetic surgery and skin dried to a crisp orange by all those years of enforced tanning. He is really a sight to see. These attributes simply add to the already knife-edge realism to create a character whose rigorously maintained appearance is exactly what make him so hideous on the outside. Randy is certainly a likeable character though, despite his drug-addled state and consequent violent outbursts there is a kindness in him that wins over. One flaw I would point out in 'The Wrestler' is its curious tangential segments involving Randy's daughter Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood). While these appear critical to the plot they don't actually advance it whatsoever, nor do they serve to develop the main character. At least not in the way Randy's relationship with retiring stripper Cassidy (Marisa Tomei) does. It's safe to say though that Aronofsky is back in the ring, delivering a redemptive and resounding blow to his critics. A blow made even more poetic by his Venetian exploits last week.

8/10

Please credit JediMoonShyne if you use it, and allow me a shout-out to all the fine people of the IYPC club over at RottenTomatoes.

Cheers!