After watching The Wrestler again on Blu Ray, I wasn't impacted as much as the first time I saw it and understand why they didn't give Rourke the Oscar for his portrayal of Randy "The Ram" Robinson. Darren Aronofsky created one hell of an emotional rollercoaster ride of a movie that tries to show the true art of wrestling in all it's sweaty, bloody, steroiding glory. I really like the handheld feel that he uses which is so different from his glossy last pics like The Fountain and Requiem For A Dream, instead focusing on close ups of Rourke and his fans who bring a sense of authenticity to this story. By bringing us right into The Ram's aging downfall of a career, we immediately see the toll wresting has had on this body yet I connected with his passion for the sport and love for his estranged daughter. The use of rock music to get me pumped up during the fight scenes was well used to bring a feeling of action and raw energy which is diretly contrasted with the somber score by Clint Mansell during the time when Rourke breaks down on screen. By showing the relationships and secrets behind the scenes of wrestling, I almost saw it as honoring it as an art form that these guys do and that when his heart attack finally happens, we feel for Rourke as he connects with Tomei's stripper. The way he examines these ugly professions of wrestling and stripping by showing us genuine real life people really helps bring the emotional punch that this movie needs so by the end we feel sad for The Ram and know he can't give it up. From the deli counter scene where he flips out or how the wrestlers argue about who is going to do what before the match starts, it's the little jokes that lighten the mood within a very dark and depressing movie that make this so good. The Wrestler is a hard movie to watch but totally worth it in the end, a rare comeback performance by Rourke where he puts everything he has up on the screen to capture the true fear of being alone.
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