The Lo-Down

“The Wrestler”, by Darren Aronofsky, and starring Mickey Rourke, was released last December to unanimous praise (my review can be found here). Collecting over 40 million dollars at the Box Office, on a budget of only 6m, it also proved to be a hit with audiences world-wide, and went on to earn numerous awards (although the Academy didn’t have the guts to name both Mickey Rourke, and Heath Ledger as Oscar Winners in the same year. That Ledger, posthumously won for a role in a Batman move, is in itself a miraculous achievement). Over the past few months, it’s topped many lists from esteemed critics, and it’s release on DVD was met with much anticipation, that appeared set to exceed it’s initial birth as a minor, independent film.

What’s on it?

The sound and picture quality of this release are top-class. It should be observed that much of the dialogue is somewhat mumbling and low-key though. My poor old TV couldn’t cope when I had the volume right up- but that’s not a knock on the DVD, rather it’s part of the gritty, authentic presentation. A loud, boisterous flavour would have been pretty damn distasteful in this case, so in that sense, Aronofsky has got it spot on. Imagine that- room for pensiveness and subtlety in ‘rasslin.

The somewhat grimy colours are perfect for the small screen, as visually, it’s personality, and the small scale nature of Randy the Ram’s life are completely exploited by the unglamorous look.

The basics of the tale, are that Randy (or, Robin Ramzinski as the character’s actual name is), played by Rourke, is a down-and-out former 80’s star, living in a trailer park. Working the Indy scene, he also endures a day-job to pay the bills, and his only genuine friend outside of wrestling is Cassidy, a stripper (played by Marisa Tomei). Through the course of the picture, he attempts to re-build his relationship with his estranged daughter, following a heart-attack. Advised to give up his beloved wrestling, Randy struggles to do so, instead building himself up for one big show, and the inevitable.

Watching for a second time, I was immediately drawn to the soundtrack. It’s completely fantastic. I’m convinced they’ve taken a cue from the overwhelming, suffocating aura in “The Dark Knight”, and adopted similar cues at times. There’s a muffled buzzing noise each time The Ram’s heart feels the strain and this has the effect of creating unease constantly. In this regard, we’re continually reminded of what a fragile, HUMAN character that the “Ram” is.

There are minor quibbles for Wrestling fans to nitpick over second time around. Fifteen minutes in, and Randy is engaged in the first match that we really see him execute, in depth. Prior to this, he discusses what they’ll do in the match, and they talk about getting “Cheap heat”. That’s exactly what happens, except in the match, when The Ram blades following a Low-Blow, and Turnbuckle shot, he almost immediately makes his comeback. That sort of shoddy storytelling, and wastefulness of the heat is something that should never happen in pro-wrestling (though it probably does- but this isn’t meant to be an example of a case of ineptness).

But it’s extremely harsh to criticise the filmmakers in light of this sort of misdemeanour. After all, they’re not catering exclusively for us long-time followers of the grap game, and attempting to explain and identify the nuances and subtleties within the seemingly obvious tactic of “gaining heat”, to the masses, would be surely, an impossible task. It’s the sort of minor flaw that is more of a nuisance for wrestling fans, but not something that prevents one enjoying it.

Much has been of Rourke’s heavyweight performance, and rightly so- it’s utterly terrific. He’s an absolute beast as the Ram, convincingly looking lost and bewildered anytime he isn’t in the middle of the squared circle. It’s a heartbreaking performance, and even if everything else was utter crud, it would be enough to hold the film together. Thankfully, he doesn’t have to do that, because the move is astonishing.

Extras

Okays… for your money, you get an Interview with Mickey Rourke, a Making of Documentary, and the trailer. That’s it? Not a good package. Fans expect more bang for their buck these days, and after shelling out to go see this in the cinema, if you deemed it worthy enough to then purchase on shiny disc, you’d be justified in hoping for something more. That said, the Interview with Rourke is pretty entertaining, particularly in how he discusses first meeting the director. Then again, Mickey is always good value for money when it comes to interviews.

The “Making of” is less successful at times, and a somewhat fluffy piece on occasion. Given the Indy status of the picture, it’s thus surprising that the Doc is kind of, “Hollywood”, and not particularly effective. Not offensive either, but certainly a big time missed opportunity. There’s good stuff in here, some really nice clips, and the highlight is probably the sequence that shows how Aronofsky achieved some particularly raw emotions from Rourke. That’s worth the price of admission alone, but at 42 minutes, the doc doesn’t compensate for a lack of commentary, and the process of getting the film made, and the research, is disappointingly lightweight.

Add to basket?

Certainly. Despite the slightly disappointing extras ensuring that this is not the complete DVD package, the film is outstanding in itself. If you’re a complete junkie for extras and features, this won’t impress you, but this is one of the finest movies to be released this year, and that alone is enough to ensure this is a must-buy. Highest possible recommendation from me.

Thanks for taking the time to check this out. I welcome any and all feedback and I can be contacted at www.myspace.com/michaelwrestlingetc or simply by emailing me at Michael@ifight365.com. I look forward to hearing from you, and will be back soon!