I apologize it has been so long for me to report this. Those that know me understand wrestling is high up there on my fun list. I will try not to be biased, but this movie really rocked. Those that really follow pro wrestling know that there is much much more than what you see on T.V. - a la WWE. Granted the wrestling there is not like what you see in this movie. WWE is more entertainment, and most of those guys are swimming in money. But it wasn’t always like that. In fact in still isn’t in a lot of the independent circuits. This movie highlights the career of one of those guys. The top independent wrestler out there. Randy “The Ram” Robinson. I wish the movie could highlight his whole career and make this movie longer. But it probably would be a 10 hour flick. It is basically the end of the ride for a wrestler who has spent his whole life on the road wrestling. Mickey Rourke is a perfect fit for this part. And dare I say he actually acts, outside of the ring, in this movie. He is quite believeable in every aspect. Without giving away too much of the movie, which actually has a couple story lines outside of the wrestling, he shows several emotions on the screen, mostly involving how he doesn’t want to be alone anymore. A lot of the story goes toward his daughter who he really has not been much of a father to. This film is not a blockbuster, and will not blow you out of the water. But the acting is great, the story is real, and even Marisa Tomei shows how well she really can act. She plays a stripper who is at a crossroads in her life very similar to Mickey’s. She doesn’t want to do what she is doing anymore. The differences is are : Randy loves what he does, he just can’t do it anymore. You don’t have to be a wrestling fan of any kind to enjoy this movie. It is very real, has it’s high points, but it also will bring you down and show you the sad side of life. The hardcore wrestling fans, like myself, will pick a lot of fun stuff out of this movie, where the casual observer may not get it 100% or appreciate. It is definelty worth watching a couple times to get those things maybe the second time around. Acting wise, the actors get pretty much 5 stars from me. Story and plot are like a 4 out of 5.

 

Rating: ★★★★½

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