The Wrestler

AroView: A sensational, credible comeback picture for beleaguered 80’s heartthrob Mickey Rourke, who portrays a mirror-image of himself as a has-been wrestling star trying to make a personal and professional comeback.

Recommended for more than fans of the sport or gung-ho entertainments, this is sensitive to the human drama behind the bravado and showmanship, though one pulverizing bout of rough ‘n’ tumble ain’t for the squeamish. Rourke is dedicated and sympathetic in the role, and Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood are both as compulsively watchable as his lap-dancing love-interest and estranged daughter respectively. Directed by wunderkind Darren Aronofsky, this is a typically intense fable served well by a lean, straight-shooting script.