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The Wrestler (1 view)
The Wrestler is the biggest surprise of 2008 for me. Darren Aronofsky's is a director I just pushed aside after Requiem of a Dream and Pi - two movies that look cool with no real investment in any emotion. His latest film though , packs a serious punch and defies his previous work.
This is the only movie I've seen Rourke in aside from Sin City and he's definitely going to catch a lot of attention with this performance. You are quickly thrown into the ring with Randy the Ram (Mickey Rourke) , watching his moves and motivations. When a furiously brutal match knocks the wrestling veteran into retirement , you start to see what's underneath his joy of fighting. It's a very well written script that turns Aronofsky on his head , by being a character study.
One things this director has done right in the past is what you actually see. It captures the actual wrestling better than anything , a very gritty and violent scene even when it's staged. It also uses an angle that follows him from behind a lot , which works pretty well. Makeup effects have really shone this year and there are plenty of gruesome parts that owe the department a favor.
The more I think about The Wrestler , the better I realize it is. Everything that happens ties in so well with each other , not a single piece of the movie seems out of place or without purpose. It all leads up to a gut wrenching , eye opening conclusion that truly defines Ram and what this movie was about. I only have this problem with the movie - it doesn't have any stand alone amazing scenes. They only work as a whole.
A true sleeper hit , one of the best of the year.
The Wrestler is the biggest surprise of 2008 for me. Darren Aronofsky's is a director I just pushed aside after Requiem of a Dream and Pi - two movies that look cool with no real investment in any emotion. His latest film though , packs a serious punch and defies his previous work.
This is the only movie I've seen Rourke in aside from Sin City and he's definitely going to catch a lot of attention with this performance. You are quickly thrown into the ring with Randy the Ram (Mickey Rourke) , watching his moves and motivations. When a furiously brutal match knocks the wrestling veteran into retirement , you start to see what's underneath his joy of fighting. It's a very well written script that turns Aronofsky on his head , by being a character study.
One things this director has done right in the past is what you actually see. It captures the actual wrestling better than anything , a very gritty and violent scene even when it's staged. It also uses an angle that follows him from behind a lot , which works pretty well. Makeup effects have really shone this year and there are plenty of gruesome parts that owe the department a favor.
The more I think about The Wrestler , the better I realize it is. Everything that happens ties in so well with each other , not a single piece of the movie seems out of place or without purpose. It all leads up to a gut wrenching , eye opening conclusion that truly defines Ram and what this movie was about. I only have this problem with the movie - it doesn't have any stand alone amazing scenes. They only work as a whole.
A true sleeper hit , one of the best of the year.