Friday, January 23, 2009

The Wrestler

I made some overtime last night at work and got a chance to see the new Darren Aronofsky film, The Wrestler. The film is outstanding.



The Wrestler:

In a year littered with big budget fluff and a re-birth of women based comedy-dramas the quality films have been few and far between. A few gems at the close of the year leave me wishing that this was just the beginning. However, The Wrestler would stand head and shoulders above most films in any year. As many have said, Mickey Rourke give the performance of a lifetime. The is not the resurrection of Rourke, this is in fact a birth. We have never seen Rourke like this. His range is jaw dropping. As great as Rourke is, the unsung heroine here is Marisa Tomei. Every seen she is in leaves you wanting more. A true supporting actress, her acting allows you to empathize with Rourke even more. The story is gut wrenching and easy to associate with. The cinematography is some of the best work this year topped only by Blindness. Aronofsky uses his typical pacing to convey much of the story without browbeating the viewer with dialog. The story is told through facial expression and the cinematography. If Rourke and Tomei do not both win an Oscar for this film I will be furious.

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