Rafacus

23 May 2012

The Wrestler in essence is a tragedy, being that it is so absolutely real

The Wrestler is the type of film that makes movies the special part oflife that they are. The ability of an actor, script, music andcinematography to pull at our emotional strings and force us to feelremorse or happiness for a fictional character is amazing. It isamazing but unfortunately a rarity in the hundreds of movies pumped outevery year, but once in awhile you stumble on a gem, and that gemrenews your faith not only in the industry but in the art of storytelling.It is the clichéd tale of the mighty warrior falling from glory. Thegladiator who has grown old and tired, too damaged to please theadoring crowd and too alien to the normality of life to do anythingelse. It is the story we are shown quite often but rarely do we get thereality of such a situation. It makes you wonder why boxers way pasttheir primes come back to the ring and NFL players who are pasteffectiveness refusing to retire. It is something foreign to theeveryday man who has not endured the bumps and bruises of a life ofpain in entertainment to please the adoring crowd. The Wrestler is sucha tale, allowing us for a few moments to see the candid truths of aprofessional wrestler in the twilight years of his career.Having known some wrestlers in my time period, I already knew thistale. Well documented by scenes in documentaries such as Beyond TheMat, I know that an older wrestler is normally broke, heavily relianton drugs and damn near suicidal. With the exception of Hulk Hogan andDwayne "The Rock" Johnson, you will be hard pressed to find retiredwrestlers who are living comfortably through the fruits of their labor.The Wrestler allows us to be a fly on the wall in the life of one ofthe unlucky old-timers.Randy "The Ram" Robinson (Mickey Rourke) is a professional wrestlerwith a long career of success behind him. With the old aches and agefinally dragging him down, Randy is unable to keep up with life outsidethe ring and spends nights sleeping in his van. His hopes of returningto stardom leads him to doing small independent shows for little to nomoney until he is hit with a severe health issue. In a vain attempt toretire and live normal life, Randy pursues a relationship withCassidy/Pam (Marisa Tomei) a dancer at the Strip Club he frequents andhis estranged daughter Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood). Unfortunatelyregular life and Randy do not mix well and he is forced to fall back onthe only people who have always been there for him… the crowd.The Wrestler in essence is a tragedy, being that it is so absolutelyreal it feels more documentary than motion picture. Mickey Rourke isperfect and so believable that had he not been a famous actor it wouldbe hard pressed for you to convince me that "The Ram" wasn't a realperson. Not only is Marisa Tomei absolutely beautiful in this film butshe brings a real humanity to Cassidy that ran parallels to some of theworking girls I know in life. The movie was powerfully realistic andrelevant and I think it will bring some much needed attention to theentertainment/sport of pro wrestling. To top it off the score is somelancholy and appropriate that it plays with your emotions as much asthe action on screen.This is not a rental folks, this is a purchase and treasured film foryour collection. I am very glad to have seen it and with the low budgetused to film it… shows that a tough story and an actor that can pull itoff is all that is needed for cinema gold.Moe reviews from Rafacus at www.SpicyMovieDogs.com

Michael Fargo

23 May 2012

Tedious, derivative...ho, hum

I'm not an Aronofsky fan, but I went to this, I hope, with an openmind. First, I think the critics have focused on the wrong performance;Marisa Tormei walked away with this film as far as I was concerned.O'Rourke is a great actor, but there was something calculated andobvious both in the conception of the role and the performance.Everyone seemed to forget Evan Rachel Wood and her character were inthis movie (which really was a disappointment; she shines in whatlittle she has to do here).As a metaphor for America's spiritually bankrupt, "U-S-A!" chantin',hero/celebrity oriented, Muslim fearin', self-loathing, economicallydying culture, I suppose this has value. But I'm guessin' not many inthe audience latch onto that. Instead, Aronofsky's need to alienate hisaudience with despair, gore, and ugliness is stripped bare of his usualexcess with cinematic "tricks." Glad for latter anyway.I mean, didn't anyone involved in this see "Rocky?" "Rocky II?" "RockyIII?" "Rocky IV?" "Rocky V"...?

jamesearp-1

22 May 2012

Useless

I get that this film is meant to be an anti climax. I get that it'smeant to paint a bleak picture. I get what the film is doing, but to meit's just useless. Mickey Rourke's acting is really good but that's it. The film doesn't give you any high's or low's, it's all delivered in alinear fashion to the point where i wanted to walk out of the cinema:There is no hope for the guy. There is no glimpse of hope. He isfighting FAKE fights, so there is no sympathy or action. Hisrelationship with his daughter is so cliché it's actually embarrassing.It's like watching 2 hours of Eastenders, you can't take anything goodfrom it and although i know you're not meant to, why would anybody wantto watch such a pointless piece of cinema?It's like going, "hey, let's watch this paint dry... I wonder what'sgoing to happen??"2 hours later "Oh, it's dry. Guess i'll go out and have some funthen"..It would have been a major twist if something had actually happened inthis film.Sorry Mickey; great acting, but useless film.

Natasha Bishop

22 May 2012

Honest to the core!

I caught an advanced screening of The Wrestler starring Mickey Rourkelast night in Hollywood, CA. Following the screening was a Q&A sessionwith Mickey Rourke, Darren Aronofsky, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood,and film composer Clint Mansell.Mickey Rourke delivers one of the most honest and heart breakingperformances I've seen from an actor. Very rarely do you see an actorcome back with such a role. He is truly extraordinary in The Wrestler.There are times in this film when I wonder just how much of this isMickey in character as "The Ram" or Mickey reacting as Mickey to asituation similar to what he went through in his "lost years". Theparallels are astounding. There is a scene when Randy "The Ram" is inthe ring and he points to the audience "It is not over until you tellme it's over". Is it Mickey or Randy talking there? As a newly revivedMickey Rourke fan, I can tell you this audience member says it's justbeginning Mickey!Marissa Tomei delivers a stellar performance as an aging exotic dancerthe parallel story to Mickey's character "The Ram". Evan Rachel Woodreally brings it as "The Rams" angry, abandoned and emotionallyexhausted daughter. The chemistry between Mickey and Evan is breathtaking!Darren Aronofsky delivers this story to us with honesty, realism andartistic skill. I think this young director will be around makingfantastic films for some time to come. At least I hope he is!You can't go wrong with this film. It is rock solid to the core!Facts from the Q&AOnly the 3rd American Film to with the Golden Lion at the Venice FilmFestival.The film was made for $7 Million.The filmscore is more atmospheric as the composer did not want tointerfere with the documentary feel of the film.Mickey Rourke trained for 6 months to get to the wrestling weight of235 for the film. Weight training, wrestling training and eating 5,000calories.The scenes of Mickey Rourke and Evan Rachel Wood were as real as theycould get. The actors put on music before the scene and just talkedabout their real life and Mickey's parallels to the film. When thedirector felt they were there he would yell action and they would workthrough the scene. The scenes back stage with the wrestlers were all real as well. Thecrew would go to wrestling matches and film the wrestlers before/aftermatches. Mickey would walk in and introduce himself (in character) andthe scene was improvised. The film was about 20-30% improvisation from the actors.

ankurjayawant

19 May 2012

The greatest comeback ever

This is the greatest comeback by any actor on the celluloid, ever.Mickey Rourke hasn't played the part of Randy...He is Randy the Ram. Hehas taken extreme physical training which saw him put on nearly 30 lbof muscle.Great feat for someone in his 50's.A few minutes into thismovie and you forget that this is an actor playing a role. Mickeyliterally brings to life the once famous and now destitute broken downwrestler who is always struggling to reach to the top. It is DarrenAfaranosky's skill that he shows us Randy with all his flaws andshortcomings. It is made clear that Randy is this today because of hisown faults. Marisa Tomei does a commendable job as Cassidy even thoughthis film is completely dominated by Rourke.Evan Rachel Wood iseffective in her short but important role of Randy's daughter.Thewrestling scenes are terrific. The fight which sends Randy to thehospital is brutally effective as it makes the user wince seeing thetwo fighters pummel each other with barb wire, staple pins, nails andsteel chairs. One of the best scenes is when Randy tries in vain toreconcile with his daughter.Thats really heartbreaking.Same is thescene where former wrestlers have to sit on the counter to sell theirmemorabilia. The climax fight, that is the re match with Ayatollah is afitting ending to the film which is a saga of a man trying to redeemhimself and regain his former glory.The last shot simply blew me away.The only performance which can compare to this will be Sean Penn's inMilk. It will be a close contest between the two but judging thesituation, one feels that Mickey Rourke is this years winner for thebest actor.

19 May 2012

Iconic Screen Performance

This review is from: The Wrestler (DVD) The Wrestler is a difficult film to view at times. The violence and the brutality involved in this sport called wrestling is abhorrent to me. Mickey Rourke plays 'Randy the Ram' the elite of the wrestling world at one time, but he is 20 years into this role and it does not wear well. The wear and tear of the years have caught up with him. Mickey Rourke has the same wear and tear inched into his face and body. When Ram looks around at his fellow wrestlers on an autograph signing day, he sees one in a wheelchair, one with a cane, all of them taped and stuffed up to survive the day. This is a film that shows the life etched on each and every one and it is a film to be savoured.Marisa Tomei plays a stripper, aging as the Ram is, but in a profession where looks are the business, she also looks worn and weary. She and the Ram strike up a friendship of sorts and the Ram would like more. After one particularly violent match, Ram suffers a cardiac arrest and he is told he must stop wrestling, it will kill him. Here he is penniless, locked out of his trailer at times because of lack of rent, and all alone.Ram has a daughter and he has neglected her, as he as his entire family. Rachel Evan Wood plays his daughter, and she is as tough and as he is. Their relationship is tempered at best. It seems the Ram will be all alone.This movie belongs to Mickey Rourke. The director, Darren Aronsky has said that Mickey only gave him 80% of his talent in this film, and that he had to drag it out of him. Mickey has so much talent that it takes little effort for him to get by. The camera is on Mickey in most of the film, and his every word and gesture expressed this man, Ram, in his world, to full fruition. Ram is utterly engaging and likeable, this tough wrestler filled with pain but this is his life and he has no complaints. As we all know, Mickey Rourke was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in this film, and if he was not such a colorful figure in real life, that award would have gone to him. Even though this is a tough film to view at times, it is a memorable performance from an extraordinary actor. Kudos, maybe the best is yet to come.Highly Recommended. prisrob 04-23-09A Prayer For The DyingBefore the Devil Knows You're Dead

19 May 2012

Mickey Rourke was robbed!

Let's not kid ourselves - just give the Best Actor Oscar to Mickey Rourke right now, because there is no competition. This is the role of a lifetime for him, and he plays it to perfection. And luckily, the rest of the movie and cast holds up as well, making this one of the best of 2008. Oh, and the fact that Marisa Tomei gets naked? That's just a bonus on a movie that already rates 5 stars!!

Stuart10

18 May 2012

Not as good as the Hype

I'm a huge wrestling fan and have been for years. So when I heard allthe hype for this movie and the suggestion of an Oscar winningperformance by Mr Rourke by just about everyone on television, Ithought this movie was going to be right up my alley. But I found itquite boring. Now I know it wasn't meant to be a WWE pay per view andfull of action, I just didn't get drawn in by any of the performancesin this film. I usually like "boring" movies if they can suck you intothe story. Maybe all the hype just got my expectations up to high,which has happened to me in the past and is why I tend not to watchpreviews. If you want to see a better wrestling movie with real lifedrama go get the doco Beyond the Mat. You might be surprised at thesimilarities between the fictional Randy "The Ram" story and the realJake "The Snake" Roberts story.

bmxceze111

17 May 2012

Apart from the Rest.

In a world of glitz and glamor, we finally have a tour De force so realit's almost disturbing. Some of the fights were brutally honest and Ithink we needed that type of insane violence to truly depict themassive amounts of abuse these athletes go through. I have a deeperrespect for Mickey Rourke as an actor. He truly touched my views onprofessional wrestling. I am from Jersey and I remember my youth wasfilled with going to the types of events. As I grew older and somewhatwiser I never knew that these so called has beens had it so bad. Irespect Mickey for the role and role he depicts. That Acme store clerkthat has the face of a champ but still gets p*ssed on by the storemanager. That beat up tramp of a stripper that has the worst smoker'scough but still uses her last $10 to feed her son dinner every night.The estranged child that hasn't seen her dad in 13 years and doesn'tgive a damn if he had a heart attack or is dead, now coping with thesad reality that love ,just might be enough. Thank you ,"The Wrestler".It was a dose of reality in such an epic manner that I can only givethanks for such majestic pieces of film nowadays.

emanning95

16 May 2012

An 8.5? Seriously?

Overrated. Terribly, terribly, overrated.***Spoiler*** Randy was an overall a boring and emotionless character.Sure, he cried during that one scene, but that was way too little tomake me feel for him. Feeling sympathetic for Randy is like tryingseeing Seth Rogen play something other than a slimy, disgustingpothead; it's just not going to happen. The only good actor/actress inthe whole movie was the daughter, and she was only in it for like 10minutes. Oh, and the stripper was pretty hot.When all is said and done, don't waste your time with this movie.Very disappointing.

steve

12 May 2012

Only Rourke couldve pulled this off

Mickey Rourke nailed this depiction of a pro wrestler 100%! He blended into this part so well that I had to remind myself this wasn't a documentary. I played pro football for 2 years, and wrestled for 10 years, but luckily found life and a career outside of both. Life of a former wrestler isn't glory like The Rock or Hulk Hogan, and most wrestlers are "crippled" by age 50. Anyone who's road in life hasn't been perfect can relate to this movie. This movie and Any Given Sunday are the two most realistic portrayals of America's two highest grossing forms of entertainment.

11 May 2012

The Wrestler

This review is from: The Wrestler [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) The Wrestler.This is a tough movie to review for me. I saw it last night, and I'm still kind of digesting it. Maybe I should wait til I've seen it again before reviewing it, but what the hell, I'll write up my thoughts on the movie now, and see how they change with time.Randy 'The Ram' Robinson was at the top of the wrestling world (we learn this during the opening credits), 20 years later, he is broke and wrestling at YMCA's and anywhere else they'll have him. It's a movie about a man that can't let go of his past, a man who is always one match away from regaining his former glory, a man who has ****ed up everything he's ever had....because wrestling is all he knows. He's only truly comfortable in the ring, and the movie is as much about his ring persona as it is about him trying find something in the real world to latch onto. Randy is a regular at a strip joint where he befriends a stripper named Cassidy (Marisa Tomei), and after suffering a setback after a match, she urges him to reconnect with his estranged daughter Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood). Randy's a good guy at heart, and as the film progresses, I really felt bad for the guy as you watch him try so hard to do the right thing, yet constantly **** it up....whether it is his relationship with his daughter, or attempting to turn his "stripper/client" relationship into something more.Like I pointed out earlier, the movie is split fairly evenly between his wrestling life and his home life. Besides his daughter and the stripper, Randy is trying to make it with a normal job and some of the movie's funniest scenes come out of this. On the wrestling side, Randy is offered a dream gig; a rematch of his greatest match from his glory days. Randy's convinced that this is the shot he needs to make it back into the limelight, but what is he willing to sacrifice to fulfill that dream?Overall, the movie is just fantastic. It's brutally honest and violent and emotional and almost feels like a documentary. All actors are pitch perfect in their rolls. This isn't a movie for only wrestling fans, so please don't let that stop you from seeing it. If you are anything like me, I have a feeling you'll be engrossed by the end of the movie. Which brings me to my only real gripe.....the ending. When the movie ended I felt jipped. I was angry that something I was enjoying so much would end like that. I was also a bit confused (mostly because it was so unexpected). Given time to think about it, I can appreciate the ending a bit more and I might even be leaning towards loving it. I am also fairly certain I understand what happened now(but I won't discuss that in a review). Also, I feel like Bruce Springsteen's song at the end IS part of the movie....it's not just a filler song to play over the credits, it just sums everything perfectly.The movie is called The Wrestler... and it's pretty damn good.A

rogerdarlington

07 May 2012

A come-back and a come-on

I first remember Mickey Rourke as the suave lover in "Nine 1/2 Weeks"(1986) but his career has since bombed big time and, a couple ofdecades later, as the eponymous sports figure he's almostunrecognizable as a beefed-up but worn-out has-been not unlike the manin real life. Yet he utterly inhabits this role as Randy 'The Ram'Robinson in an outstanding portrayal. As for supporting star MarisaTomei, I first recall her in "My Cousin Vinny" (1992) where she wasterrific and showed a promise that has never really been realised,before appearing here in a brave role where she appears almost naked asCassidy, the archetypal tart with a heart. She is by turns sexy andsweet in a wonderfully engaging performance.Directed and produced by Darren Aronofsky, this is a movie which mightinitially be thought of as simply "Rocky" for wrestlers and it doesplay to some of the same themes, but ultimately we're given somethingdifferent, something a little less traditional and more honest.

Claudio Carvalho

06 May 2012

The Last Wrestling Maneuver

Twenty years ago, Randy 'The Ram' Robinson (Mickey Rourke) was asuccessful wrestler; now he is decadent, living alone in a trailer,working part time in a supermarket and wrestling in the weekends. Aftera wrestling match, Randy has a heart attack in the dressing room and issubmitted to a by-pass surgery; his doctor prohibits him to usesteroids and wrestle again. Randy decides to retire and proposes thestripper and lap dancer Pam "Cassidy" (Marisa Tomei) to move to livewith him. However she does not accept and suggests him to approach tohis daughter Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood) that has deep wounds in herrelationship with her father. Randy gets also a full-time job in thesupermarket, but he does not deal well with the world outside the arenaand decides to return to the sport were he is recognized by his fans."The Wrestler" is a good, but overrated movie, with a drama that isvery common with athletes when the end of their careers comes. MickeyRourke returns like a phoenix in a role of a decadent wrestler thatwasted his life and destroyed the relationship with his own daughterand has adaptation problems with the world outside the arena. Thedamage caused by the use of steroids should have been more emphasizedto alert the youths that use this type of drug believing they areharmless. The gorgeous Marisa Tomei is also great and shows amagnificent body. Evan Rachel Wood has a minor but important role. Myvote is seven.Title (Brazil): "O Lutador" ("The Fighter")

smatysia

03 May 2012

Depressing and hard to watch

You can tell from the rating that I did not care for this film. Ididn't really expect to, not caring much for "professional" wrestling.(I did watch it when I was a kid, (Wahoo McDaniel, Johnny Valentine,Ivan Putski, etc.) This form of wrestling is a sordid business, whichthe film makes very clear. Mickey Rourke did put in a very goodperformance. He was utterly unrecognizable as the promising actor fromthe Eighties (Body Heat, Angel Heart, Barfly, etc.) I suppose that someyears as a bad boxer can re-arrange one's face. Marisa Tomei was alsovery good putting some heart into the somewhat clichéd stripper role.And she looks fantastic. While I didn't care for the ending, I'm notsure that more exposition would have been any better. In short, theacting was usually first-rate, in a film that is depressing and hard towatch. There is certainly a place for such cinema, but I cannotrecommend this film.

02 May 2012

Powerful a Masterpiece of Human Character Study

I watched this film last night for the first time on DVD. My partner was turned off by the initial violence of it and left the room, but something about the authenticity of Mickey Rouke's character, (Ram), glued me to my seat and compelled me to follow this story through to it's conclusion. I am glad I did, for this film was one of the most powerful character studies I've ever witnessed. This a very different film, in style and substance, from any I had seen. First of all, I have no interest at all in wrestling, and have always thought the 'sport' to be fairly ridiculous and wondered how people could actually pay money to watch such an obvious farce. But wrestling is not the substance of this movie; it is simple the chosen theatre in which we get to examine life through the eyes of one of it's main characters. What we have here is a penetrating insight into a battered man, two decades past his prime, searching for an identity and purpose in a world into which he finds it increasingly difficult to fit. In watching this film, which is a world of all-too-real gritty reality, we enter into Ram's psyche as he tries to hang onto meaning in his life. One powerfully feels what Ram feels in this film, which really is a masterful feat of acting and directing.There are moments in this film I was brought to tears. Most affecting for me was his attempt at reconciliation with his angry and estranged daughter, and how his own human frailties screws that up. Anyone who has suffered a close family 'disconnect' can relate. Very moving was Ram's attempt to enter 'normal life,' as he tried to embrace his new job behind the local deli counter with enthusiasm, and shared kindness, joyful spirit and humor with the customers. Still, it was his past fame that would ultimately corrupt that path. Like most of us, we are continually haunted by who we have been in the past. His attraction and love for a stripper, played by Marisa Tormei was also very heart-wrenching. As one of his only 'friends', they were a dysfunctional match, yet it was so affecting to see him gradually make himself emotionally vulnerable to her as he desperately desired heart connection with another. But as we see in this film, timing either makes or breaks such connection attempts. Although chemistry between the two is obvious, she would keep a steel cold wall of self protection around herself. Eventually, you see her heart begin to melt with compassion for Ram, but it is too late. One cannot help but feel great sadness for the tragedy of a missed opportunity for mutual healing through love.This is film about reality, and as such, it's not always a feel good one with a happy ending. I ended up feeling great compassion, empathy and love for the character of Ram and for Tormei's character and his daughter. In some ways, he is the archetype of every man. Rourke and director Aronofsky reveal the subtleties that go on inside a man's heart and soul with penetrating brilliance - all cast in an environment of brutality and gritty nastiness. This film doesn't give us an ending, but instead leaves us to make up our own and contemplate the meaning as the picture goes black and Bruce Springstein's song begins. At this moment, I sat stunned. I understand 'the why'. And I feel for this fallible, but immensely likable man, caught in the web of his own identity that has been spun out the necessity to survive. All in all, it was a highly emotionally moving story of human character, told with great skill and sensitivity. Highly recommended.

Bollywood_Chewbacca

29 April 2012

a piece of pop art a la Warhol?

Not even worth opening the package.Nonpro actors basically "acting" topromote a bad full length music video. Bad does not adequately describethis. Not kitsch, no offbeat, just awful Those who love this kind ofmovie tell haters that they didn't "get it." But that's okay, becausewhen the person who likes this movie starts talking to you, you needn'tearn the opportunity to one-star them. You can just walk away.This movie is like watching a B rated porn film, with the actual sightof what is going on from the waist down missing. No plot. The acting isthe worst I have ever seen, and there was no real ending. All of thesudden it was over.

Dan Common

28 April 2012

Nothing to add, just to say its beyond brilliant

I have never, ever been so taken with a film. I went with two friends,luckily close ones, as I cried like a child through a good third of thefilm. All those situations, from the trying to connect with the girl inthe strip club, the estranged relationships, the wanting to change butjust not remotely being able to, the heartbreak, the poverty, seeingthe world change and not being able to keep up, ... from my limitedexperience this film was ruthlessly authentic to the nth degree.Astonishing film, I can't imagine seeing a greater, more realisticfilm. If, as we are told, god came down as Jesus to try and see lifefrom our perspective, I recommend He view this film and see how itreally is today.

Kieran Green

28 April 2012

Mickey Rourkes Raging Bull

Randy 'The Ram' Robinson (Mickey Rourke), once a former big name in thesport but now long past his prime.the camera follows Randy around as heconducts his business, giving us ample views of the back of his headwith its long mane of bleach-blond hair. However a picture surelyemerges of a dedicated loser, living on the edges of past glories, thelaw of diminishing returns eating into him minute by minute. Randy isnow relegated to the small-time independent circuit and the measlyhandful of dollar bills he collects for a bout won't stretch to payingthe rent on his trailer home - or maybe that's because he spends toomuch of it on booze and his favorite lap dancer, Cassidy (MarisaTomei),in her most 'revealing' performance to date! down at his localclub. Randy is alone in the world and his only family is his daughter,Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood), who has such a mountain of issues withher father that she can't stand the sight of him. Clearly Randy hasreached some kind of a watershed moment: he's getting too old for hischosen game but what else can he do? Hopefully Mickey Rourke land'shimself an Oscar

DQGladstone

28 April 2012

One full-nelson with a side of despair , please.

It's funny to see that almost every film you read about, someoneSOMEwhere thinks it's the worst film ever made. "The Wrestler" may bethe truest film ever made, which is why it's so damn depressing and sogood.Todd Barry, as Wayne, the supermarket manager, was the best, slightlyover-the-top PRICK I've seen lately in a film. His performance seemedlike something you'd find in "The Young Ones", something on the linebetween believable and unbelievable. That "The Ram" had to take crapfrom this nasty little squid was humiliating. The only consolation wasthat Wayne was probably as depressed, or more, as Randy.After the Ram agrees to work behind the deli counter, we see him takethe long walk through the employee room, down the stairs, through thewarehouse and the plastic curtain where we see him wash his hands.That's what's at the heart of this film, the goodness of Ram'scharacter- he's walking through hell and he washes his hands, like thegood person/employee he is. Wearing his "Robin" badge. Wow.At the "autograph-signing event", the crowd has died down and the Ramis looking around at the other has-been wrestling stars. The shot endson the urine bag (or whatever you call it) attached to his fellow'sleg. Suicide, anyone? Which really is the point of this film. The Ram knows his glory days are past and when the doctor tells himthat continuing in the ring may kill him, you can see him thinking.What does he have to live for? He's living a life without love, he'spast his prime and he's broke. What's the point? When he decides to dothe rematch for no $$ is it because he wants to wrestle or because hesees it as the best possible "out"? "A little more, a little less, a little more...". This is a comedicscene but it isn't played for comedy, they play it for real. So, it'sfunny while you're trying not to kill yourself in recognition of TheRam's crappy reality. It's the message at the heart of the search forsecurity, "Yay, Im working more hours, I can pay my bills, someoneplease shoot me, put me out of my misery." This is why the Ram wentinto wrestling, to avoid the despair of the "secure" life.Mickey Rourke underplays his whole performance which is why it's sopowerful, probably, but the beauty of the film is indicated whenCassidy is giving him a lapdance and he's reminiscing about the oldtimes and dreaming of future possibilities. He's there for her company,not for the minor thrill of having her undulate before him.Of course, Marisa looks fantastic but God bless her for playing a partwhere she takes off her clothes and no one is whistling, no one cares.Mickey compliments her on her sexiness as an afterthought; she's bored,he's bored, everybody's just struggling to maintain some self-respector a positive thought, pay the rent, stay in working shape.Cassidy's lucky, she has a 9 year old to worry about but The Ram'sdaughter is old enough to take care of herself; he's just looking for areason to keep on living.The visual style of this film, or lack of it, only serves to emphasizethe gritty, bleakness of the Ram's meaningless world.Good film, powerful; not one likely to replace "It's A Wonderful Life"as easy inspiration, but inspirational anyway, in it's horrible, "whatdo I have to live for?" fashion.