The Wrestler-Rourke Brings The Realness-Unhinged Reviews

  Mickey Rourke leaps from the top turnbuckle to slam home an instant smash with fans around the world!  "The Wrestler" is a quality film depicting a man's struggle to maintain his glory in a sport well-known to be both physically and emotionally draining of one's youth.

  Rourke stars as "Randy", a veteran wrestler who finds himself at the bottom of totem that once held him up high.  Rourke delivers an award-worthy performance in this 08 release and here at Unhinged, we feel that it is an honor to review this extraordinary masterpiece of cinema.  *Ding* *Ding*, let's go!

  Now, Rourke is no stranger to standing in front of fans cheering him on in the ring, as he has a lengthy history of boxing under his belt.  This 

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element, we feel, undoubtedly helped him in fully embracing his character and bringing truth to the hardships a lot of athletes face during their fall from grace.  Randy is a character with immense depth and much like Rourke, he is riddled with the scars that display his plight.  We've got to admit, you can get a little misty on this one if you're not careful.  "Yeah, it's that powerful"!

  As it's stated above, Randy is a wrestler who has long passed his prime in the world of wrestling that begins to feel the walls of reality closing in around him.  He's got to face a lot of the sacrifices that he decided to forego along his rise to the top.  One such sacrifice was his daughter, Stephanie(Wood), that has just about shut him out of her life, due to empty promises and an indefinite absence from her life.  His body has also been under some heavy fire from years of smashing into people, blue mats and worst of all steroids!  You too will admit that after seeing this film, it is the gritter image of fame and fortune associated with wrestling success.    

  Marisa Tome also exhibits some of her greatest assets in the film, by playing a stripper named, Pam.  Pam is a favorite pole dancer of Randy that somehow seems to inspire goodness in his life, but it's a constant struggle because after all she is a paid support.  Somehow, the allure of a scantly-clad woman can bring the best out of some men, but most of the time it's just the  temptation of the illusion that prompts change.  Either way, Pam's character gives Randy strength to make some hard decisions, after he receives a reality check courtesy of Life's Bank.  Talk about a pill, but it's one even the best of us will swallow someday. 

  Overall, the best feature of this film is the "realness" of it, when you see how Randy lives and the choices he's forced to make, you'll understand.  You know one of the missing pieces that media seems to leave out when they talk about stars and celebs, it's that success takes sacrifice!  There's no way you can travel the world and sell millions of records or make dozens of movies without losing in other areas of life.  This movie will definitely cause one to put their own ambitions into perspective, as well all can lose focus on what matters most while pursuing our dreams.  "The Wrestler" is a powerful film that can serve as a wake-up to those that are still within reach of reality.

  So if you haven't had the pleasure of watching "The Wrestler", rent it today!  It's a riveting story of a man clinging on to the only life he knows at the cost of losing everything.  Rourke's status as an actor to watch has definitely jumped a few spots in our book, how about yours?  

  Share this review with others, if you feel that "The Wrestler" is a solid film.

  Thanks for reading!

                                                                                                          -Unhinged Reviews-