DVD: The Wrestler

Reviewed,Nicholas Barber
Sunday 31 May 2009 00:00 BST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

On paper, The Wrestler is a trite story about a washed-up 1980s wrestling superstar (Mickey Rourke) attempting to woo a stripper (Marisa Tomei) and to reconnect with his estranged daughter (Evan Rachel Wood). But Darren Aronofsky makes it all appear as real and bleak as any documentary, both at the wrestler's trailer-park home and during the gruesome bouts he puts himself through for ever-smaller audiences. Rourke is horribly believable as a musclebound has-been.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in