If you haven’t seen the Wrestler yet, what are you waiting for? Don’t you think it’s at the top of everyone’s movie downloads queue for a reason? Actually, you’re probably sick of hearing about the movie at this point, so why not just watch the darn thing and get it over with?

The heart, soul and body of the movie is Mickey Rourke’s performance as Randy The Ram Robinson. Well, his real name is Robin Ramzinski. He was a huge star in the hair metal eighties days of wrestling, but has since faded into obscurity. Now he wrestles on the weekends, but it doesn’t quite pay the bills, and he has to supplement that by putting in hours at the local grocery store.

Randy’s lifestyle has alienated everyone he’s ever loved and seriously done a number on his body. He has to see if he can make a comeback, both in the ring, where he’s washed up, and in his personal life, where he doesn’t even have a loyal fanbase to keep him going.

The movie is heart wrenching, incredibly emotional, and while it shows Randy as he is, as a man who has hurt himself and others with his lifestyle, it never judges him or looks down on him. Randy the Ram is a lovable guy, and it becomes tragic that all cannot be forgiven so easily.

Again, it’s all about Mickey Rourke here. The story of the Wrestler is as much his as it is Randy’s. Rourke himself has made a few mistakes, and just like Randy, was on the comeback trail. So the result is that he doesn’t just play this role, he lived it. Interestingly, the role was going to go to Nicholas Cage, but Cage dropped out so that Rourke could take it.

This resulted in a smaller budget which actually helps to improve the movie. Randy wrestles for smaller crowds, not packed stadiums with the WWE, so this really drives home his passion. Whether he’s wrestling for a few dozen or a few thousand, he always gives every last drop of sweat and blood to the ring.

The story is an old one, the characters are stock, but it never feels cliche or predictable. The movie is invested with such real humanity that it really feels like a unique, one of a kind tale of loss and redemption. Even if you weren’t so big on Pi and Requiem for a Dream, this may be Darren Aronofsky’s masterpiece, and it certainly shows a deeper level of humanity than his previous efforts.

The movie manages to warm your heart and break it at the same time. It’s something like Rocky meets Raging Bull in the world of sports movies, and the ending carries a double meaning. We won’t spoil it for you, but it’s worth a moment of reflection after the acoustic Bruce Springsteen song plays out over the end credits.

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