Bullz-Eye.com’s Jason Zingale explains how Mickey Rourke lives up to the hype with a memorable performance in “The Wrestler.”
An engaging character study of a man seeking redemption, “The Wrestler” may be overly sentimental and even a bit long, but Randy is such an interesting subject that you don’t really mind. This is the movie Sylvester Stallone wish he made with “Rocky Balboa,” and though the story itself is predictable, it’s the smaller moments within that elevate the character to something beyond just a two-dimensional clown in a pair of flashy tights. Mickey Rourke’s powerhouse performance is a heartbreaking tour de force that only gets better with each passing minute, and though he has some stiff competition from the likes of Frank Langella, you’d be kidding yourself if you don’t think Rourke will still be a frontrunner at this year’s Oscars.
Bruce Springsteen wrote and sang one of the songs from the film, as you can hear in the trailer below. Rourke explains how that came about:
“I wrote Bruce a letter, because we’ve known each other over twenty years, and he knows what I used to be, or whatever. Where I went. What I’d been reduced to. I told him how I felt lucky now and didn’t have to end up being this guy, being Randy (character from The Wrestler). A while later I got a call in the middle of the night: he said he’d written a little song, for nothing. It’s fucking beautiful, right? I was honoured he took the time, because he’s a busy cat. I mean, I’m so goddam proud of this magical movie and to have Bruce’s input… ain’t nobody in Hollywood with all their millions can just ring the man and he’ll do a song, y’know?”
