Everything about this movie is good. Right down to the smallest detail, this is a film that just makes sense to me and plays to everything that I love in film. It's going to be a gushing review, but it is well-deserved for such a well-crafted amazing film.
 
To begin though, a little background. I own every movie that Darren Aronofsky has made. I own every soundtrack that Clint Mansell has ever created. I am an unabashed fan of both men and was rooting for this movie since the moment I heard about it. The Fountain, Aronofsky's previous film, stands tall above all others as my favorite movie of all time. It's a beautiful film. So I was championing this movie from day one.
 
Throw in man's man actor Mickey Rourke, one that I have appreciated in his films for the most part (does anyone really like Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man?) and you've got yourself the makings of a great movie.

And that's what this is. This is a film for guys, gals, everybody. It's heartbreakingly honest and sad and poignant and it's about wrestling. A movie more honest and real about an aged fighter could not be found anywhere else. It is the epitome of the new film genre where the aging warrior returns for one last hurrah.

The camera work is downright nauseating at times, but it's played up for the sake of humanity. We're following a man who used to spend his time walking down the catwalk to his wrestling match, and just like the cameras that would follow him to the mats, we follow his back. We follow him on his trip to his landlord and his trip to his job at the supermarket, and in one tremendous scene, to the deli counter where his life has to begin again.
 
On the flipside of him are the women in the movie, Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood. Tomei is perfect in this, playing the female version of Rourke's character in the sense that she is an aging sex symbol that can't be a sex symbol any longer, a stripper no one but Rourke pays attention to. And Wood, as the estranged daughter, is absolutely the weakest part of the film but by this film's standards, it's still a good place to be. She is a daughter scorned and a daughter trying to reconnect, and you feel it.
 
That's the thing about this movie. You feel it. His heartbreak, his pain in the matches, his hearing aid (perfectly complemented by the low squeal you hear when he takes it out), the cold winds in the area and all the pain in his life. You feel it all.
 
I cannot recommend this film enough. I cannot. The theme is fantastic and as haunting as Rourke's performance, and I have to tell you that I am planning to see it again. It's just amazing.

As opposed to the standard slick words to get you to see it, I'm just going to say it: see this film. Be amazed at what a perfect piece of film this is and be proud to have seen it, experienced it, and honestly, learn something about wrestling and you just might find a new reason to enjoy that too. That's the beauty of this film, it is so perfect and well worth the time. It isn't the same overblown crap people generally see in theaters, it's a film and it's perfect filmmaking.