Mickey Rourke's performance in The Wrestler is incredible.

One of those movies that I have been putting off for years and finally got around to watching. Rourke absolutely nailed the character of an athlete who is passionate about the sport he practices but whose body just isn't keeping up anymore. The movie really showcases how physically demanding professional wrestling is. He definitely trained hard in order to transform himself into Randy Robinson.

I really liked how his character didn't have a big ego. His is someone who is very good at what he does, yet remains humble. All the wrestlers that he interacts with greatly respect him. When he told that up-and-coming wrestler that he had serious potential, you could tell that he was sincere and meant it. He didn't just brush him off. He remembered how hard it was to make his mark in the sport and knew that inspiring words from a small time legend would go a long way. Additionally, all the scenes of him being reminded of his glory days are superbly acted. The contrast between the excited fans and a man who is reminiscing being on top of the world when he was in his prime was powerful.

After finding out that his heart attack could prevent him from wrestling for the rest of his life, he is devastated and doesn't exactly know how to process that information. He decides to focus on life outside this fictional macho character that he played in the ring for so long. Some of my favorite scenes in the movie where in the deli that he ends up working in. At first, you can see just how much he dreads having to work such a slow job, constantly having to talk to co-workers and customers, when he is someone who mostly keeps to himself. However, as time passes, he starts to realize that it isn't so bad and he actually enjoys interacting with a ton of people and seems genuinely happy. When he has his meltdown in the deli later on, it really is sad.

This is without question my favorite Mickey Rourke performance and I get why he was nominated for an Oscar.

Submitted September 24, 2021 at 10:28PM by Schnitzel129 https://ift.tt/3EO8DX5