THE WRESTLER

Year: 2008
USA: Fox Searchlight
UK: Optimum Releasing
Cast: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Mark Margolis, Todd Barry, Wass Stevens, Judah Friedlander, Ernest Miller, Dylan Summers, Tommy Farra, Mike Miller, Marcia Jean Kurtz, John D'Leo, Ajay Naidu, Gregg Bello, Scott Siegel, Maurizio Ferrigno, Donnetta Lavinia Grays, Andrea Langi
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Country: USA
USA & UK: 109 mins
USA Rated: R for violence, sexuality/nudity, language and some drug use
UK Certificate: 15 contains strong bloody wrestling violence, strong language, sex and drug use
USA Release Date: 17 December 2008
UK Release Date: 16 January 2009

Synopsis

Back in the late '80s, Randy "The Ram" Robinson (Mickey Rourke - SIN CITY) was a headlining professional wrestler. Now, twenty years later, he ekes out a living performing for handfuls of diehard wrestling fans in high school gyms and community centres around New Jersey.

Estranged from his daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) and unable to sustain any real relationships, Randy lives for the thrill of the show and the adoration of his fans. However, a heart attack forces him into retirement. As his sense of identity starts to slip away, he begins to evaluate the state of his life.

He attempts to reconnect with his daughter and strikes up a blossoming romance with an aging stripper (Marisa Tomei - BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD). Yet all this cannot compare to the allure of the ring and passion for his art, which threatens to pull Randy "The Ram" back into his world of wrestling.

Directed and produced by Darren Aronofsky (REQUIEM FOR A DREAM).