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(1 - 50) of 56 OFCS Rating: 98% Fresh Page   12   > Next 5/5 "Rourke brings a staggering amount of emotional weight to the role of Randy."   Eye for Film   Amber Wilkinson 4.5/5 "It's brutal yet sincere, funny yet solemn -- Darren Aronofsky has made a remarkable film that expertly depicts the reality of a sport it both honours and berates."   Cut Print Review   Anders Wotzke 3.5/4 "The most haunting sports film, or at least the most haunting film about the margins of a sport, since Fat City"   Film Freak Central   Bill Chambers 4.5/5 "Darren Aronofsky's sensational The Wrestler marks a major comeback for Mickey Rourke and '70s style filmmaking in general."   PopMatters   Bill Gibron 5/5 "The Best Film of 2008"   Filmcritic.com   Blake French A "Aronofsky appears to be on an impressive trek to discover his humanistic filmmaking reflexes, and "The Wrestler" is a stupendous achievement of tone and emotional fullness to be pored over long after the end credits roll."   BrianOrndorf.com   Brian Orndorf "...a scrupulously-controlled exercise in humiliation and expurgation, where both Aronofsky and Rourke look to cleanse themselves of past excesses with their tale of transcendent pain."   PopMatters   Chris Barsanti 4.5/5 "the resurrection, renovation, and reinvention of Mickey Rourke"   Filmcritic.com   Chris Cabin 9/10 "It succeeds as a character study, as a drama, as a comedy, and as a sports film. This is a remarkable achievement by any standard."   DVDTown.com   Christopher Long B+ "Aronofsky invokes a fierce blue-collar integrity that supports the idiosyncrasies of the story's pro wrestling milieu... "The Wrestler" is an independent gem."   ColeSmithey.com   Cole Smithey 3.5/4 "...a deliberately-paced yet consistently compelling character study that undoubtedly marks the high point of Darren Aronofsky's career."   Reel Film Reviews   David Nusair A "The 57-year-old Rourke makes a triumphant comeback."   Ozus' World Movie Reviews   Dennis Schwartz "'The Wrestler' meshes the spectacle entertainment of cinema and sports with the tale of a man who without apology does what he does best."   ReelTalk Movie Reviews   Donald J. Levit 3.5/4 "Rapturously enthralling and deeply poignant, one of the year's best. Mickey Rourke gives the performance of a lifetime."   DustinPutman.com   Dustin Putman 4/5 "El luchador es una de esas películas que reivindican toda una carrera llena de altibajos, o que justifican la mera perseverancia de un actor, por más bueno o malo que hayamos creído que era."   Uruguay Total   Enrique Buchichio A "Has a lot to say about America's entertainment and celebrity culture, and it tells a poignant story in the process."   EricDSnider.com   Eric D. Snider "In his least gimmicky film yet, Aronofsky ditches his usual skittery stylistics in favor of a relaxed atmosphere of seediness and a comeback-kid performance from Mickey Rourke."   Slant Magazine   Fernando F. Croce 3.5/4 "Aronofsky has devised one of the most gritty and intensely authentic sports flicks in recent memory. Rourke is absorbingly raw and reflective...deeply affecting in its razor-like observations"   Movie Eye   Frank Ochieng B+ "Thanks to both Aronofsky and Rourke it proves an honest and moving portrait of a man in the twilight of a career that's both made and destroyed him."   One Guy's Opinion   Frank Swietek 4/5 "A compelling and poignant anatomy of an over-the-hill wrestler's encounter with the excruciating pain and isolation of loneliness."   Spirituality and Practice   Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat B+ "The slow-burning engine at the heart of the film is Rourke, whose tender, subtle turn is a revelation."   Modern Fabulousity   Gabriel Shanks 3.5/4 "Mickey Rourke, who has been flying under the radar for nearly two decades, makes this a comeback to remember."   ReelViews   James Berardinelli 4/4 "Rourke wears his scars (both physical and emotional) with such naked humanity that his performance becomes a kind of on-screen outpouring of his own grief and waylaid potential"   Q Network Film Desk   James Kendrick 5/5 "Don't believe the hype -- or, more importantly, look past it; The Wrestler offers viewers far more than just Rourke's performance -- which, it must be said, is excellent -- if they're willing to not flinch from what it has to say."   Cinematical   James Rocchi 3.5/4 "Aronofsky's film demands much from its audience but, unlike the great majority of films, it repays with its tenderness of heart and soul, its wrenching and disarming sincerity."   Cinema Writer   Jay Antani 8/10 "La réussite de The Wrestler repose évidemment sur la performance phénoménale d'un Mickey Rourke que nous n'aurions jamais cru capable d'une telle intensité dramatique"   Panorama   Jean-François Vandeuren 9/10 "The absolute key to the movie's success is that it's mainly one actor playing one man in a way that we can join him inside his skin, and that's all the movie needs to be about, just pure pathos."   Window to the Movies   Jeffrey Chen "Parental Content Review"   Screen It!   Jim Judy 3.5/4 "Darren Aronofsky's most personal film in years is a small character study, featuring a ferocious, career-capping performance by Mickey Rourke."   Big Picture Big Sound   Joe Lozito B "an intimate insider view to the world of professional wrestling"   Old School Reviews   John A. Nesbit 2.5/4 "Rourke is convincing and honest, marvelous and touching, but he's not required to channel emotions that linger far and away from the man he has become."   Bangitout.com   Jordan Hiller 2.5/4.0 "Although suffering from a formulaic story, Mickey Rourke will make you believe that Randy 'The Ram' Robinson really existed."   MovieCrypt.com   Kevin A. Ranson 3.5/5 "[Rourke] turns out a fine, sensitive, dramatic performance"   7M Pictures   Kevin Carr 4/4 "Manages not to make this washed up wrestler a joke, just an "old broken down piece of meat" for whom we feel tremendous empathy."   Montreal Film Journal   Kevin N. Laforest B+ "..a sad and eloquent tale of what once was crumbling to dust, a final roar against the oncoming inevitability."   Reeling Reviews   Laura Clifford "Mickey Rourke's mesmerizing, road-wreck performance as [a] washed-up wrestler ... is the only reason to sit through The Wrestler's cliches"   Miss FlickChick   Maitland McDonagh 8/10 "Darren Aronofsky tells a solid character-driven drama with simplicity and impact."   rec.arts.movies.reviews   Mark R. Leeper 3.5/4 "It's not the comeback, it's the writing and the characters"   Movie Habit   Marty Mapes 3.5/5 "The Wrestler turns into a piece of wildly uneven inspiration ... It's as if a zero-degree work of realism -- like Lance Hammer's magnificent Ballast -- gets body-slammed by the classical three-act structure."   Film Threat   Matthew Sorrento 3.5/4 "Aronofsky handily debunks any of the previous, common criticisms of flash over substance."   TheMovieReport.com   Michael Dequina 4/4 "The Wrestler offers Mickey Rourke a chance at redemption with the role of a lifetime. It's safe to say that he body slams it."   Aisle Seat   Mike McGranaghan 3.5/4 "Annihilation and resurrection are the twin axes upon which The Wrestler turns."   Slant Magazine   Nick Schager 5/5 "... é nestas similaridades entre realidade e ficção, intérprete e personagem, que O Lutador ganha uma dimensão adicional que o torna ainda mais forte e impactante."   Cinema em Cena   Pablo Villaca 5/5 "Rourke's work is both the best performance seen by an actor in 2008 and tops even his "Sin City" turn as the very best thing he has done in his entire career."   eFilmCritic.com   Peter Sobczynski 4.5/5 "In addition to the pungent writing and direction, the film features a truly stunning performance from Rourke"   Shadows on the Wall   Rich Cline 5/5 "Will work best for you if you have any residual affection left for Mickey Rourke."   eFilmCritic.com   Rob Gonsalves B+ "Rourke is sensational, but for me it's Aronofsky's handheld takes that steal the show... achingly, effortlessly evoking the time that hangs on every choice and missed opportunity."   Projection Booth   Rob Humanick A "The balance and nuance of this portrait hold realities that perhaps only Rourke can fully understand."   Flipside Movie Emporium   Rob Vaux B+ "A conventional sports movie with an Oscar-worthy performance by Mickey Rourke."   Laramie Movie Scope   Robert Roten B "Pro wrestling fans are the obvious target audience for "The Wrestler" but Rourke's fine performance, Aronofsky's craftwork directing and the well-written script by Robert D. Siegel should garner interest from others, too."   Reeling Reviews   Robin Clifford  (1 - 50) of 56 OFCS Rating: 98% Fresh Page   12   > Next