What a piece of garbage. I don't even want my adult kids watching it. Bordered on porn and this is what gets the awards, sad state of affairs. Should have just walked out, my mistake.

The performances are quite wonderful, making the movie worthwhile. Too bloody by half for my comfort level. What makes this film special is the comeback performance of an aging actor, playing a comback performance as a wrestler. There's poetry to it.

This movie is good for the both the wrestling fan and non-fan alike. Wrestling fans are indulged into the world of which they wish they had a larger window and non fans will finally understand that YES, wrestling is staged.....but the word FAKE is relative in the world of wrestling. Little is left to the imagination in the ring leaving us with a sense of having the magician's illusion revealed......not so much fun, is it? We finally understand that pain and sacrifice that goes into the presentation of our present day super-human mythical gods, and what happens to those gods when they are washed up and have nothing left.

We finally got to see this movie today. Mickey Rourke was incredible in the movie - he created a character that was inherently kind but a man who was also his own worst enemy. Some scenes you wanted to hug him - such as when he was serving customers in the deli and having something nice to say to each of them - and in other scenes where he would set up screwing up his life in yet another way you wanted to throttle him. He's created a very memorable character in Randy the Ram- one that stays with you well after you leave the theater. Marissa Tomei- gutsy decision for her to play this role and she did it, as usual, very very well. Her portrayal of Cassidy was one of a streetwise yet vulnerable woman. She shines in this film. Evan Rachel Wood was also wonderful in her limited role. It was a difficult film at times to watch- the wrestling scenes were very intense - but through it all you keep watching because you've come to care for Randy the Ram. Well worth seeing.

This movie finally proves to me how useless Fandago is in terms of reading the 'fan rating' scale as to weather or not you need to see a movie. If anyone rates this less than 'go' then they simply are one of three things: A) under the age of 17 and buy their clothes at the mall and TOTALLY love Twilight, B) On drugs or C) Illiterate and unschooled in truly great cinema and have only seen 80's comedies and nothing prior. Mickey Rourke is so bare and bold and the movie so daring and honest and real, it left me speechless - it has been YEARS since I've seen such an emotionally honest film. I don't know what Rourke has gone through in his life, but this is a man who wears his tortured soul inside out. His face is startling and his deep, pained eyes are so amazing. He will be nominated for Best Actor and at this point, from what I've seen (minus Revolutionary Road, which is pretty damn amazing), he deserves to win. Fantastic movie and a home run on all counts. See it. Now.