(MCT)

Here, in high school gyms and rundown V.F.W. halls, another form of wrestling exists, this one grittier and more brutal than the one seen weekly on World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) programming. Here is a place where former wrestling stars go to fade away, and it is here where Randy ‘The Ram’ Robinson dwells.

Two decades ago, ‘The Ram’ (expertly played by Mickey Rourke) was a big deal ‘- a bronze-skinned Hercules with flowing, golden locks and an ample fan base. Two decades ago, he was headlining the main event at Madison Square Garden. His fame was so great they even made a video game about him.

Nowadays, life treats Randy a little differently. Living in a trailer he can barely afford the rent on, he spends his weekdays unloading boxes at a local supermarket and his weekends tossing guys half his age into turnbuckles.

What the hell happened? The script, written by Robert D. Siegel, never quite tells.

At first glance, ‘The Wrestler’ seems to have simple intentions. The film is more straightforward than Darren Aronofksy’s previous films, ‘Pi’ (1998) and ‘Requiem for a Dream’ (2000). Although it works best as a character study, those familiar with the world of pro-wrestling will recognize that ‘The Wrestler’ has strengths elsewhere.

With great attention to detail, the film explores the battered side of a sport long-labeled fake by the masses. Relying occasionally on a hand-held camera, Aronofsky brings the film’s New Jersey setting to screen in a grainy, realistic style. Better than the 1999 documentary ‘Beyond the Mat,’ the film exposes the secrets that help hold the illusion of wrestling together.

Backstage, the men are seen joking and mapping out their matches. Once inside the ring, it’s anything goes ‘- barbed wire, window panes and even staples are all familiar props to the trade. Friendships between the men stay strong despite all the gruesome damage they inflict within the ring.

While the matches may be phony, that doesn’t make the wounds any less genuine. Randy’s bronze skin covers over many battle scars, the most vulnerable one concealed by a Ram-shaped medallion as the film reaches its climax. His wounded relationship with his daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) is another scar to bear.

As the anniversary of his legendary Madison Square Garden match approaches, Randy finds himself at a crossroads. On one path, an offer to recreate the match and potentially launch himself again onto a national stage is mentioned, but hardly explored. His second chance comes at a steep cost.

Speaking of comebacks, ‘The Wrestler’ gives its leading man the chance to make one of his own. After striking it big in such films as ‘Diner’ (1982) and ’9 ‘frac12;‘ Weeks’ (1986), Rourke saw his career go belly-up in the 1990′s as a result of a few bad career moves, including a stint as a professional boxer.

In the ring is where Rourke acquired the cuts and scrapes which would ultimately be his undoing: to a series of facial surgeries meant to correct the damage his hard-hitting life had wrought.

By the time 2005′s ‘Sin City‘ hit theaters, Rourke’s once-chiseled face had become barely recognizable ‘- the stuff of plastic surgery cautionary tales. Yet somehow, his mangled visage seems perfectly suited for ‘The Wrestler.’ Rourke, who recently won a Golden Globe for his role here, is nothing short of sensational.

Of equal note in the film is Marisa Tomei (‘My Cousin Vinny’). Tomei co-stars as Cassidy, a stripper who provides Randy with one of his few emotional connections in the outside world.

Many actresses have played strippers in the past, with varying success. Some go too far, as Elizabeth Berkley did in ‘Showgirls’ (1995). Others prefer the Lindsay Lohan approach, which is to work the pole while remaining fully clothed.

Tomei’s approach is of a gutsier variety. She bares her body, and a bit of her soul along the way. Like Randy, her character deals in the illusion business. Both have used their bodies for gain, but unlike Randy, she knows where the performance ends and the real world begins.

Shayna Murphy can be reached at skmurphy@student.umass.edu.