2. The Wrestler
A powerful, brutally resonant film, Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler is a stark, warts-and-all character study of a fictional wrestler called Randy "The Ram" Robinson. Robinson, magnificently portrayed by Mickey Rourke, is an 80's wrestling star whose limelight has faded sufficiently enough to have him working in a supermarket and spending his nights with middle-aged mum-turned-stripper, Cassidy (played by George Costanza's favourite actress, Marissa Tomei). Dragging elements wholesale from several other films on this list lent the movie a credibility with wrestling fans that it wouldn't otherwise have and, whilst many wrestlers rushed to bury the film, even more of them openly praised its harrowing, yet sadly accurate, portrayal of the life of a washed-up wrestler. The film isn't really about wrestling, though. It is a dramatic piece about a man coming to terms with his demons (or not, as the case may be). There are problems with the believability of events (at least there are if you are a long time wrestling fan), but when viewing this movie, you have to understand that The Wrestler is about all wrestlers, and none, at the same time. Brilliantly directed, with excellent sound editing and a superb script, The Wrestler was another film that handled the wrestling industry with dignity, poise and heartfelt understanding. A career-best performance from Rourke (that none other than Bret Hart described as "clairvoyant"), gave us a character that we could relate to, whether we wanted to or not. The film is touching, poignant and incredibly humane. It is also an absolutely gutwrenching tragedy that will leave you overwhelmingly moved.