Darren Aronofsky’s new movie “The Wrestler,” which won the top prize at this year’s Venice Film Festival, stars Mickey Rourke as professional wrestler Randy „The Ram” Robinson, whose golden days in the ring have long faded away.

The production shows Randy trying to relive his superstar moments with a comeback match before which he delivers a heart-warming speech to the crowd anxious to see some bone-crushing.

Still, the lead character is not the only making a comeback with this new film, since the actor who portrays him, Mickey Rourke, is taking a leaf out of Robinson’s book and showing the audience what he’s made of.

Rourke’s exquisite performance as the washed up wrestler breathing steroids through his every pore until his heart cannot take it any longer and the man needs to undergo bypass surgery makes for a perfect comeback for the 52-year-old actor.

Alcohol and substance abuse problems pushed Mickey Rourke down a plummeting path concerning his career, while his attempt to become a professional boxer after having given up acting only left him with a disfigured face that rendered him almost unrecognizable.

Now, the role of Randy Robinson could make the spotlight shine on him yet again and even earn him an Academy Awards nomination, as rumor has it.

„The Wrestler” also stars Evan Rachel Wood, who portrays Randy’s estranged daughter unable to forgive him for having left his family and Marisa Tomei, who gives life to a local New Jersey stripper preventing Robinson from falling prey to an emotional break-down.