Rourke returns to his '80s form in 'The Wrestler'

"The Wrestler" - Darren Aronofsky's "The Wrestler" is a touching but flawed portrait of loneliness that deserves comparison with classic 1970s character studies like Francis Ford Coppola's "The Conversation." Here, it's Mickey Rourke playing the role of the alienated hero, and he doesn't just nail the part, he body-slams it.

Rourke plays Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a professional wrestler who ruled the ring during the wrestling-crazed 1980s but now barely scrapes out a living performing in tiny community centers and union halls. After a heart attack ends his wrestling career, Randy tries to rebuild his life by reaching out to his estranged daughter and a stripper he's sweet on. Neither effort goes as planned. Rourke was one of my favorite actors in the 1980s - rent "The Pope of Greenwich Village," "Diner" or "The Year of the Dragon" if you're unfamiliar with his earlier work - and it's great to see him in a role that appears to be meant for him. Rourke's face, once roguishly handsome, is now puffy and battered - exactly the kind of face you'd expect to see on a middle-aged wrestler. He conveys the Ram's desperation and sadness without ever resorting to cheap theatrics. His restraint is matched by Aronofsky, who abandons the visual pyrotechnics of his previous films ("Requiem for a Dream") in favor of hand-held tracking shots and a gritty, drab color palate. Not everything works in the film; the dialogue could use more punch and I found the Ram's relationship with the stripper to be awkward. But in the end, "The Wrestler" wins.

The DVD comes with a surprisingly meager selection of extras. We get a making-of featurette (without any input from Rourke) and a video for the Bruce Springsteen song that closes the film. The Blu-ray also has a round-table discussion with real wrestlers. That's it? I would have loved an in-depth conversation with Rourke about the movie that brought him back to the A-list. (R; Fox, $29.99 or $39.98 for Blu-ray)

"Frost/Nixon" - A disgraced U.S. president and a popular British talk show host step into the ring for a good old-fashioned smackdown in Ron Howard's "Frost/Nixon," which gets a nice DVD release this week. The film, based on Peter Morgan's stage play, dramatizes the real-life post-Watergate confrontation between former President Nixon and David Frost, who sparred on national television in a tense series of interviews that many believe amounted to a confession of guilt by the ex-president. A movie like this lives or dies by its lead actors. Thankfully, Frank Langella and Michael Sheen, both of whom played these roles on the London stage, deliver the goods. Langella ignites the screen as a seething, calculating Nixon, while Sheen captures the insecurity behind Frost's 200-watt smile and fashionable haircut. The DVD release comes with an engaging commentary from Howard, deleted scenes, a dramatic clip from the real Frost-Nixon interviews and a promotional making-of featurette. (The Blu-ray adds interactive features and more background material.) All in all, a solid release for a well-crafted and well-acted film. (R; Universal, $29.98 or $39.98 for Blu-ray)

"A Galaxy Far, Far Away" (10th anniversary edition) - Geeks go wild in this low-budget documentary about "Star Wars" fandom in the months leading up the release of 1999's "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace." The film has great fun with a priceless collection of oddballs (including a man who raps at "Star Wars" conventions in a Boba Fett costume), but director Tariq Jalil makes them more than punch lines by exploring why they're so devoted to the "Star Wars" franchise. He also pulls off a nifty bit of social criticism when he juxtaposes images of fans clamoring for "Star Wars" toys in a toy store with footage of people clamoring for food in Kosovo. The movie's production values never rise above student-film levels, but it's an entertaining look at a particularly frenzied moment for "Star Wars" devotees. This anniversary reissue comes with deleted scenes, a new commentary and new interviews with Jalil. (NR; Cinevolve Studios, $19.99)