Let's get ready to rumble…

"In this life you can lose everything you love, everything that loves you.

"A lot of people told me that I'd never wrestle again, the only one that's gonna tell me when I'm through doing my thing, is you people here…"

But enough about my personal life, what about this new film that sees a never better Mickey Rourke deliver the performance of a lifetime?

Who'd have thought that the tale of a bruised and haggard washed-up pro wrestler could be so compelling?

I'm not even a fan of the men in spandex generally. But this is a real tour-de-force that sees a lifetime of bad decisions by Rourke finally paying off in the shape of the valiant but broken Randy 'The Ram' Robinson.

Here is a man still living off his halcyon era back in the '80s when he was the star of Nintendo games and had his own blonde mulleted action figure.

Now he ekes out a meagre living playing staged bouts on a local scene that are large on blood and spectacle but low on athleticism.

A shadow of his celebrity chair-breaking pay-per-view days - imagine a more weathered Rocky Balboa in day glow outfit, living in a trailer park and dreaming of finding love before it's too late.

Director Darren Aronofsky follows up his weird and wonderful The Fountain with a semi-documentary of a loveable perpetual screw-up who might have a lion's heart but whose weary frame is simply too old to change.

Can a terminal loser like Randy find redemption in the arms of lap dancer Cassidy (Marisa 'Before the Devil Knows You're Dead' Tomei)?

They certainly share a bond of being past their best and as she struggles as a single mum, he is estranged from his gorgeous daughter Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood).

The New Jersey setting is effectively used, all brutal greys and unflinchingly chilly vistas, which serve as excellent contrast to the cheesy wrestling arenas and neon strip bars.

The Wrestler is an amazing film and is rightly receiving award attention – you can't help but feel that Rourke is exorcising personal demons in this role, which drips self-destructive authenticity from every battered pore.

Aronofsky is gearing up to re-launch the Robocop franchise next, which is a very exciting prospect given his remarkable track record for films to date.

And wherever Rourke goes from here he can look back on having created an iconic screen character that will be long remembered.