"The Wrestler" ***1/2 (out of four): Darren Aronofsky's most personal film in years is a small character study, featuring a ferocious, career-capping performance by Mickey Rourke.

After 1998's aggressively independent head-trip "Pi" and 2000's bravura drug epic "Requiem for a Dream", director Darren Aronofsky established himself as a visionary filmmaker with a talent for bringing a visceral immediacy to his craft. Six years, and nearly as many leading men, later he returned with 2006's unfairly maligned but fairly overlooked elegy "The Fountain". Now, perhaps seeking a return to his independent roots, Mr. Aronofsky takes a step back to his indie roots with "The Wrestler", a small character study about an over-the-hill pugilist coming to terms with the inevitable passage of time. And who better to accompany Mr. Aronofsky back to basics than Mickey Rourke, the one-time sex symbol (remember "Nine 1/2 Weeks"? "Angel Heart"?) who, after years of hard-living and questionable decision-making, has found something of a resurgence playing hardened thugs with soft hearts ("Domino", "Sin City"). Mr. Rourke is the film's bruised, battered heart and soul.

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