ironhorse_iv Review of Beyond the Mat

Beyond the Mat (1999)

Try telling these men that wrestling is fake!!!!

[7/10 · 26 February 2013]

A Sport Documentary with Attitude, Director Barry Blaustein focuses on the lives of pro-wrestlers both inside and outside of the ring, primarily Mick Foley, Terry Funk, and Jake the Roberts. These three will make up the bulk of the documentary time focus on them. Mick Foley aka Mankind, Catcus Jack, and Dude Love is a man on the top of his career, famous for taking increasingly risky bumps (Stunts) whom family is worry about his safety. In one famous scene, Mick Foley's family watching ring side is nearly put into tears after seeing their father and husband be beaten up by Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson at a WWE PPV 'Royal Rumble'. Mick can't see that the abuse he takes on his body is hurting his family. Another wrestler focus on is Terry Funk whom can't find himself retiring even with him being 53 years old at the time of shooting and past his prime. Terry Funk represent the man who would die in the ring, rather than quit the business. A Randy 'The Ram' Robinson like personality whom just looking for the next big comeback. Lastly, the film focus on a wrestler who is at his rock bottom. Jake 'The Snake' Roberts whom popularity height reach in the 1980's is now in the late 1990's a crack cocaine addict that estranged from everybody he call family. His daughter wants no part of him, and his father doesn't want to speak to him. Yes, there will be short knit bits of other wrestlers in the film, such as short lived career puking Darren Drozdov, the movie star dreaming New Jack, and two wrestlers Tony Jones and Michael Modest trying to get a try out. The director spent three years endeavoring to understand the mindset of someone who would voluntarily choose to become a professional wrestler. Blaustein interviews a wide variety of wrestling personalities and ascertains their motivations. What the movie lacks is interviews with the big time wrestlers of the time, Undertaker, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Triple H, and The Rock. It would be nice to see what their take on the business is. Another problem with the film is while they were able to film both in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Federeration, I felt that when World Championship Wrestling refused to participate in the film, it really made the film missing opinions of those wrestlers. The interview questions could have been more driven to talking about more serious key issues dealing with pro-wrestling such as steroids, wrestling union, and the sense of faking- violence. There are a couple of laughs in the movie, but the overall effect is much more depressing than it is humorous. The self-mutilations in the movie might be hard to watch for non-wrestling fans. For the wrestling fans, this is a must watch, so check it out.