Film Review – Ashby

After restoring his professional reputation with 2008’s “The Wrestler,” star Mickey Rourke encountered difficulty maintaining the momentum, following up his award-winning work with forgettable B-movies such as “The Courier,” “Java Heat,” and “Black November.” “Ashby” brings Rourke back to the realm of thespian possibility, once again playing a vulnerable old soul in a leathered profession, required to display intricate feelings as the screenplay mixes in some tough guy antics as well. He’s low-key but effective in the picture, which periodically struggles to make sense of itself, showing more skill with comedy than penetrating drama as it attempts to manage a quirky plot with a degree of emotional authenticity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com