There are matches to be fought here thanks to strong womanhood.
Professional wrestling dramas come in different formats. There was “Unstoppable,” which was about the one-legged wrestler Anthony Robles; there was “The Wrestler” with Mickey Rourke playing an aging wrestler with health and financial issues; there was “Fighting with My Family,” which was about young professional wrestler Saraya Bevis; there was “Foxcatcher,” which was about the Schultz brothers and the billionaire John du Pont; and there was “The Iron Claw,” which was about the Von Erichs. Those are just some examples and there’s too many to name, so I apologize if I left anyone else out.
So now, we have “Queen of the Ring,” this one focusing on the female wrestler Mildred Burke (1915-1979) and set in a time when women’s pro wrestling was illegal. She was able to take her chances to prove what she can do, and what women can do even in the fighting and entertainment world. And this movie is worthy of Burke’s story, because of how it honors her determination and narrative without overselling itself. After all, it is an independent film released by Sumerian. And I’m sure that it will find a good amount of movie-goers, if not big crowds. At least some people still know good movies when they’re hidden.
We see Mildred Burke (Emily Bett Rickards from “Brooklyn” and TV’s “Arrow”) as a single mother with one son named Joe (Gavin Casalegno), a waitress job, and a passion for wrestling. Despite the time period of 1935, when women’s pro wrestling was illegal, she asks promoter Billy Wolfe (Josh Lucas) to train her. And given her recent fighting successes, he makes her his wife. Despite his unfaithfulness and chauvinistic and abusive manner, the only reason she agrees to marry him is to make sure she doesn’t get cheated out of the wrestling contract.
Among the issues in Mildred’s life, Billy’s son G. Bill (Tyler Posey) loves her, while his father rejects the idea of divorce for the sake of his son’s happiness. Mildred’s son hates the fact that his classmates ask him about his famous mother, and she responds: “So now I’m a burden to you?.” That’s why he wants to drop out of school. And her divorce from Billy will not be as financially successful.
We also get to see other female wrestlers like Gladys Gillem (Deborah Ann Woll), Mae Young (Francesca Eastwood), and June Byers (Kamille, a real life professional wrestler) on the wrestling tour. Adam Demos plays Mildred’s flamboyant friend who would earn the name Gorgeous George. And Walton Goggins appears as another promoter named Jack Pfefer, who is probably more responsible than Billy Wolfe.
“Queen of the Ring” doesn’t have much development in some of the supporting characters like Mildred’s son and her lover, which can be lagging sometimes, but it does reflect on the personality and courage of this woman and what she has accomplished in the fighting world. I’ve never heard of Rickards before, and I almost thought Margaret Qualley was playing her when I saw the trailer, but she does a terrific job merging with Mildred as both a fighter and a mother. And she also has some fine supporting work from Lucas, Eastwood, and Demos.
Written and directed by Ash Avildsen (whose credits include “American Satan” and “Paradise City”), the movie also likes to forget about the police making arrests for what was considered illegal at the time, and focus more on the strong womanhood inside or outside the wrestling world. We should thank Mildred for inspiring many of our female fighters to take risks and make names for themselves. And this is coming from a film critic who doesn’t watch fighting matches.