QUEEN OF THE RING

Queen of the Ring is a knockout of a sports biopic thanks to the fiercely brilliant lead performance of Emily Bett Rickards as Mildred Burke that anchors the entire film, that when paired with a great supporting cast, inspiring story and excellently choreographed wrestling sequences, makes for one unmissable sports biopic.

Following in his father’s footsteps, Ash Avildsen is making his own sports drama that takes audiences inside the ring. His father, John G. Avildsen, famously directed the beloved boxing film Rocky that has gone on to define the sports drama genre, and now his son is bringing the story of the first million dollar female athlete in history to the big screen. While not a household name like other famous wrestlers, Mildred Burke revolutionized the wrestling industry and wrote herself into sports history books as a single mother who not only held the title of NWA World Women’s Champion for almost twenty years, but changed the sport for all female wrestlers alongside her business partner and husband. As many sports biopics do, Queen of the Ring details the personal life of Burke alongside her achievements as a professional wrestler and business woman, but it is the lead performance of Emily Bett Rickards as Burke that energizes the film. Combined with a talented supporting cast featuring the likes of Josh Lucas, Walton Goggins, Tyler Posey, and Deborah Ann Woll, and great sound design that puts the audience right in the middle of the ring alongside Burke, this is one biopic that wrestling fans and sport drama fans won’t want to miss.

In a matter of one episode of television, Bett Rickards not only secured herself a leading role on one of the CW’s hottest shows despite only meant to be one episode guest star appearance, but created a beloved character not part of the DC Comics that became central to Arrow, all thanks to her spitfire energy and passion that radiated on screen. And it is that same energy and passion that makes her performance as Mildred Burke commanding from start to finish in Queen of the Ring. As Burke, Bett Rickards undergoes a serious physical transformation, beefing up to portray this iconic female wrestler on screen. Training with the Ohio Valley Wrestling company for weeks before beginning principal photography, Bett Rickards impresses with the physicality of her performance while in the ring, recreating Burke’s signature alligator clutch move and flexing her muscles to become one of the most prominent female wrestlers of the time. But her performance goes beyond that. There is a fierceness that Bett Rickards brings to the role as she captures the drive and determination of this single mother determined to not only become an incredible wrestler, but to raise her son and transform the sport in a time where women in wrestling were not widely accepted. Going from incredibly vulnerable moments where she fully captures the trapped nature of Burke in her marriage and in business, to radiating strength and charm to build her wrestling persona while caring deeply for her fellow wrestlers, it's a brilliant performance from Bett Rickards that encapsulates the term “show-stopping” in every way imaginable.

Equally as impressive as Bett Rickards is the insanely talented supporting cast, which is never short of star power. Lucas is formidable as Burke’s husband Billy Wolfe, capturing all of Wolfe’s inner demons as his jealousy and need for control destroys his relationship with Burke. Posey is touching as Wolfe’s son G. Bill, sharing some beautiful moments with Bett Rickards as they play out the deep relationship between Burke and G. Bill. While not in much of the film, Goggins is terrific as infamous sports promoter Jack Pfefer and never fails to leave a lasting impression on viewers, and Adam Demos does the exact same as legendary wrestler Gorgeous George in a flamboyant turn while also sharing some touching moments with Bett Rickards as George inspires Burke to become the legendary wrestler she is now remembered as. For the major wrestling roles, professional wrestlers Kailey Farmer and Toni Rossall take on the roles of June Byers and Clara Mortensen respectively, creating formidable opponents for Bett Rickards in the fight scenes, while Francesca Eastwood is amazing as the loyal and passionate Mae Young. But, the standout of the supporting cast is Woll as Gladys Gillem. In a limited number of scenes, Woll brings a passion and lively energy to her character that makes Gladys immediately stand out amongst the other wrestlers, but also a gut wrenching heartbreak as Gladys is tossed aside by Wolfe.

Even though the screenplay follows the biopic template pretty closely, never doing anything inventive with the formula, it’s a solid sports biopic that does everything audiences want from the genre. For the uninitiated in the world of wrestling (like this reviewer), the film does a good job of introducing the showmanship, inner-workings and business of the world of wrestling using Burke learning the ropes and building the business with her husband/promoter/manager to inform viewers on the subject matter. Covering her troubled marriage with Billy Wolfe and his infidelity, Burke’s wrestling career and her struggles with the National Wrestling Alliance after her divorce from Wolfe as she ran her own league that competed against Wolfe’s league, the film builds to her epic shoot fight against June Byers, giving the climax of the film Burke’s defining battle to close out the film on. Avildsen does a great job of condensing this chapter of Burke’s life into a two hour and twenty minute film, keeping the story moving and never failing to entertain the audience, while ensuring that his passion for the sport and the legacy of Burke on the sport is never not front and centre.

Being a sports film, the wrestling sequences are vital to the film, and they are impeccably put together. From the top notch fight choreography excellently executed by the cast and stunt team, strong cinematography that both captures the large-scale spectacle of wrestling while making the audience feel right there alongside the wrestlers, these sequences are visually designed for the big screen. Adding to the excitement of these scenes is Aaron Gilhuis’s musical score, some great soundtrack selections and strong sound design that ensures that the entirety of the fight sequences are a true audio visual experience, which all comes together perfectly under Avildsen’s direction.

Confidently bringing the main event to the big screen, Queen of the Ring is an inspiring sports biopic that is everything moviegoers are looking for. Capturing everything that makes the sports biopic genre a certified crowd pleaser with intense wrestling sequences, engaging storytelling that captures Mildred Burke as both a mother and a professional athlete, and an all star cast that gives excellent performances across the board, Queen of the Ring is more than worthy of being seen on the big screen. Led by a spectacular performance by Emily Bett Rickards that captures the spirit, determination and talent of Mildred Burke in every single frame, that armed with strong supporting turns from Francesca Eastwood, Deborah Ann Woll, Josh Lucas and Tyler Posey, Ash Avildsen delivers a sports biopic worthy of being number one on the ticket with Queen of the Ring that is a worthy addition to the genre.