As a 47 year old fan of old school 80s wrestling, I actually witnessed the action in this drama at the time, so I was really looking forward to this one as I was hugely let down by Iron Claw, which is one of the worst movies I've ever seen.
This is by far the best drama or film about wrestling ever made, simply because the actual wrestling action is done properly. The girls in this show are outstanding. At first I thought they had used actual wrestlers but apparently not, these actresses have done a pheonomenal job at working in the ring.
The only downside is that after a really strong start, it takes some liberties with reality in the middle. At the point where Matsumoto turns into the heel character of Dump, they portray her as actually psychotic, in and out of the ring, instead of focusing on how well she created the character to convince the audience that she was psychotic. I get that's it probably for entertainment sake but I think it would have been more realistic, and more of a tribute to the legendary wrestler, to show that she was a really good entertainer instead of an out of control lunatic in real life.
However, that small blip aside, this is done really well. Filmed beautifully, well paced and accurate in portraying Japanese pro wrestling at the time, the costumes and styling of 1980s Japan is really on point.
If you're an 80s wrestling fan then this is gonna be right up your street and it's great to see the nostaligic action recreated on the screen. And if you're not a wrestling fan and you are not aware of the inner workings of the ring then this is pure entertainment and action, and not to be missed. Fantastic job.
