Queen of the Ring

Queen of the Ring brings a winning combination of biopic, sports drama, and period piece with such precision and warmth, you feel you could step into Millie Burke's (Emily Bett Rickards) wrestling ring, take the blows, and be happy to experience history as it was lived. It's early 20th century, and Millie Burke, waitress, longs to entertain by wrestling men and women.

As the record has it, she becomes women's world wrestling champion three times while suffering the slings of ambition, from making a fortune, losing it, and wrestling personal relations with the same mixed results. Rickards invests herself physically and mentally in Burke's checkered career, with a fierce ambition and beauty that seems to set the standard for women's liberation.

Her tumultuous relationship with her manager and then husband, Billy Wolf (Josh Lucas), parallels the give and take of the business that grows in front of us from mid-west home style to east-coast complicated, from scripted matches to shoot events with no script. Millie's dogged ambition, which laudably always includes her son, Joe (Gavin Casalegno), is not only remarkably intrepid, but it is also inspirational, rooted as it is in historical fact.

Millie Burke, first million-dollar female athlete in history, is initially seen as a Kansas diner waitress always under the protection of her mother (Cara Buono) but longing to leave and become an entertainer. Given that she can't sing or dance, her muscles show her the way to liberation-wrestling, even if women's wrestling is outlawed in many states.

Despite the sometimes-incoherent, episodic telling, Millie's arc is much like fictional sports stories as she loses everything she's built to Billy but wins back heroically. The Queen of the Ring is a rousing biopic, mostly true, yet faithful to the chronicle of women on the ascendent in the last century. And then there's Rickards' breakout performance . . . .

Queen of the Ring does deal with a fascinating real-life personality and story, and though all of it is well-performed and shot, the film has a "there's a lot going on" feel to it.. which is true, no doubt. Even at 2h 19m, the film can't put all of its weight behind its storytelling. There were several issues faced by women in (professional?) wrestling, and most of those is put across through one easy-to-hate, misogynistic bully named Billy Wolfe (Josh Lucas does a very decent job). The film, however, will be remembered for Emily Bett Rickards -- what a showstopper she is, bringing so much grit and heart to the titular character!

Mildred Burke's story is brushed over in broad strokes, covering her greatest hits and misses. The more you read about Burke, the less those frequent dissolve transitions start to make sense. This can't be told in a couple of hours, but at least the director's heart is in the right place. It was good to see some actual wrestling personalities in the film -- "Timeless" Toni Storm, Jim Cornette, Naomi, and Kamille play important characters, while legendary names like Gladys Gillem, Mae Young, Jack Pfefer, and Gorgeous George are played by more seasoned actors.

You'll also hear a lot of wrestling terminology and a few celebrated quotes. The film, with its limited budget, succeeds in taking us back to a bygone era with its lighting and aesthetics. The wrestling attire and the actual moves? I'm not so sure. They look a lot more contemporary than they're meant to be. But it's CINEMA after all. And a film about wrestling? I'll always be all eyes and ears!

Ask any reviewer how many sports biopics they have seen and the answer will always be "too many." QUEEN is an ambitious little project, you can tell that by the over-two-hour runtime. The pacing, the script, the editing, everything is just slightly uneven and unpolished. However, to compensate, there is a legitimate sense of fun imbued in the film, something not common in these sorts of tales. Lots of hidden talent both in front of and behind the camera. Emily Bett Rickards will shock her fans from the Arrowverse as she digs into the lead role and gives it everything she has got. Behind the camera is the son of one of America's best-known directors, and playing the "heel" in the story is a young woman with sharply defined features not seen since the days of Clint Eastwood. His daughter, in fact. Entertaining. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

Fantastic movie! Incredibly moving and great to watch with the whole family! Highly recommend!

Outstanding performances from the cast and an amazing script!

Great for fans of wrestling and and history alike!

Incredibly well produced as well. Is truly an inspiring performance and message.

Incredible casting with Emily Bett Rickards as the leading role of Mildred Burke. Josh Lucas shines in this as well.

As a wrestling fan, I would highly recommend learning about the queen of the ring herself. Amazing cinematic adaptation of the novel as well.

Praise for cast and crew through the whole film!

I watched Queen of the Ring expecting a wrestling movie similar to The Iron Claw. As a wrestling fan, I was excited to see familiar wrestlers' faces I currently watch, but the movie felt rushed. The subpar supporting actors and the hurried storyline made it hard to form an emotional connection with the characters. I'm not familiar with the main character's background, but I wish the film had explored her origins and upbringing in more details. What I enjoyed most was the soundtrack, which set the mood and carried me through the movie, despite its challenges. The main villain, June, was a standout-her minimal dialogue and badass presence were perfection. Overall, the story felt underdeveloped, and with more time, a detailed narrative could have elevated the film significantly.