Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows was made in 1995, during a major boom period in professional wrestling. It was an era when Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock were coming into their own, and when the “reality” of the sport was no longer in question. What mattered most was the spectacle and the enjoyment. During this time, Bret Hart was also dominating wrestling headlines, but not for his fame, fortune, or well-earned respect. Instead, he found himself at the center of a Vince McMahon deal gone bad, and he walked away with a documentary that exposed it all.
An idealized hero, Bret Hart fully buys into the concept of doing the right thing, both in his personal life and as a WWE character. Vince McMahon, on the other hand, plays the villain, and the line between his real-life persona and his on-screen character is far less clear. Their paths cross from the very origins of the WWE and ultimately collide at a moment when the company itself appears on the verge of collapse.
Unable to separate his real-life identity from his fictional character, Bret loses sight of the difference and falls prey to the darker realities of wrestling entertainment. McMahon, however, seems incapable of recognizing a difference at all, ultimately failing to honor a departing hero in his final days with the company.
By offering a rare and intimate glimpse into the reality behind professional wrestling, the film solidifies these two figures both as wrestling icons and as real human beings. In the end, Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows reveals just how real these larger-than-life characters truly are, both inside and outside the ring.
Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows
http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/hitman_hart_wrestling_with_shadows
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