“I am a sucker for redemption stories, so I would have to say Mickey Rourke [for Best Actor]. I thought it was a vulnerable, stripped-down, raw and brave performance by somebody who has climbed his way out of what seems like a bottomless pit. It was an excellent performance. It really reminded me of all the things that I loved about Mickey Rourke in the early years, and part of that is just kind of a fearlessness to expose himself to whatever it takes to get the performance across.” — L.A. Times critic Betsy Sharkey in a 2.11 L.A. Times q & a conducted by Patrick Goldstein and also including Kenneth Turan, titled “Film experts reconsider the Oscar nominees.”
