Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows

Trying to read a book in the Hart family living room while Stu Hart makes some yokel scream for their lives in the basement. Bring us back to the simpler times of the Monday Night Wars.

Full disclosure: this is a world that I’m happy exists for those who enjoy it, but I have little to no personal interest in it – Hart’s story resembles Herbert Stempel’s; someone who was happy to play a part in a game, until that position no longer served him, and curdled resentment to the game that he benefited from. It’s an angle that Jay seems unwilling or unable to pursue, and the lack of introspection makes the film feel like an audiobook version of a Wikipedia article for the most part.

This was a good documentary that talks about the Montreal screw job and Bret's Hart side of it.

This was probably fascinating shit when it was released but nowadays this feels like a tepid account of the screwjob that spends too much time explaining what wrestling is to the viewer who likely already knows. Some accounts by Bret on the shift of wrestling is interesting and Vince saying "Bret screwed Bret" is a timeless line from this era, but for the most part, this documentary says nothing particularly interesting that you didn't hear countless times from wrestling info sites.

Lessons learned: being the good guy fucking blows, and Sunny was adorable. I watched this for nostalgia because it covered the last year I was a wrestling fan (the Austin-Hart submission match was quality men-in-underwear-pretending-to-fight action), so I don't really care about the controversy. Just take it with a grain of salt, and you're left with a pretty neat doc about the perils of being a babyface in a heel's world.

A raw backstage glimpse into the business of professional wrestling and an eventful turn in the career of one of its most popular stars, a notorious incident where the facade was demolished for all to witness. One-sided for sure, but that's a matter of happenstance, adding another dimension in which a fascinating story just falls into the filmmaker's lap.

A wildly interesting story (full disclosure, I was a big WWF fan beginning shortly after the events depicted took place). However, it is presented with such barebones factual investigation and no style whatsoever. I definitely would not recommend to somebody who isn't independently interested in the story. Even then, you're probably better off just reading Wikipedia.

Arguably the best documentary ever made, this is a story about loyalty, hardwork, respect, and the disturbing shift in attitude of the next generation disillusioned by the heroes of old.

I watched this as part of a Netflix-induced wave of nostalgia recently and enjoyed it immensely. I watched some wrestling growing up and was familiar with Bret Hart, but I had lost interest by the time this doc was made. It's an interesting look into changing times in the wrestling world. Sure to entertain anyone who was ever a wrestling fan and most likely interesting enough to engage those unfamiliar with its subject and protagonist.

Decent documentary that features one of the more infamous incidents in professional wrestling history (I haven't been a wrestling fan in probably 15 years, but I was familiar with it). It drags at times, and that's mostly because I don't find Bret Hart the person to be that interesting. The Hitman character and his interactions with the WWF make it worth a viewing though, even if it feels like there's more to the story than was covered here.