Hitman Hart: Wrestling With Shadows (1998)

Hitman Hart: Wrestling With Shadows (1998)

A documentary capturing one of the most important transition periods in WWF, through the eyes of Canadian wrestling hero Bret Hart

The Very Best

8.5

Movie

Canada, United States of America
English, French
Documentary
1998
PAUL JAY
Bob Marella, Bret Hart, Brian James
93 min

TLDR

Bret Hart being a heel exclusively in the United States pretty much means he’s a good guy.

What it's about

This documentary picks the brain of legendary wrestler Bret “The Hitman” Hart at the height of his WWF popularity in 1997, culminating in the now-infamous "Montreal Screwjob."

The take

This is maybe the last Montreal Screwjob documentary the world will ever need, but in other respects, it’s an incredibly insightful look at the increasingly raunchy late ‘90s WWF through the eyes of the straight-laced Bret “The Hitman” Hart. We get insights into his bond with his sadistic dad Stu Hart, his priorities when caught between a WWF and WCW bidding war, and his loyal fans who in crowd interviews can be described as the coherent and smarter section of the audience. But what makes this one of the greatest and most important pro wrestling documentaries of all time is its divine timing, getting into Bret’s headspace talking about his future before leaving WWF, hearing his wonder before any of the unfortunate events shortly after.

What stands out

Bret is famous for his philosophy that the art in pro wrestling is in never hurting anybody else. I’m glad he took that route, considering the dad he had.

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