April 15th, 2014: Full Disclosure, I’ve been weaned on Saturday afternoon Maple Leaf Wrestling from an early age. The joys that wrestling provided with its hero / antihero paradigm and comic book theatrics became reality for young boys everywhere. And as wrestling evolved from its down-market independent circuits to the multi-billion dollar global entertainment brand that we have today, Director Igal Hecht, chronicles the harrowing story of one wrestler who risked everything to escaped the ravages of his homeland so he could live the American dream. The Sheik is the story of one man’s fight for his identity, his family and his career.
Born Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, better known in wrestling circles as the Iron Sheik. His successful transition from the Shah of Iran’s bodyguard to an assistant coach with the US Olympic Wrestling Team to an American pop cultural icon was a hard fought success story that came at a very high price. Creating the villainous Iron Sheik brand was achieved through an amalgam of geopolitical predicated on national fears of Islam and the Iranian Hostage Crisis which solidified The Sheik as the ultimate wrestling antihero in the eyes of Americans. This catapulted the Iron Sheik into the embodiment of evil and revulsion within the squared circle. And it was this fear that became the catalyst for the preeminent wrestling matchup in 1984 to decide the World Wrestling Federation Championship that forever changed the wrestling landscape as we know it: The Iron Sheik vs Hulk Hogan.
Verdict: 4 out of 5: At its core, The Sheik is the classic story of perseverance, reinvention and survival. Meticulously framed within the timelines of Vaziri’s Iranian homeland, the evolution of American wrestling, a family tragedy and the rise of social media, we bear witness to the roots of what made this man a legend. Hecht delivers with unflinching clarity the darker side of wrestling in the most tell-all way as the biggest names in wrestling narrate personal jabs on the good, the bad, and the very ugly of their sport. Many of today’s legends have these early pioneers to thank for their success; none more so than one of the most hated wrestlers who helped pave the way for the creation of a global wrestling empire.
Pure wrestling skills brought him to America, and pure wrestling skill made him a legend.
Genre: Documentary, Biography
Country: Canada
Language: English
Release Date: April 26th, 2014
Director: Igal Hecht
Writer: Igal Hecht, Jian Magen, Jake Neiman
Producers: Igal Hecht, Aaron Avruskin, David Keystone, Stuart Stone
Premiere: World Premiere
Runtime: 95 Minutes
Website: http://www.sheikmovie.com/
Cast: Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, Caryl Vaziri, Nicole Vaziri, Tanya Viziri, Dwyane Johnson, Mick Foley, Bret Hart, James Ware, Jake Roberts, Christopher Alan Pallies, Ron Simmons, Jimmy Hart, Josip Nikolai Peruzovic, Jim Duggan, Seth Green, Hulk Hogan, Jack Black, Bobby Orton Sr, Jian Magen, Page Magen, Jim Ross, Keith Elliott Greenberg
