In gritty Asbury Park, N.J., smooth hustler Wesley Pendergrass (Christopher Walken) tempts struggling boxer Johnny Walker (Mickey Rourke) to help with a jewelry heist, but Johnny is too busy wooing Ruby (Debra Feuer), the pretty owner of a down-and-out local arcade. Foreshadowing his stunning Oscar-nominated comeback in The Wrestler 20 years later, Rourke thrills in this earnest underdog drama directed by Michael Seresin.