Queen of the Ring

Vancouver’s own Emily Bett Rickards (Arrow) gives a powerhouse performance as Mildred Burke in this rousing sports biopic from Ash Avildsen (son of Rocky director John G Avildsen). Burke was the first million dollar female athlete, winning world championships in the 1930s and 40s at a time when women’s wrestling was illegal in many states. Josh Lucas is Billy Wolfe, the promoter who knows a goldmine when he sees one.

Writer-director Avildsen delivers the tale with an appropriate throwback, slambang style, full of grandstanding speeches and pounding action. But that’s not to say the movie’s themes — about gender, prejudice, and sport — aren’t timely. And Rickards, she’s a knockout.