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Despite all the hoopla surrounding Mickey Rourke and his own personal story (which includes leaving acting to become a boxer), the favorite to take home the Oscar for "Best Actor" at this year's awards show is nowhere near to a "lock".
"You would think Rourke pretty much had the Oscar trophy in the bag if you paid attention to all the press accounts," says Payton O'Brien, Senior Editor of the Gambling911.com website. "Not so say the online bookmakers."
Oddsmakers have Mickey Rourke as only a -225 favorite to win the Oscar.
"There is terrific value when it comes to this year's ‘Best Actor' category," says O'Brien.
One only needs to wager $22.50 to win $10 at Bookmaker.com (the original $22.50 bet is returned only if Rourke wins.
His chances are diminished by Sean Penn's portrayal of one time San Francisco mayor, Harvey Milk.
Penn had odds of +125, which pay out $12.50 for every $10 bet.
"For a lot of people, Mickey Rourke is still a ‘lock' but one that requires a nominal risk."
There are of course a handful of long shots that include the likes of Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon) with odds of +600, Brad Pitt (Benjamin Button) paying $50 for every $10 bet, and Richard Jenkins (The Visitor) paying $2500 for every $100 bet.
Colin Covert of the Star Tribune had this to say about Rourke:
"Rourke's performance reminds you why he once was mentioned in the same breath with Brando. Before his wayward years, Rourke did bravura work in "Diner," "Barfly," "Rumble Fish" and "Angel Heart." Here he is after 15 years in the wilderness, aiming to turn his career around with a display of real showmanship. No wonder he identifies with Randy. His acting is deep, quiet and low-key, an unostentatious merging of performer and part."
Jordan Bach, Gambling911.com
