In Mexico, the fight between good and evil has been waged every week for decades, thrilling generations of fans with the spectacle of Lucha Libre. Real-life superheroes and villains, these masked wrestlers put their lives on the line night after night to entertain the legions of fans. Gaining unprecedented access to all the major Lucha promotions, Alex Hammond and Ian Markiewicz offer an entertaining, no holds barred look at some of the sport’s top performers, featuring the “1000% Guapo” Shocker, Luchador heir Blue Demon Jr, the tragic hardcore wrestler El Hijo Del Perro Aguayo, and extreme American bodybuilder Jon “Strongman” Andersen. Lucha Mexico goes behind the mask, on a journey into the heart of Mexico.

The little I know of Lucha Libre is the few wrestlers that crossed over the US wrestling during the period I was watching it (mostly mid to late 90s). I’ve never watched Mexican wrestling and the larger than life characters are an area I know little about.

This documentary is a fascinating dive into that world, perfect for folks interested in finding out more about this world of masked heroes and villains. The spectacle of Lucha Libre is different than American wrestling, though there’s some things the two share. There’s a long history and love for the two styles, but the mask versus non-masked is an example of something that’s very unique to the Lucha Libre style.

Revolving around a few of those personalities, the film is a great introduction to this world and gives a narrative that’s at times heartbreaking. There’s highs and lots of lows including death. The film emphasizes the toll this type of entertainment has on individuals. It’s an amazing look and one that’s honest and shows these characters before crowds of thousands and crowds of hundreds and at all times they give it their all.

The film has a lot of subtitles, so if you’re not into that, you might want to skip it, but you’d be missing out on a hell of an entertaining and educational film. If you’re a fan of wrestling, even a tiny interest in it, this is a documentary that’s a must watch.

Overall Rating: 8.15