They went to the mat

The Wrestler

Fox Searchlight, $29.98; Blu-ray, $39.99

Battered actor Mickey Rourke didn’t have to stretch much to play the part of a has-been in Darren Aronofsky’s gritty drama “The Wrestler,” but that doesn’t make his performance any less astonishing. “The Wrestler” renders its hero’s story in broad strokes, introducing an estranged daughter, an unrequited romance and an impossible comeback, but the movie’s no broader than an actual wrestling match or the biblical passion plays that this tale of gory sacrifice resembles. It helps that Rourke has a way of grounding big emotions in small gestures. “The Wrestler” DVD and Blu-ray editions contain only one real extra, but it’s a good one: a 40-minute making-of documentary that emphasizes how much this movie was a labor of love for all concerned.

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Caprica

Universal, $26.98

The “Battlestar Galactica” prequel movie “Caprica” offers a mix of sci-fi, soap opera and social criticism, setting up a number of intriguing paths for creators Ronald D. Moore and David Eick to follow when “Caprica” becomes a series next year. On a futuristic planet, two powerful men respond in different ways to a terrorist attack: one by trying to download his dead daughter’s consciousness into a robotic body, and the other by turning his back on his criminal past and becoming an anti-technology advocate. As with “BSG” at its best, this pilot film uses a fantastical premise to explore real-world concerns about fanaticism, grief and technology run amok. The “Caprica” DVD includes deleted scenes and a commentary track.

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Notorious

20th Century Fox, $29.98/$34.98; Blu-ray, $39.99

Rapper Biggie Smalls, born Christopher Wallace, packed a lot of life into his 24 years, going from being an honors student to a drug dealer and then becoming one of the most influential musicians of his generation -- before being gunned down under mysterious circumstances. The Biggie biopic “Notorious” is impressive in its scope but disappointing in the way it approaches the rise and fall of a complex man with the tongue-clucking morality of an after-school special. Fans have reason to feel a little insulted, though they’re well served by the “Notorious” triple-disc DVD and double-disc Blu-ray editions, which add a wealth of supplementary material on the making of the movie and on Biggie’s legacy.

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Frost/Nixon

Universal, $29.98; Blu-ray, $39.98

Director Ron Howard and screenwriter Peter Morgan do a bit too much streamlining and overheating in their Oscar-nominated dramatization of British TV host David Frost’s 1977 interview with ex-President Richard M. Nixon. But the movie is still effective, thanks to strong performances from Michael Sheen and Frank Langella. The DVD and Blu-ray are smartly assembled, adding 20 minutes of deleted scenes, about an hour of contextual featurettes and a thoughtful Howard commentary.

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All releases available Tuesday.