An emotionally affecting documentary on career, patriotism and loyalty make's it US premiere on A&E, and it's all the more astonishing because of it's subject: professional wrestling.

The story shows what the documentary medium can do when the producers have the patience to stick with a subject and are lucky enough to find a highstakes dramatic conflict. Who'd have thought the final days of pro wrestler Bret "The Hitman" Hart's career with the WWF would have turned into a legitimately emotional behind the scenes drama?

The 2 hr report "Hitman Hart: Wrestling with '''shadows" is a fascinating look at the top echelons of pro wrestling, at a man who took his character very seriously indeed and at a family that devoted itself to the sport: Hart's father was a pro wrestler who turned his family into a franchise-young Hart's seven brothers became wrestlers, and his four sisters married wrestlers.

As the No 1 good guy character for the federation, Hart devoted 14 yrs to working with WWF owner Vince McMahan and developing his "babyface" (heroic) character.

But even the mighty fall, and it's nearly heartrending to watch Hart as he must change his character from hero to "heel" It's natural progression in an era when outlaws are praised and bad behavior in the ring is met with wild applause.

It's good to be booed, explains a wrestler, who considers it an honor to develop a "bad guy" persona. But Hart never quite embraces the dark side and evinces a real reluctance to insult America as part of his persona as a Canadian thug.

The climax comes when Hart butts heads with McMahon in a contract dispute and the question arises whether Hart will go out a hero in his final match for the WWF in Canada. But McMahon can't be happy that his fighter is heading to Ted Turner's WCW. The docu team tries to cover all the angles, and sometimes a bit of momentum is lost as it focuses on peripheral kin. But there's' an energy that can't be denied and viewers are likely to stay to the very end of the bout between Hart and McMahon.