Written by Hollowman - February 18th, 2005
Rocky (1976)
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Burgess Merideth, Thayer David
Director: John G. Avildsen
Rated: PG
Rating: * * * *
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At the end of “Rocky”, there’s a part of that sequence, when the fight is over and Adrienne (Talia Shire) is running towards the ring to meet Rocky (Sylvester Stallone). When she gets there, the first thing he notices, after being pummeled while going for 15 straight rounds with the world champ, is that her hat fell off. “Hey, where’s your hat?” he asks her. It’s this quirky, genuine personality of Rocky Balboa that makes “Rocky” one of the greatest films of all time.
Balboa is a Philadelphia street raised amateur boxer who’s wound up as a loan shark for a small time mob boss. He somewhat trains at the local gym, owned by his somewhat trainer, the hard nosed Mickey (Burgees Meredith). His best friend is Paulie (Burt Young), a drunk who works at the butcher shop and always has his hands out. Rocky’s also in love with Adrienne, Paulie’s sister who has been backed into a corner by her brother’s arrogance that she can hardly say a word. Basically, Rocky’s life is near the bottom of the class system. Not much is going for him and he realizes it. But still, everyone wants to be in his corner. He has this great potential and no one around him wants to see it go to waste. He’s the ultimate underdog.
And that’s what we end up loving about the character. Though he’s not the model citizen by a long shot, he still has an honesty and heroic persona. The movie does not become a sports movie, nor a clichéd action drama, but rather a story about a hero and the path he takes to glory.
He gets the chance to take it when Apollo Creed (an electrifying Carl Weathers), the World Heavyweight Champion, challenges the unknown club boxer for the championship. And of course, Rocky declines the offer at first, claiming that he wouldn’t be able to put on a good enough show. He knows that he doesn’t stand a chance with the champ at first, which helps create this level of a real person and not a fictional maverick hero. But Rocky is a hero, and like a hero, he eventually agrees to do it.
The story is not original (underdog gets an opportunity to prove more of his worth and does so, while falling in love and maintaining that love), but there a strong, genuine telling of it. Rocky is a very unique character, one of the most memorable ones to ever be shown on screen. Because the film is about him, it rings true and heroic.
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