To think that Sylvester Stallone wrote this film is staggering. He has never been able to repeat such greatest. But it's not necessarily the all-American underdog story that makes this film so beloved. The characters are the real heart. After this film, Stallone spent the main chunk of his career playing superheroes (even if they didn't have capes all the time). For a tough guy, Rocky's emotional vulnerability is that makes the story resonant outside the ring.
The film follows small-time boxer Rocky Balboa (Stallone, OVER THE TOP) as he trains for his one shot at the heavyweight championship of the world. The champ Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers, PREDATOR) losses his ranked opponent before a big bicentennial spectacle. No other contender wants to take the bout because of the short five-week training time, so as an "American dream" marketing concept Creed decides to give the shot to a local Philadelphia boy.
It has been awhile since I've seen this film and what I really noticed was how genuine and nuanced Stallone's performance is. He's dimwitted, but has a heart of gold. He has anger and resentment boiling under the surface, but he can be very gentle. Talia Shire (THE GODFATHER) is great as Rocky's girlfriend, Adrian. Her development as a character is a nice added touch to a film that's pretty much all testosterone. Their sweet romance is the core of the story. Rocky's biggest victory in the end is finding love. It is that which makes him no longer a loser.
Another element of the story that caught my attention was how sports have become so commercialized. Creed is just as much a showman as he is an athlete. He knows how to market himself and his fights perfectly. However, Rocky is a fighter plain and simple. This makes him more focused and a real threat.
John G. Avildsen's direction is straight-forward, fly on the wall style. But he knows how to capture the right iconic moments. Who doesn't remember Rocky running up the stairs at the art museum or him using the side of beef as a punching bag? There's also a gritty feel to the look, which really represents effectively the hard streets of Philly from which Rocky came.
Stallone makes Rocky a lovable loser — a simple, kind-hearted guy who would do anything for a friend, but hasn't had many lucky breaks. This film works so well because you understand Rocky and you can't help but root for him. Underdog sports movies are a dime a dozen, but what makes ROCKY a classic is that it has original characters at its core. This is a movie about Rocky as a whole, not just what he can do in the ring.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
