Directed by:
John G. AvildsenScreenplay:
Sylvester StalloneCinematography:
James CrabeComposer:
Bill ContiCast:
Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Burgess Meredith, Thayer David, Joe Spinell, Jimmy Gambina, Bill Baldwin, Al Silvani, Jodi Letizia (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Rocky Balboa is a struggling Philadelphia boxer who is scorned by his gym's owner, patronized by a local loan shark and rebuffed by a shy plain-Jane, whose brother keeps trying to engineer a romantic match. Heavyweight champion Apollo Creed comes up with the Bicentennial gimmick of touting a new fight as the chance for a nobody to become a somebody while planning to easily win the bout himself. But someone forgets to tell Rocky, who trains earnestly for the fight, and comes out swinging. (Showtime)
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Reviews (11)
I fell in love with this movie as a child, and it still remains a powerful spectacle for me, hitting exactly the right notes. Sylvester Stallone delivers an incredibly genuine performance and is believable in his role like never before. Thanks to that, one can easily empathize with him and slowly climb to the top with him, which he eventually reaches, albeit perhaps in a different way than originally expected. Today it may seem a bit cliché, but that's because many films have drawn inspiration from Rocky’s beautiful endurance and the effort to achieve the impossible. Sly wrote a great screenplay that nobody else could have played better. It's almost a shame he turned the story into a series, but I still can't wait to watch the rest of them after the first film.
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The naive story of the great American dream coming true is not Rocky's main issue. On the contrary, despite its simplicity, it is very believable. The problem lies in the overall execution, starting with the somewhat lacking writing skills of Sylvester Stallone and continuing through the direction to the acting performances. The first half is absolutely (!) unnecessary, the attempt to delve into the psychology of the characters is wasted due to the lack of directorial innovation, and boredom is inevitable, leading to yawning. In the second half, the plot and pace pick up towards a more promising potential, which, however, is again squandered due to the constant repetition of lines about a little insignificant man who was offered a life-changing opportunity (it only needed to be said once!). The final match doesn't surprise in any way, not only with its outcome but also with the dry impression of the used form. I would like to nostalgically close my eyes, but for some reason, I just can't do it.
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An uncomplicated hero steadfastly walking toward fulfilling his American dream with an appropriate dose of genre clichés, sweat, blood, and an easily predictable ending. Given that when it comes to Sylvester Stallone's acting talent - how can I put it diplomatically - I am, let's say, reserved, and I really don't like boxing as a sport and entertainment (if I had to choose between having dinner with Mike Tyson or Hannibal Lecter, I would invite the latter without hesitation), I struggle to find a reason to give more than 2 stars. Overall impression: 45%.
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I've always liked Rocky, and every time I see it again, I'm amazed. It will probably never cease to amaze me how natural the whole film feels, how it does without a single cliché and how likeable its main character is. And best of all, it owes it all to Sylvester Stallone, actor, writer and fight choreographer. I'm not usually interested in boxing unless there's an interesting story behind the violence. But Rocky (like Raging Bull or Somebody Up There Likes Me) has just such a story.
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Miracles happen sometimes. The boxer Rocky lasted all rounds undefeated in his fight with the heavyweight champion of the world, and this B-movie, from which nobody expected anything, went for the highest standard and received two major Oscars. And a third miracle on top of that: the until then unknown Sly Stallone received two Oscar nominations, including the script, full of great dialogue, which he wrote in three days. Sly lived the American dream and rose to stardom.
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