Rocky (1976) Review

"Cut me, Mick."
-Rocky Balboa



Heavyweight boxing world champion, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) announces plans for a title bout in Philadelphia, but five weeks before the fight, his opponent backs out due to an injury.  With no other ranked fighters available, Creed decides to give a local Philadelphia boxer a once-in-a-lifetime shot at the title.  Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) is chosen and has only five weeks to prepare for the fight of his life.


What Works:

The best part of Rocky is without a doubt the climatic match better Rocky and Apollo.  This fight is nothing shot of epic.  It's incredibly intense and wholly engaging.  I had never seen this movie before and I knew how it ended, but I was still on the edge of my seat.  It's brutal and difficult to watch at times, especially when Rocky has his eye cut.  It's utterly insane and a fantastic sequence.

The acting is superb all-around.  Stallone owns the lead role.  He wrote the script and it's obvious that he gets this character.  Weathers doesn't get a ton of screen time, but we still understand him as a character and he's a solid antagonist.  All of the supporting characters do a great job as well and help show us Rocky's world.  Stallone, Talia Shire, and Burt Young all received Academy Award nominations for their performances and deservedly so.

This film had a low budget and I was just impressed with the overall production.  There was lots of interesting cinematography, cool sets, and excellent direction.  It's impressive work, but it's even more impressive when you know that they didn't have a ton of money to work with.  It's really incredible and that context makes the movie even better in my opinion.


What Sucks:

It took me a while to get into the Rocky/Adrian (Talia Shite) romance, I have to admit.  For the first half of the movie I really wasn't feeling it.  I didn't think they had any chemistry, the ice-skating date was awkward, and their first scene in Rocky's apartment was really uncomfortable.  Now this ends with Adrian coming out of her shell and from then on I thought their love story worked, but the early stuff was uncomfortable to watch and I just wanted to get back to the boxing.


Verdict:

Rocky is a classic for a reason.  The direction, cinematography, writing, and acting is all excellent and even more impressive due to the film's low budget.  The Rocky/Apollo fight is nothing short of spectacular.  I didn't love the Rocky/Adrian romance at first, but it grew on me.  Regardless, this movie has definitely got it going on.

 9/10: Great  

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