This film is
written by Sylvester Stallone, who also stars in it as the titular character,
Rocky Balboa. It tells the story of a rags-to-riches nobody fighter who gets an
opportunity to shine when the world heavyweight boxing champion gives him a
novelty fighting chance—and he almost takes out the champion.
Stallone got the
idea for the movie from the careers of other boxers, and the name Rocky Balboa
is taken from the boxer Rocky Marciano. The movie features the famous scene of
Rocky Balboa (the Italian Stallion) running up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum
of Art. A statue of him was later placed at the museum, and due to the success
of the movie—and the great job Stallone did with the writing—he was inducted
into the Boxing Hall of Fame.
The movie is exceptional, as the plot is different about an uneducated fighter who works for a loan shark and gets a chance to take on the
top fighter—a chance he doesn’t take lightly. The subplot of Rocky’s romance
with Adrian (Talia Shire, who plays Connie Corleone in The Godfather trilogy)
is one that stands out in the movie.
I’ll always
remember how the love story grows from Rocky to Rocky II. This
movie showcases a wonderful screenplay and was a sleeper hit. It cost $1.1
million to make and went on to earn over $225 million at the box office.
While Rocky is an iconic film, it has its flaws, like the pacing can feel sluggish at times, especially in the buildup to the fight. Visually, the film has a gritty charm, but some cinematography feels unpolished, especially in slower moments.
But, the movie is grand, grand enough that it won the Best Picture award at the 1976 Academy Awards (it
received ten Oscar nominations and took home three: Best Picture, Best
Director, and Best Film Editing). Director John G. Avildsen did a great job
with the script Stallone wrote.
The movie went
through many changes during filming, like changing Mickey from being a racist
to just an annoying creep. Also, a fun fact is that both Stallone and Carl
Weathers (Apollo Creed) suffered injuries during the final fight. The last
fight was based on the boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner in
1975. Apollo Creed was loosely based on Ken Norton, who faced Muhammad Ali
three times.
This movie is a
classic among classics and stands as one of the best films Stallone ever
made—my second favorite after First
Blood (where he plays Rambo in 1982).
Go see and own this movie, there is something about the innocence of its production that makes it stand out.
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