Redemption of a Hero

Rating: 8/10 (10 February 2013)

Rocky (1976), featuring Sylvester Stallone, as Rocky Balboa, a down on his luck debt collector who finds himself in the middle of the fight of his life. Rocky is an amateur boxer, who is going nowhere fast, is given the opportunity to fight the heavyweight champion, Apollo Creed, who is played by Carl Weathers. Rocky's boxing skills are very raw at first, but with the help of a gritting old boxing trainer, played by Burgess Meredith, turns into a hard-hitting boxer. Rocky is a sports drama, which deals with redemption across many different aspects. The director uses many different camera angles to give the audience the feeling of actually taking the hits from Apollo Creed during the scene at the end of the film. Throughout the film, the audience sees the struggles that Rocky has both in and out of the boxing ring. By the end of the film, the audience really connects with Rocky and is pulling for him every punch that is thrown. The cinematographer uses two great montages to cover a lengthy period of time when Rocky is training with Mick as well as the final rounds of the fight. The training scene is one of the great series of scenes of the 1970s films. The famous Rocky run has been shown in numerous different films and television shows, including The Simpsons, Nutty Professor, and The Fresh Prince of Bel- Air. Both of these theatrical montages are put to great soundtrack music that brings the audience further into overall experience.
The director also uses levels of lighting throughout the film to show how Rocky's luck is changing. Rocky also resurrects himself by having a relationship with Adrian, played by Talia Shire. The lighting throughout Rocky and Adrian's interaction together, goes from low-light when Rocky first meets Adrian in the pet shop to when Adrian is shown in the audience at the fight, there is more of a glow put on her. This lighting is also used throughout when Rocky is interacting with Mick. At first, the audience sees Mick and Rocky having a falling out at the boxing facility, but by the end of the important training, there is a brighter feeling to Mick and Rocky's interaction.
Rocky is a great film that deals with redemption of a small town hero. This film is set in Philadelphia, the same as another film about redemption, The Invincible. The Invincible is the story of Vince Papale, who tries out for the Philadelphia Eagles and makes the team. This is a very long shot due to Vince being too small and weak. This is the concept of Rocky Balboa as well, too small to compete against Apollo. Both of these characters proved everyone wrong and despite their size, they always had the heart to continue forward. Rocky is one of the greatest sports films that also have a great back story of redemption and resurrection.