Rocky

Rating: Null/10 (12 November 2012)

Rocky opens on the title character engaged in a boxing match in what appears to be a makeshift ring in a dark, smoke-filled, modestly populated, abandoned church. Rocky wins the bout and bums a half-smoked cigarette on his way to his locker. In spite of his victory, a woman in the crowd puts him down, calling him a bum. Nevertheless, he'll take home "winner's share" that night for his effort: a little over forty dollars. Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) is down on his luck and down for the count, which, in boxing lingo, means that he's running out of time. He's not the only one. His friend Paulie (Burt Young), who still lives with his sister Adrian (Talia Shire), bemoans that they're all gonna die alone. Rocky's a nobody surrounded by "losers" on their way to nowhere. And then he wins the lottery. The world heavyweight champion, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), suddenly out a ranked contender to fight in an upcoming bicentennial event in Philadelphia, decides to pick a local boxer at random to fill in. He gives the title shot to Rocky (of course) because he likes his nickname: "The Italian Stallion." Rocky's take for fighting the champ will be one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Like other lottery winners, Rocky's friends step out of the woodwork to capitalize on his fortune. Paulie comes up with an advertising angle using Rocky's name. Rocky's loan-shark boss, Gazzo, gives him five hundred bucks for "training expenses" and says not to worry about it, but we know he expects some return on his investment. And Mickey (Burgess Meredith), who recently gave away Rocky's locker at his local gym, comes knocking on his door to offer him his management services. The only one immune to the bandwagon effect is Adrian. Stallone, who also wrote Rocky, smartly positions the scene in which Rocky and Adrian fall for each other before Creed's promoter, Jergens, makes Rocky his offer. Rocky is an extremely well-written movie, especially in the dialogue and character arenas. Each of the principal characters is given distinctive, nuanced characteristics, believable motivations, and strong development, filled out by four Oscar-nominated performances. Naturally rhythmic dialogue is punctuated by bursts of relationship-defining moments: Mickey spouting his disappointment in Rocky's choice to become a "leg-breaker" instead of a respectable fighter, Rocky temporarily fending off Mickey's last-ditch effort to soak up some of Rocky's glory, Adrian's defense against Paulie's unsubstantiated rant. Rocky is also an extremely well-scored movie. If the outstanding writing, acting, directing, and editing hasn't already done the job, Bill Conti's original music will virtually guarantee that the viewer feels everything that this film is about. "Philadelphia Morning"—which accompanies the first training scene, the one in which Rocky can't make it all the way up the steps—embodies tender regret for a life possibly wasted and an opportunity possibly granted too late in the game. Counterpoint that with the longing, uplifting, victorious song "Gonna Fly Now"—which is played when he does make his way up the steps, salvaging, for the moment, a bit of hope. The war music underscoring the final fight ("Going the Distance") is indescribably moving, especially in the middle, where it breaks down into a sad, lonely, struggling violin, as Rocky tries desperately to stand up, while Mickey, like a father protecting his son, pleads with him to "stay down." The framing of this fight, inspired by an actual bout in which Chuck Wepner lasted fifteen rounds with Muhammad Ali, dramatically demonstrates the award-winning directing talent of John G. Alvidsen and the award-winning editing talents of Richard Halsey and Scott Conrad. Like any effective drama, this final showdown fully exposes the heart of the film. It's obvious that Apollo Creed possesses superior athletic ability over Rocky. It's possible that Creed is just not in the best shape of his career, and that Rocky's left-handedness is throwing him off balance. But none of this really matters. When the fight announcer wonders aloud what could be keeping Rocky up, the probable answer has nothing to do with boxing ability. What is keeping him up is an iron will forged by a lifetime of being stepped over, knocked around, and kicked aside: the kind of life that can turn any man into a force to be reckoned with. After the fight is over, Rocky tries to field questions from the ring announcer, but he quickly realizes he's never been in this situation before. Like a scared child who has wandered too far from home, he calls for his mother, and she rescues him. Rocky loses the decision, but he's beaten the clock; he's still standing during the final bell, he's proved himself a winner to his hometown, he's redeemed his self-respect, and he's won Adrian's heart. Fitting rewards for the ultimate underdog in movie history.