Stallone's first and best

Rating: 10/10 (2 February 2004)

I grew up when Stallone was making shallow stuff like "Judge Dredd." It was actually shocking to dive into his past and find that he had written and starred in "Rocky," a film of such...well, beauty!
The novelty of "Rocky" is that the main character is truly good-hearted, a rarity for 70s films. He tries to take care of the people in his neighborhood (even the unappreciative ones who call him "creepo!"), and his love for Adrian is pure and unwavering. He may be dumb, and he may be poor, but he's got honesty and guts and that's why he deserves to beat Apollo Creed, who's skilled but too blown up with his own hype.
Of course, Rocky doesn't beat Apollo in this movie, which is another reason why it's so good. Talk about frustrating an audience's expectations! Too bad this realistic ending was spoiled by the sequels, but what can you do?