#240 – Rocky (1976)
The Italian Stallion. Mr Rocky Balboa. It’s been years since I’ve seen this movie and I enjoyed it today as much as I did when I was a young kid.
Sylvester Stallone plays an out of luck boxer who’s about to disappear into nothingness when the world champ offers him a crack at the title through circumstances that you just might believe can happen. But not really. It has nice character development paced slowly compared to the rest of the Rocky series. It’s an all round good movie that launched a very successful franchise for Stallone. Sure it reeks of a formula of underdog rises to the occasion but it’s fun and that’s what it’s all about.
I loved the setting and the performances on display were very believable and honest. An all round great movie and a must for any boxing fan. After much thought I gave it a 7/10.
January 12th, 2009 at 1:29 am
7/10?
Come on, add another point on there atleast
For me its a movie that gets better with time. Also, when i watch it, i see a Stallone that is actually acting (very well). This only becomes apparent when you compare his performance to just about any other movie he’s been in. (the only other Rocky movie i can watch is the last one).
The movie is a real gem in my opinion. Simple but tight story, with characters you actually care about and believable performances. There are flaws ofcourse, its not perfect, but for what it tries to achieve it comes close.
8.5-9/10 for me
haha
Oh, have you seen Raging Bull? If not, i recommend it. (It could already be on your list though)
January 12th, 2009 at 8:09 am
I only gave it a 7 because of the fight scene. It was pretty poor in comparison to the standards set by the rest of the movie. The actors did well and it looked real enough but the stadium shots were obviously not real and there was too much cheap smoke and mirrors. I just didn’t think it was up to par with the rest of the movie. If the ending of the movie is bad it leaves a bad taste in your mouth because it’s the last thing you see.
Raging Bull is around the 70 mark. I’ve seen it years ago but it’s all forgotten so I’m sure I’ll enjoy watching it again.
January 12th, 2009 at 11:38 am
I have to agree with you about the fight scene/s.. I’ve watched a fair bit of boxing over the years, and the scenes in Rocky almost make me cringe a little, they look a bit “over acted” and not really believable. For some reason the rest of the movie really strikes a cord with me and i’ve been able to overlook the obvious flaws, which is unusual, as that sort of stuff noramlly gets on my nerves alot.