Day 59: June 28th, 2010

Rocky



Meet the "Italian Stallion".

Rocky is a small time nobody who just wants the chance to prove his guts once, just once. This chance comes to fruition when Rocky gets the opportunity to fight the heavy weight champion.

The first Rocky is without a doubt the best film of the series, although that doesn't mean it's my favourite. The story of a guy who wants to opportunity to prove to himself he can do something like this has given others inspiration, no doubt. The films that have come after this one have gone down the road of campy and gimmicky.

Sly was a nobody at the time, his previous film credit was a porno film. He wrote and starred in this film and for some reason he was really good in it. What happened since then? He fell into the the action star persona. His roles since then haven't required much from him, acting wise, but now that he is older he seems to realize this. Better late than never, although I wouldn't wish that the films he was in to be gone. I got to have my Tango & Cash.

This film has that o-so memorable scene of Rocky running up the Philly stairs with the song "Gonna Fly Now" playing in the background. It's always hard to have a scene in your film that will be remembered years, decades later. This is that scene and one reason why the film itself is good.

He tries to impress the girl of his affections. She is shy and doesn't speak much in the film, he is dumb and admits this. Perfect match? Their relationship is an awkward one, specifically because of the lack of confidence in the Adrian character. This is one problem that glares for me, her performance in this film doesn't do it for me.

In the end, the film is about a guy who is given that one chance to prove what he's got and he gives it his all. It's something that many people want to happen to them and they associate themselves with that character, Rocky.

I'm not going to go into a debate as to which film deserved the Best Picture award that year, this or Taxi Driver. Both films are character driven stories that go in the opposite directions. I think that people needed the uplifting story at the time and Rocky had that.

7.5/10