Cinemark movie theaters are running their special promotion where they show classic movies on the big screen again. This week was Rocky, the classic Sylvester Stallone flick. I recall having watched this movie as a kid when it ran on TV, but don’t really remember much about it. Mainly that the first half is slow and draggy. I think I kinda skipped some of the middle. I figured I’m an adult, I’d like to contemplate this movie anew, and I had a free Wed evening.
First thing that sticks out to me, this is definitely not an action movie. The boxing that occurs is there, but it really only serves the purpose of providing the challenge to the hero. This movie is a drama, a story of a guy.
Rocky is a neighborhood guy from Philidelphia, a knockabout with little education. He wanted to be a boxer, but never really had an opportunity, nobody to develop him or train him or push him or give him a shot. He’s a southpaw - a lefty - and that apparently was an obstacle because some fighters didn’t want to face him since that throws off their timing. He’s in a local league doing whatever basement bouts he can get, because it’s what he wants to be, but he isn’t a great boxer. He can hit hard, but doesn’t have footwork or balance and not great at blocking. But he does have determination.
He’s 30 years old, a never made it on the tail of his career, not likely to ever go anywhere with it now. He mostly makes his living as muscle for a neighborhood loan shark, making collections on the local gamblers and such. He doesn’t really want to hurt people, but it’s work he can get.
His parents are dead, he lives alone. He’s got a buddy that he hangs out with, and a girl that he likes but she is terminally shy. He’s been flirting with her at her job for months, but not getting any response from her. He’s just getting by, living.
And then a miracle happens. Apollo Creed is the heavyweight champion of the world. He has a special match he’s arranged in Philidelphia for the BiCentennial, but when he shows up he finds out his opponent is injured and can’t fight. The match is 6 weeks away (it is Thanksgiving), no real boxers want to sign up for it (other commitments, 6 weeks is too short to train), but he’s sunk money into the deal already, so Apollo Creed wants a way to salvage the deal. He comes up with the idea of a promotional fight. He’ll pick a local boxer and give him a shot at the title. The match becomes a big show for Apollo Creed, primarily just a way for him to show off, mostly sell tickets to recoup his costs and perhaps make a buck.
He’s running down a catalogue of local boxers, and sees Rocky’s name, “the Italian Stallion”. This strikes his fancy. He sees the promotional angle of a nickname like that. He doesn’t care about Rocky or his style or merit, he just likes the name and thinks it will fit the spectacle he wants to create. So he has the local agent make Rocky an offer.
When Rocky gets the notice, he thinks it’s just to be a sparring dummy with the Champ, then when he hears the offer he initially turns it down, because he knows he is nowhere near Creed’s level. But he’s talked into it. He’ll make a big chunk of cash for the event.
But Rocky, you see he always wanted to be someone, it just never happened. Suddenly this opportunity is in his lap, when he’s past his prime and not ready. But he wants so bad to make it, he starts training.
This is where Mickey (Burgess Meredith) comes in. Mickey is the owner of the boxing gym where Rocky trains. After six years of stagnation, Mickey booted him from his locker and they have words. Mickey thinks Rocky wasted his potential all these years. Anyway, when he hears Rocky got the offer, he goes to Rocky to offer to be his manager and train him. Rocky rejects him because he feels let down that Mickey never made the offer to train him, to make him better, when he really could have used it. But eventually he realizes he needs help, and they make up. So Mickey starts helping Rocky train.
Rocky is out of shape. He starts running hard, training hard. His buddy works in a meat-packing plant, and one day he has an argument with his buddy and ends up punching on a side of beef. He decides he likes it, and starts using it for training.
All along with his prepping for the fight, we see his life play out. The girl he likes is his buddy’s sister, and with some tough love the buddy gets the sister to go out with Rocky. Rocky is no smooth talker, he just yammers away whatever is in his head, but he has to yammer away because the sister, Adrian, is a quiet shy girl who doesn’t say much. But Rocky persists, and through his efforts finally persuades Adrian that he thinks she is pretty and they start dating.
Anyway, the day of the fight approaches, and Rocky has trained hard, dropped 10 lbs, runs farther and faster, and Mickey has coached him on his footwork and balance and such. So he’s the best he’s ever been. But he’s standing in the ring the night before in an empty room, and he realizes it isn’t enough. He just can’t beat Apollo Creed.
So Rocky decides he has one goal. He just wants to prove that he isn’t a nobody. He knows he can’t win, he just wants to last the match, all 15 rounds. Nobody has done that with Apollo Creed before. Creed has a 14-0 record, all by knockout. Rocky just wants to make it to the end of the fight.
So the match sets up. Rocky’s buddy swings a deal to get Rocky a nice fancy boxing robe rather than the ratty thing he’s been wearing. The robe has a logo from the meatcompany on the back - advertising. The buddy gets some cash out of the deal, so it’s a win all around.
Meanwhile Apollo Creed shows up being pulled in on a float made to look up like George Washington crossing the Delaware. He’s got pomp and showmanship down. This is all performance art for Creed. He is just putting on a good show so the people will feel they’ve got a good deal for the money they paid, and he’ll come out ahead on the deal. In his mind, it’s an exhibition match. He never took the match seriously.
But Rocky doesn’t realize this, he’s got something to prove. So the match begins, Apollo is throwing some jabs and playing around. Then suddenly Rocky starts throwing some hits in. Out of nowhere, Rocky knocks Apollo down and almost out. Apollo struggles to his feet before the count is over. This is his first realization that Rocky isn’t playing, he has to take it seriously.
Fine, this is still a grossly unmatched pair, the Heavyweight Champion of the World against some club knockabout. It should be easy, right? Well Rocky has worked hard, and it shows. They start trading blows. Apollo puts Rocky down a couple times, too, but Rocky manages to get back up.
This was interesting, we’re at the dramatic fight, the culmination of the movie, you might expect this to play out a little more. But the fight skips directly from the secound round to round 13. We’re given the tiniest montage as if to say, they’re working each other and getting what they’re taking, but there’s a huge jump here. Interesting in my mind.
So both are showing signs of a long match getting pounded. Apollo is probably the worst off he’s ever been, because he’s likely never had to go this long without knocking out his opponent. Both are worked over hard. Rocky gets his eye swollen up and can’t see, so he calls for his corner man to cut the eyelid and let out blood so he can see on that side, because Creed was using it against him.
The do down to the wire. Rocky gets some good late hits on Apollos ribs and probably cracks them. They’re both fighting to the last second, each with something to prove, desperate to keep their own managers from throwing in the towel. To Rocky, he he just wants to prove he is somebody, so he can’t surrender. To Apollo, his title belt is on the line and he can’t have some nobody come in and strip him of everything he earned.
Anyway, the match finally ends, with Creed telling Rocky he won’t get a rematch, and Rocky saying he doesn’t want one. Since both fighters made it to the end, it comes down to the judges, a split decision. The finale has Creed win by decision, but it’s a close one.
So in the end, Rocky did far better than he could have anticipated. He actually lasted the whole 15 rounds, and he made Apollo Creed work to win, and it was actually a close match. So even though he doesn’t win the match, it’s far better outcome than he could have hoped for.
My overall perspective: the beginning is still slow, but serves the purpose of establishing who Rocky is, his hopes, his dreams, his life. The fight is the big opportunity Rocky gets to be something more than a neighborhood guy and loan shark muscle man. The ending is exciting and yet believable.