djb75-1 What makes a great film? Engaging characters, immersive story line, brilliant editing, fantastic music, an experience you can revisit again and again. Rocky has all of this and more. When it comes to performance I honestly do not know where Rocky starts and Sylvester Stallone ends. Stallone did not just play this character he conceived, created and crafted it. This is not method acting this goes way beyond that. What is this film about? Loneliness, love, self-respect, poverty, heartache, shyness, chance, pride, friendship, boxing? It is about life! Rocky is a downtrodden character, in the words of Mickey (Burgess Meredith) Rocky is a bum, a loser, he had talent but never applied it. Rocky does not see this, he lives his life, he has some boxing skills which he puts to use in the occasional low-key cash fights and working as a money collector for the local crime lord. Rocky has the physical attributes for the debt collecting job but deep down he has a soft heart. He is not the smartest guy but ultimately he is a good guy. Rocky is friends with Paulie (Burt Young) who is a deeply flawed character. Unlike Rocky he has a chip on his shoulder at life and the cards he has been dealt. Paulie has a sister Adrian (Talia Shire) that has not had an easy life either. She is painfully shy and introverted. Adrian works at the local pet shop which Rocky visits often. Rocky tries to make conversation and get to know her. The courtship between Adrian and Rocky is awkward at times but has a reality and sweetness that is undeniable. Rocky and Adrian eventually date. Rocky's life is on a nowhere trajectory until out the blue his name is selected by Apollo Creed (Carl weathers) the heavy weight champion of the world as a publicity stunt. Apollo Creed wants to stage a boxing event where a lowly ranked amateur boxer gets a chance to fight for the title, "The American dream". Initially stunned and unwilling to take on this challenge, Rocky does not feel he is worthy or capable of this. Mickey eventually persuades Rocky to take this once in a lifetime chance. And so begins the rest of the film. Cue training montage. Rocky works on many levels, that is why bit is such a fantastic film. The characters have a human naivety and poignancy that resonates. The editing and music are sublime in parts. It is a film I will watch again and again and appreciate more each time.

jimjohnson-57331 Rocky shot a then struggling actor and writer Sylvester Stallone into the A list. This is a great underdog story enhanced by some gritty direction and great performances by Stallone, Talia Shire and others. What many do not realize is how little Rocky is about boxing. In fact the boxing doesn't even take center stage until well into the second half. This is a character study first and foremost and Stallone should be commended for penning such a heartfelt screenplay. Rocky has entered pop culture lexicon but its important to remember that it started off as an independent feature with a minuscule budget. This is a great start to the career of a fantastic actor.

crawfordhazelwood This movie is a great movie. It showed you how no matter what, work hard and believe in yourself. it also showed that sometimes in life you need the good corner man push you towards your greatness. There is so many different scenarios you can find in this movie. Another one is having a great woman by your side. A lot of great men had a good loyal woman by their side. I think everyone can get something from this movie.

thedarkknight-99999 Rocky took a well-worn story and redefined it by delving deep into the characters. Rocky's character arc is so familiar that everyone, even who don't watch many movies, knows every single detail about it. But the movie adds a simple twist, yet a very effective one, in the character's motivations.But it didn't stop here, as the movie keeps raising the stakes by making an advantage of all the developments that have been given to all the characters.The movie could have easily used the ups and downs of Rocky to evoke our feelings. Instead, the movie succeeded to be very moving by taking advantage of the very new twist that has been added to Balboa's motivations. The result is an underdog heroic character that is by no means clichéd. And Stallone shines in this movie and gave his best performance in his career. There are some moments when Rocky's confidence has been shaken a little bit and the hero starts to tell the message of the story and these moments somewhat worked, and they could have never worked without Sylvester Stallone's superb acting.I said that Rocky takes advantage of the developments of all its characters. Yes, all its characters!The character of Adrian, for instance, has some realistic and genuine details that make the romance between her and Rocky works very well, although the relationship proceeds so fast. Talia Shire performance made Adrian even more realistic,unique and very compelling character.Paulie is another great character that made the movie even more poignant as it gave some depth for Rocky too.What I didn't like so much is Apollo Creed. In contrast to the rest of the characters, he is nothing but the stereotypical undefeated Champion. Also, all decisions he made exposed the movie's clichéd story. With that being said, his scenes are masterfully directed and he has a very catchy style. The final fight scene is maybe the most realistic fight scene has been shot at that time. And those who think it's not, please watch a boxing match and you'll find that boxing punches make sounds different from the comic book punches sounds that are still used in movies today.(9/10)