1976 | Dir. John G. Avildsen | 119 Minutes
"Nobody's ever gone the distance with Creed, and if I can go that distance and that bell rings and I'm still standin', I'm gonna know for the first time in my life that I weren't just another bum from the neighborhood."
Washed-up Philadelphia boxer Rocky Balboa is chosen by world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed to be his next opponent. With support from cranky boxing coach Mickey and his mousy girlfriend Adrian, Rocky overcomes all odds, including his personal demons, and enters the ring, taking the chance of a lifetime, and doing the impossible by going the distance against the champ.
Written by and starring then-unknown Sylvester Stallone, Rocky may be the ultimate inspirational underdog fairy tale. First and foremost a character piece, the role of Rocky was written to be a reflection of Stallone's real life struggles at the time. Seen by most as nothing more than an uneducated bruiser, Rocky's brutish exterior hides a big heart and a fierce determination to succeed waiting to be awakened. The picture features one of the most famous training montages ever filmed, the first movie sequence ever to utilize the Steadicam, with Rocky jogging through the streets of Philadelphia set to Bill Conti's iconic rousing musical score.
Sylvester Stallone drives the film with a genuinely heroic performance, playing the title role with humor, grit, vulnerability, and heart. As the shy introvert Adrian, Talia Shire conveys a quiet hidden strength, perfectly complementing Stallone's Rocky. Character actor Burgess Meredith plays Mickey with explosive energy, delivering many of the film's best lines. Brimming with style and charisma, Former pro football player Carl Weathers is expertly cast as the bombastic Apollo Creed. Rounding out the supporting cast is Burt Young as Rocky's unpleasant rough-around-the-edges best friend Paulie.
Rocky is a crowd-pleaser that tells a universally appealing story. Sylvester Stallone's star-making all-or-nothing dream project is a Hollywood classic for the ages.
FRAGMENTS
- Frank Stallone, Sylvester Stallone's brother, makes a cameo appearance as a singer on a street corner
- Boxer Joe Frazier, who famously boxed three times against Muhammad Ali (a partial inspiration for the character of Apollo Creed), makes a cameo appearance in the film
- Troma Entertainment co-founder Lloyd Kaufman, who assisted in the production of Rocky, has a cameo appearance as drunk
MCU CONNECTIONS
- Lloyd Kaufman (Gridlemop in Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3)
- Sylvester Stallone (Stakar in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3)
