Wednesday, 1 March 2017

ROCKY (1976)

Featuring: Sylverster Stallone; Talia Shire; Burt Young

Director: John G. Avildsen

With this year's Academy Awards ceremony (blunder and all!) still fresh in our memories, let's look at another Best Picture Award winner film. Interestingly enough, in all its years of existence, the Academy only ever awarded this accolade to three sports-themed movies: Million Dollar Baby in 2005, Chariots Of Fire in 1982 and, of cause, Rocky in 1977.

Rocky Bilboa (Sylverster Stallone) is a second rate boxer who never amounted to much in his chosen profession. So far the only thing he earned from it is the somewhat ironic moniker: 'Italian Stallion'. Therefor, and to make ends meet, he also has to work as enforcer for a local loan shark; something he is not very good at either. So, when the- once-in-a-lifetime opportunity arises to contend for the World Heavy Weight Title, he naturally and against all odds jumps at it. And so the saga begins...

The story was written by Sylvester Stallone himself. The film was produced and made with a puny budget (by today's standards anyhow). Everything was actually one big gamble. But, boy, did it pay off! Not only did it propel Stallone to super stardom and made a killing at the box office to boot (not even to mention the three Oscars it earned) it also lead to becoming one of the most successful movie franchises in Hollywood history resulting in no less than five sequels!

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Trailer link:   

 The original cast.

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