Sylvester Stallone may talk like English is his third language but there is no doubting that Rocky is a work of genius. Not only did the young unknown Stallone somehow write this, he also famously held out for the lead role, and got it. Anything he has done in the thirty years or so since hasnt come close.
After running out of victims to beat in the ring, cocky boxer Apollo Creed (Weathers), has the highly unlikely idea of giving an unknown fighter the chance to fight him for the world title. He chooses Rocky The Italian Stallion Balboa (not a porn star but a down-on-his-luck Southpaw from Philadelphia). We follow Rocky (Stallone), his grouchy trainer (Meredith) and the abusive Paulie (Young) through a punishing training regime on their way to a thrilling finale.
Rocky Balboa is a character made for the American people the classic underdog given a chance by the neo-Liberal Fatherland to be a success. Nevermind that he is a thug who works for the local hoodlum, hes an easy man to root for, mainly because Apollo Creed is such a smug jackass. Throw in a classic rousing film score, definitive montages and a liberal dose of flag-waving and you cant help being so worked up that you want march down the local gym and sign up. If only real boxing was anything like the fight to the death we witness in Rocky and not stopped in the second round because one of the fighters is slightly dizzy. Theres even a romantic side story as Rocky inexplicably woos Adrian (Shire), the almost-mute pet shop employee with a mans name.
There are plenty of iconic scenes that have been spoofed or copied by just about every teenager and sports film over the last twenty years, like the training scenes on the steps of the city hall and in the meat warehouse. Its been parodied so much that a lot of it may look quite clichéd now but keep in mind that this was the template for what followed (including three okay and two awful sequels).