Fight Like a Tiger

By: Jesse Barshop

Rocky

 

Rocky was directed by John G. Avildsen and written by none other than the star of the movie, Sylvester Stallone. \I had asked all of my teachers for their favorite film, but this one stuck out to me as I had seen Rocky when I was much younger and really enjoyed it. Many kids and young teenagers were inspired by Rocky, and me being one of them. I had already been doing martial arts when I first saw the film, but I was inspired to pursue boxing because of it. I idolized Rocky and his perseverance. I found a desire to have a goal and to work towards something in boxing. Boxing is the one thing I have true dedication to; training made me feel like I was missing something before, and I finally found it. Rocky being Mr.Klein’s favorite film is very fitting if you know Mr. Klein. Rocky follows the story of an amateur boxer who gets to fight one of the best boxers of that time. Now, we start by seeing our main character, Rocky, fighting in an amateur boxing match, in which he wins. We then see him walking home to his apartment from the start, which allows us to infer that he is a lonely guy. Although he only talks to himself and his many pets, he carries himself confidently, which reflects what he does. In the next scene, Rocky goes to a pet store, where he chats up the girl working there, Adrien. From the start, we can see he has an interest in Adrien since he often goes in there to see her. Although Adrien is shy, she enjoys his company. Afterward, we see him walk over to a dock and threaten a guy who owes a “Mr Gazzo” money. Rocky isn’t the type of person to do that so he never actually hurts the guy or pressures him too much to give him the full amount. This is the way he makes money, we can see that he doesn’t like doing it because he's genuinely a good person. Rocky is a great film that explores many different topics, such as love, hardship, loneliness, and dedication. From the first few scenes, we can already get a good idea of what kind of person Rocky is. That let’s us relate and sympathize with him because from an early impression, we see him at his most vulnerable. I really love this movie because it’s very nostalgic and inspiring to me. It has won multiple awards, including the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1977, the Academy Award for Best Directing in 1977, the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Drama in 1977, and the Academy Award for Best Film Editing in 1977. If you like drama, action, or sports films, Rocky does it best. It showcases what many athletes want and represents the diligence and passion that many athletes have for their sport. IMDb rated this film an 8.1/10, but I think it deserves a 9.6/10.