Rocky Balboa
When I saw the trailers to Rocky Balboa, there was something that told me it wasn’t going to be another flop attempt at bringing the Italian Stallion back… there was something that felt good about it. I think it was the scene where they show Rocky in his corner, apparently tired and beat and his son begs him to stop and he says “I gotta go out the way I go out”. I’m not sure what it was but I am so glad my instincts rung true.
What a beautiful movie, it truly summed up the career of the beloved Balboa in all his accolades, tremendous heart, unending will and against the odds. Antonio Tarver delivered in his first film as the antagonist… if you could truly call him that but when I left the theater I was left with a reminder that it is not how hard you push at life, it’s about when the blows come back, how much I can take. This movie was reminiscent of sitting with a wise old man and having him explain life to you.
The film showcases Rocky Balboa, retired 50-something boxing champion trying to deal with a monotonous life laced with memories on every block. Haunted by the memories of his past, loving wife, his trainer and his glorious career, Rocky is eventaully given a chance to remind the world and especially his estranged son what it means to be a champion. This movie is huge, it should not by any means be compared to the Rocky’s of yester-year but can be summised as a neat wrap-up of a classic set of films (minus the horrible 5th movie). This is something that every Balboa fan will love, the audience was on it’s feet during the final fight and chanting his name…. IN THE FRIKKIN THEATER! That’s how huge it is, you can’t help but love the big guy, he’s just a big barrel of heart that is beyond human.
It may not be the greatest movie ever but after a stirring defeat in the box office by the lamely written Rocky 5, this comeback is nothing short of the stuff of legends, the stuff that we remember as Rocky.
Filed under Action, Spicy Favorites, Sport · Tagged with antonio tarver, boxing, rocky balboa, sylvester stallone
