Rocky

Rocky (Stallone) finds himself down on his luck, his career in tatters with everyone around him having given up on him. Reduced to a collection of low paid jobs as well as the lowest level of fighting, he has little prospect of turning his life around.

However, he gets the opportunity of a lifetime when the World Champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) needs to find a new opponent for a match to celebrate the United States bicentennial. Rather than fight a title contender, Creed opts to offer an opportunity to an unranked everyman, believing it to be a smart business decision. Due to Rocky’s memorable nickname, Apollo settles on offering him a championship shot, marketing the fight as “Apollo Creed meets The Italian Stallion”.

What follows is the ultimate underdog story as Rocky trains for the fight and the opportunity to make something of his life. While Rocky realises he has little chance of beating Creed, he challenges himself to be able to go the distance and survive in order to prove to everyone he is worthy of some respect.

Rocky is a timeless film that tells an inspirational tale which, regardless of your opinion of boxing, is one not to be missed. With Stallone putting in a career defining performance and some of the most iconic scenes of a generation, most notably his run through the streets of Philadelphia, there’s a lot for people to enjoy.

Liam McNamara