He lost the fight but won his girl

He said it before the fight while laying in bed with Adrian. He just wanted to go the distance with the champ bcuz no one ever had and if he did that, he would know for the first time he wasn't just another bum from the neighborhood

He tried his best But to quote the movie “THE ROCK” “ Losers always wine about doing their best, But winners go home and F-- the prom queen”

@@schirombaseball95 Carla was the prom queen

@@dennismckeon273 exact opposite of vision quest

I know!! Just as long as he has Adrian's love, that's all that matters to him

He didn't care about the scorecard winner but he definitely cared about winning. He told Adrian before the fight he knew he wouldn't actually beat Apollo and that his goal was to go all 15 rounds and if he did that he'd feel like the winner. It meant everything to him to make it to that last bell

Yessss!! They did it in Rocky Balboa too.

Bro of course, it was never about winning and losing. It was about proving to himself that he could go toe-toe with anybody, including the champ. That’s why he said “Don’t want one” when Apollo said “Ain’t gonna be no rematch”. Because he already got what he wanted outta the fight.

That was the intent of the movie. It was supposed to tell a wholesome story. I think you’re saying they did a good job

so true! It's the little things! And after fighting a war, he notices that her hat is missing (and he can barely see). This is truly one of the best love-stories of all time.

I believe it was improve too.

Stallone - an underrated writer.... I remember when he felt he had to prove how smart he was - I remember various interviews during the late 90s when Stallone tried to use big words - Fortunately his daughters are all the proof needed that he's a 'rock' steady guy - at least smart enough to listen to his wife.....

@@harlenevan gay

@@loudonrebel5383 huh?

I agree 100%. Very authentic ending and not pretentious at all.

Right there with Truffaut´s "400 blows"

@@noimpostura What Are You Talking About. Who's Truffaut.

kinseliplier he’s a legendary Director who’s debut film is considered one of the best films ever up there with The Godfather and Citizen Kane

Karate Kid 1 great freeze frame ending too! Same director.

Rocky took his soul at that point. Apollo knew he nothing left. Everybody knows Apollo was saved by a quick bell in the last round.

He's was like.. goddamn dude..

@@bradballard4588 apollo wasnt a bad guy

@williamrubin4912 I agree with you statement about him being a bad guy, he was overconfident and didn’t care about the fight. Though he was definitely the antagonist of the story.

@@StuartLegomanLittle Apollo is definitely not a “bad” guy. He underestimated Rocky, but Duke knew Apollo was in for a war if Rocky hung around. Apollo deep down knew he had nothing left after he floored Rocky in the 14th. Apollo’s courage and pride kept him upright and able to get the decision.

What about Rocky II?

Too similar i think. Not the same impact.

You haven't watched Field of Dreams.

@@kljhjklh4257 not yet

Yes, you have no idea how powerful his scores are until I found myself bawling in Season One of COBRA KAI because of the music!

True, Same for Rocky 2. In Third, It's become personal for Rocky Balboa.

It's both.

@@ezekieldiakite6618 it's a love story with a boxing background

You get it.

It’s a life story.

that's crazy, i don't think i've ever heard or seen someone clap in a movie theatre (that wasn't being sarcastic)

I would have too. Such a great ending

JessikahAznBabyy I can see why they would. I really envy ppl when I hear they watched Rocky in a movie theater. HOW cool. Rocky wasn't really a movie about boxing, but about the human condition. To come from nothing (much like Sylvester Stallone before Rocky, as multiple movie studios didn't even want Sly to be Rocky), and to stand tall in the end, as Rocky/Stallone did :)

When you live in Philadelphia, this is your film like it is for me

JessikahAznBabyy everyone clapped at the end of the lotr

yes, very true - it's almost as if the real prize or reward or treasure granted to Rocky after going 15 rounds is Adrian.

Because in the original version he forfeits and lose the match, and then goes find Adrian.

@@gabrielgarcia579 FAKENGAAAAYYY

@@harlenevan Lol No, he fell in love with her in the middle of the movie. He already knew she was the one. The fight just made him want her by his side.

Amen, Mr. Hill👍 He got what he wanted out of life.....a girl, dignity, and a sense of self-worth. God bless him😇

+NYG4LIFE123 "He's everyone's firend!" said the guard.

Never caught that. Awesome

Underrated scene actually 👍🏼

I always liked the sly (no pun intended) way that Paulie did that

@PatricksCrazyPlace......Good 'eye' bro. Paulie was a complete pr*ck to Adrian throughout the entire flick. So to see him finally be a loyal-loving 'Big Brother' made the scene especially sweet. ❤❤❤

BACHUR my fucking god i am dying 😆

He said "Come on I've had enough things in my face tonight"

As Stallone said , he turned 'mumbling' into a career! : )

He says there’s going to be no rematch. And he doesn’t want cameras in his face. 😂

Bachur he said there was gonna be no rematch oh come on I’ve had of these things all day

The look on his face to me is one of the defining moments of the film. He says so much by doing so little in that scene.

David Goggins was inspired by Carl's look. Says he tries to give it to others

Authentic and genuine.

At 0:38 she closes her eyes and Wills herself to watch him. Her eyes open with such steely resolve it's as if she somehow manages to give Rocky some kind of a boost rather than it being a coincidence that he rattles Apollo's ribs in the next moment. Her "I love you" cries are also so genuine that it makes you shed a tear.

Very well said.

Adrian(Rocky 5) "When you took those beatings....I took them WITH YOU!"

Maybe because we are not longer humans

🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺👏👏👏👏👏

+For Your Consideration Hey, I don't love anyone and still, I'm mad about this end scene, watch for what you say mister "rude I'm in love with someone" xP

+Greyzlack But you got loooove in you!

For Your Consideration he lost the fight but he won her heart

I also like how, at least I think, Paulie redeems himself for all the bad things he did in the movie by simply pulling up on the rope to let Adrian slip into the ring.

I never noticed that before!

Who's adrian

Jk jk

thebigbang778 yt didn’t see the jk at first I was about to go on a mad rant 😂

@@cianwhittington3357 Love How You Wrote The Wrong Name in Your Reply. Lol Dumbass.

all he wanted is her ADRIANNN 😍🤣

I agree with a lot of what you said, although I think 2,3 &4 are amazing too. Particularly Rocky III where Apollo puts his ego aside to train Rocky after his trainer dies, and gets Rocky back to his best. Quiet a few people don't like 4, but I like the story of Rocky fighting to avenge Apollo's death. Getting up before Apolli in Rocky II was pretty legendary too imo.

Rocky 3 is SO GOOD - I rewatched it last year.... The training on the beach etc. It made "Eye of the Tiger" a hit And Rocky 4 inspired Olympian Michael Phelps when he trained for the Olympics - that Ivan Drago training montage! Sure some of the dialogue is forced by Rocky 4 .... but still respectable.

@@michael43567 Rocky IV is like the black sheep, it seems far more modern with it's electronic score than the first III and the music video style sequences are very 80s. It's kind of a guilty stand alone pleasure for many. Stallone was clever with all his Rocky endings, every one of them could have potentially been the end of the saga as each brings storylines full circle.

For drama, as well as pure cinematic storytelling, this was by far the best. I mean the others were also good, don't get me wrong. But the writing, the directing, the acting, the character development, it was just really a well done movie. The fact that Rocky didn't win the fight was irrelevant. "Winning" for Rocky was gaining self-confidence, beating the odds, getting the fight in the first place. Proving to himself that he isn't just some bum from Philly. Remember when he said "All I want to do is go the distance?" He did.

@@perryegolson833 Yes, and the ending we know almost wasn't, it was a reshoot! But they hit the nail, sometimes I pretend the others didn't happen just for it to have full impact. I showed a retrospective of it on 35mm about 12 years ago and quite a few middle aged patrons were seeing it for the first time. I got really excited for them as I knew they would experience the whole film fresh with no knowledge of the sequels!

Even though the second movie is mostly about Apollo trying to lure Rocky back into the ring for a rematch.

@@johnanderson9765 I think in that moment at the end of the fight Apollo didnt want a rematch because both he and Rocky knew that they just had a match for the ages and didnt need a rematch. But as soon as he went backstage he realizes "oh shit there is huge money to be made here with a rematch"

When the film opened and many years after, while that dialogue was said "Aint gonna be no rematch" "Don't want one", the ROCKY theme was played on piano, if you play that track on the original music soundtrack you can hear it, for one reason or another it never seems to be in the film anymore.

​@@natedoggcata it wasn't money, it was his jilted pride because viewers accused him of rigging the fight.

@@gargantuaism THANK YOU! I feel like I'm going insane. It's a few bars of "Alone in the Ring" that play just after the final bell and before Rocky and Apollo embrace. It adds SO MUCH to the scene, and I have no idea why it isn't in most edits.

She said in Rocky 5 that when he took those beatings she took them with him.

He told her to wait in the locker room, but she waited so long and comes out. He’s getting beaten, goes down, and once again gets up. She puts her head down as if to say, “he will not give in”. Just a great, great moment.

Good point. That part that really chokes me up his manager (who's been telling him much of the movie he has no heart) saying ""Down stay down" I.E. He realizes that Rocky has heart, maybe a little too much. He might get himself killed.

best movie ending of all time is easily fight club

I also like the chase scene at the end of Last Of The Mohicans. Like this, so many individual character arcs come to an epic climax.

2 is better knowing he actually got it done

great point Mitch! Very perceptive on your part and a detail that is often lost amid the drama at the end.

I think the point was that Rocky allowed people to picture themselves as better people. He gave his all and it rubbed off on them.

@@robmaddison8645 boom👍

@@robmaddison8645 an incredible way to look at it

I think, in general, Paulie is a really complex character that people always go like “he’s an abuser towards his sister!”, which is true, but it’s not simply that or just because. Just as Adrian, he has suffered a lot, and doesn’t understand his own world as Rocky in the beginning of the film. At the end of the day, the film is a commentary on perceiving the love surrounding you, and realizing that, when fighting for the right reasons, you will fight without giving up to any adversity. That’s what makes Adrian’s love so exceptional, that she makes Rocky love himself (the film editing of the movie is great, one of the best ever, and really helps you understand that turning point for Rocky). Maybe that’s what Paulie is lacking, something to make him realize the love surrounding him

How exactly is ROCKY overlooked? The character still lives in the CREED movies, Stallone got nominated for an Oscar a few years ago for the first CREED film, I think "ROCKY" will always live on as a classic.

I totally agree that. I can feel his concern and warm heart to Rocky. ❤

Very true. After spending much of the movie telling Rocky he has no heart, Mickey realized Rocky is showing TOO MUCH heart.

Word on that..

Harrell Smith Agree on the crying part. Also the scene where Mick went to Rocky's "apartment" and Rocky was yelling at him, Mick leaving, then Rocky running out to embrace him and shake his hand. That scene also definitely brings the tears, at least with me. But man o man, to see Rocky in the theater must have been SO cool. I'm curious what the general reaction of the audience was when the movie ended? Did many ppl cheer?

jjman9 Absolutely correct. The sequels completely went against what made this film great and seriously damaged this film's place in history.

I agree for much of what you said but I do think the sequels give a lot of good moral lessons like not giving up and not letting others trample over you and it's also interesting to show how threatened a pro athlete can feel when he's put up against younger and hungrier competition, I also enjoy the fight scenes in the others it's just plain fun :p

jjman9 Granted, most sequels are bad ideas, but some sequels are also great, like Rocky 2, The Godfather 2, etc. Many say Godfather 2 was better than the original. I think the original Rocky is better, but Rocky 2 also brought the goods.

Mike S i am ONLY referring to the Rocky sequels. II was awful to just okay. I cringe at the Kentucky Fried idiot line. The first film was about a personal victory. The second is about pleasing everyone else.

In a sense, Rocky is more like Drago in Rocky II

That hits harder now 😢

Nathaniel Drain Absolutely. And the accompanying music. There were SO many subtleties in Rocky, which is what made it SUCH a great movie.

+Mike S Agree. Also the scene when the promoter is grinning while watching Rocky unexpectedly put up a fight. Such great subtlety unlike the sequels where everything is spelled out for the viewer.

Me too, and I think there are a few reasons why. First, Rocky gets one shot at a chance to show his qualities-to prove himself to the world, and he gives it every fiber of his strength, spirit, and endurance. He rises to the occasion so well. We admire Rocky for taking the chance and rising to the occasion so well-but still being himself. Second, in going through the story, he discovers his true purpose in life, which is to love Adrian. Being her man, her husband, is his vocation. The boxing match becomes his way of showing the lengths he will go for her. I think that in a way, he kind of lays down his life for her in the boxing match. Third, the filmmaking in this final scene is excellent. The editing, music, and story come together in a way that makes the hairs stand up on the back of your neck. In the chaos in the ring after the match, we see that Rocky cares for nothing else than to have Adrian by his side, but very slyly, in the background to the main action, the director is telling the end of the story. Most movies would make a big deal of the result of the match, and then tack on the embrace of Rocky and Adrian. But the way the director does it here is genius. It is a split decision. Does Rocky pull out the improbable victory? The first judge goes for Creed. The second for Rocky. As Adrian embraces Rocky in the ring and he says, "I love you", the announcer says, "And still heavyweight champion of the world, Apollo Creed." In his moment of complete joy, we find out that Rocky has just lost the heavyweight championship of the world.

schmitzd04 Plus the best prize at the end, the love of his woman :)

schmitzd04 Ah sorry only just realized there was more lines to your comment, yeah you hit the nail on the head.

This scene is so powerful and emotional!! The musical score is so poignant your heart soars, and if you don't cry during this incredible sequence there's a hole in your soul! This scene causes me to weep like a baby! Sylvester Stallone and Bill Conti are Geniuses!! 40 years later, I still cry uncontrollably whenever I watch this final few minutes of Rocky!!

Because Rocky and Adrian are well constructed complex characters who we the audience like and invest in. Adrian desperately wants to overcome her crippling shyness and rough home life. Rocky desperately wants to rise above being a hired thug for a petty loan shark. Both of them want the same thing that all of us, every normal human being in the world, wants - they want to love and be loved. And since we want that too, and since we like these two people, it matters to us and we feel joy when they achieve it. That's their victory, that's what the film is actually about, and that's why I cry like a little girl every time I watch it.

+Fahad Riaz It's all right mate. It's not your fault... It's not you faul... shit, wrong film reference.

+Fahad Riaz There's no shame, man. We've all done it.

Every time

Fahad, and the musical score REALLY gave the ending an emotional tug, as well. Nothing wrong with crying. It's a raw emotion, and it's good for the soul to do it every now and again.

Fahad Riaz and ends on the iconic steps

Very true. He was good in The Pope of Greenwich Village too.

Burt is raspy....Joe is high pitchy

Ironically enough they both were in a scene together in Once upon a time in America

Well, name one! Because I couldn't find any :D

They weren't whistling Dixie.

I wonder if this kind of fight would even be possible today. Would a modern day referee actually allow to fighters to just pummel each other this way for 15 rounds without stopping the match? The only similar fight I can think of in recent years was Fury vs Wilder #1

This is the exact part that always gets me.

he didnt win that year. He lost to the guy from Network. i think it was Peter Finch. It was a tough year nonetheless, one of the greatest in cinematic history, he was up against Deniro in Taxi driver, which i still think isnt even as good as Stallones performance.

Kale Paladeau he won best picture. he wasn't the director...but it was his script. plus it got 2 more oscars

It has one of the best cinema build ups and closer/endings in movie history. It was basically a Cinderella scenario/ American dream scenario . A man who was nothing, a bum, who had no respect, the girl he wanted was shy if not a little afraid of him, and generally disrespected/ had no respect. An opportunity of a lifetime dropped on his lap, he trained and worked hard, the girl warmed up to him, everyone who knew he existed was starting to KNOW he exists. In the end everything on a rapid incline came together and all goals are met: He went the distance with the Champ, his determination and will to fight accomplished, his woman announces her love for him, his loneliness vanquished and longing for love met, and he was not only respected by his people, but loved by his entire home town. It ended Right at that point, at the paramount of accomplishment. So very few movies have ever accomplished this correctly.

@@kaster999 My mistake! You're definitely correct about that sir!

The true heart break is how Adrian couldn't watch. And how she wanted him to stay down. But when she stays and comes to him. Epic.

"down down, stay down" Mickey protecting Rocky brings tears to my eyes

+Holly Gratton LOL same here. And frankly, in Rocky Balboa... I could not STOP crying...

+Holly Gratton Marry me

+DomesticMiss You too!

David Saewon Kang lol tell me when and where 😉

have nt yet seen rocky 1. I saw Rocky 2 at age 19

My father saw Rocky as a child in Taiwan and became one of his favorite movies. When the opportunity came to study in America, he had the opportunity to study in Chicago or Los Angeles, but ultimately chose Philadelphia, because of Rocky. He and his wife later settled here, and its where I was born and raised, because of Rocky.

+Irish Two I did!

Me, no shame!

when they tell him to stay down and he gets up regardless. That's Life condensed into a matter of seconds

Best ending ever!!

@KTV 4U you'll understand one day

I was actually just going to say the same thing. He had to have been thinking “What else do I have to do to this guy?” He looked so deflated. I love Apollo Creed. I think he’s my favorite character in the Rocky universe. He was never a villain like Clubber or Drago. He was just Rocky’s adversary, then his trainer and then his friend.

0:30

@@Whoopdido777clubber wasnt a villain either, dude worked himself up from nothing to be a serious contender, he earned a shot at the title

@@LTD538 Well Apollo never propositioned another man’s wife in front of a huge crowd while calling Rocky out at the same time. Clubber was street trash. Apollo was a great boxer and maybe even better promoter. And I’m talking about the character here. I love Mr. T.

@@Whoopdido777 so? He may be an asshole but hes not a villain

And apollos reaction. Like you gotta be kidding me. What do I have to do to keep this guy from getting up. Its almost a sadness mixed with disbelief. RIP Apollo.

I think that line is so cute

@@LuvMyTeddiez Believe it was ad libbed as well

Funny, I cannot believe he could see that... considering his eyes were rekt

@David Wayne right. Makes it even better

Unfortunately, from a quality standpoint parts 3 and 4 were mediocre at best and part 5 was pure crap. I do agree with you that part 1 was a lot more emotionally impactful and in my honest opinion part 6 came pretty darn close to being the same.

Rocky 2,3 and 4 were good movies. But Rocky, the original, is an all time great movie. I can go on and on about what made Rocky great. I'd rather just say watch this clip and that will tell anyone everything they need to know about why.

For people that haven't seen a Rocky film and they do exist, I just tell them to watch I, II (still better than III-V) and Rocky Balboa.

Yes. Rocky is a dramatic film. The sequels are big budget action movies.

JessikahAznBabyy Rocky Balboa had a similar feel to it as Rocky did. It was truly the only sequel that captured some of the spirit of the original.

True, and that makes his actual win in the sequel all the more sweet