Thoughts on the Rocky Series - Mickey and Rocky

When it comes to the Rocky series, most fans of the franchise would argue that the first Rocky film is the best. Although, extensively about boxing, the reason the film resonates with a far wider audience than just boxing fans, is because the film is not really about boxing at all. Yes, Rocky is a boxer, inspired by real-life fighter, Chuck Wepner. Yes, Apollo Creed is based on Muhammad Ali. And yes, Ali had a famous fight with Chuck Wepner; where Ali was controversially knocked down by the massive underdog, and this was the inspiration for the first Rocky film. But if any fighter took half the punishment Rocky Balboa takes in the film, the fight would be stopped, hopefully. For this reason, some hardcore boxing fans, actually dislike the series. The secret behind the success of the Rocky films is that they use boxing as a metaphor for the challenges all people face at some point in their lives, and so, anybody can relate to them. 

In the first film, Rocky has just turned 30-years old. In the Seventies, this was considered the end of a fighter's prime, an age where fighters should be thinking about making enough money to retire before their skills deteriorate and they risk serious life-changing injury or worse. But Rocky, despite being considered a talented fighter, has underachieved at the only thing he ever showed promise in. Instead of fighting for championships, he is fighting "bums" in small club shows and is forced to make his living as a debt collector for the local loan shark. 

Seemingly with no family, the nearest thing Rocky has to a father figure is his trainer, Mickey; who is introduced in a scene where Rocky discovers the locker he has used for the past six years has been given away by his mentor to a younger fighter. Rocky is an underachiever, a boxing tragedy, who is seemingly too old to ever fully realize his potential now. A point that is hammered into the heads of the audience in a confrontation between Rocky and his father figure. 

Rocky asks: "I've been coming here for six years, and for six years you've been sticking it to me. I wanna know how come?"  

Mickey responds: "Okay, I'm gonna tell ya! Cause you had the talent to become a good fighter, but instead of that, you become a leg breaker to some cheap, second-rate loan shark!" 

On first viewing, it would seem that Rocky has wasted his talent, and his trainer is done with him. But a later scene changes that perception. From out of nowhere, Rocky wins the boxing equivalent of the lottery, a shot at the world heavyweight title, after no other challenger can be found at short notice. After discovering this, Mickey visits his former fighter, begging him to let the aged trainer be his manager. Rocky turns him down. Then, with his former trainer barely out of the door explodes in anger that Mickey never offered to help him more before now. It is subtlety done, but the look on the actor Burgess Meredith's face in the scene as his character Mickey listens on the stairs outside Rocky's room to the outburst, is not of anger or fear as audiences would expect, but instead intrigue and satisfaction. 

The implication of this being that when Mickey took Rocky's locker away and told the 30-year old some home truths, he hadn't given up on him at all. Instead, conscious that time was running out for his fighter, Mickey was seeing if Rocky still had the heart needed to be successful so late in his career. It was tough love. When Mickey heard Rocky's anger and frustration that he hasn't achieved what he should have, he knew it wasn't too late for his fighter to realise his true potential. 

This scene is echoed in the final film in the original Rocky series, Rocky Balboa, where a long-retired Rocky explains why he wants one last fight to his best friend Paulie. 

Rocky: "I don't know, there's still some stuff in the basement."

Paulie: "What basement?" 

Rocky: "In here." 

When Paulie understands what his friend is talking about, later he tells him "You're gonna do alright, Rocko" referring to Rocky's upcoming last fight.

If the first Rocky film has a central message that echoes throughout the whole series, it is that if you have a talent or something you want to achieve or prove to yourself or to others, it is never too late, as long as you still care about it.