Inktober 2017, Day 11: “Run” and A Thought About the Rocky Films

This Inktober 2017 Day 11 prompt, “Run”, is dedicated to one of the greatest cinematic underdogs of all time, Rocky Balboa.

Of all the Rocky movies I’ve seen, the first, second, and sixth film were my personal favorite as they were all set in a more realistic setting. The first film found Rocky losing, but the point wasn’t to win, but to completely “go the distance” and test his will against the elite prizefighter, Apollo Creed. The second film, though a bit more light-hearted in its finale, was a portrayal of a fighter’s life filled with frustration and toil. I’ll never forget the impact of the line Rocky utters when his pregnant wife, Adrian, asks why Rocky came home early from work: “I don’t know. I was… It was nobody’s fault. They were just cutting back. It was economics.” The proceeding films carried on with the sign of the times of the 80’s and 90’s and felt like martial arts b-movies – of course, there’s nothing wrong with that, but they clearly were more about capturing the zeitgeist of that era.

It wasn’t until 2006 where a more naturalize Rocky would return with the penultimate  “Rocky Balboa”. The film had a few themes rolling around in regards to, ownership of one’s life, dealing with aging, dealing with grief and loss, and the freedom of one’s pursuit of a meaningful life. A lot of people remember the great scene where Rocky lectures to his son, Robert, the importance of being your own person and standing up for yourself against life’s challenges.

 

But for me one of the most memorable scenes is where Rocky fights to get his license to compete again. After completing a series of tests and told he passed, the commission takes it upon themselves to deny Rocky’s license. The veteran pugilists espouses a powerful rhetoric:

“I mean you shouldn’t be asking people to come down here and pay the freight on something they paid that still ain’t good enough. I mean you think that’s right? I mean maybe you’re doing your job, but why you gotta stop me from doing mine? ‘Cause if you’re willing to go through all the battling you gotta go through to get where you wanna get — Who’s got the right to stop you? I mean maybe some of you guys got something you never finished, something you really wanna do, something you never said to somebody — somethin’! — and you’re told “No,” even after you pay your dues? Who’s got the right to tell you that? Who? Nobody. It’s your right to listen to your gut. It ain’t nobody’s right to say “No” after you earned the right to be where you wanna be and do what you wanna do.”

 

The film “Creed” – a spinoff of the Rocky series chronicling the life of Apollo Creed’s son Adonis,  has carried on the tradition and spirit of the Rocky films. It’s awesome to see Rocky taking on the Mickey role and mentoring the young pugilist. I’m excited to see how this Rocky universe expands with Adonis. “Creed” captured the spirit and tone of “Rocky” , “Rocky 2″, and Rocky Balboa”. Though dark and bleak at times, the heart and soul of these films is what makes them inspirational. The spirit of the films could be summed up with this great quote from “Rocky Balboa” where Rocky lectures to his son:

“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!”

Hell yeah!!

 

 

-Steve

You’re Not a Martial Artist Until You’ve Seen “Bloodsport”

Doodl’n Chong Li played by the “Chinese Hercules”, Bolo Yeung.

I feel like a faker! All my martial arts friends watched Bloodsport in their teenage years, while I watched it way after college. Something about that makes me feel like I’m not a legit martial artist! Haha.

Seriously though, I didn’t get the hoopla. Friends would quote lines from the film and get excited reminiscing about the fight scenes. The first time I saw it, I (gasp) didn’t enjoy it (Bloodsport fans hate me now). But it’s grown on me over the years. The story is actually well-told and the concept of  fighters from around the world competing in the lethal kumite trading their lives for honor and prestige is a pretty badass concept. Yes, the acting is shite, but come on, it’s a popcorn flick.

There are just some great one-liners in the film; which is a hallmark of 80’s action films. When US brawler, Ray Jackson tells a friend he’s going to compete in the kumite, he’s warned that fighters have been known to die in the death match. Jackson retorts, “Only if you f–k up!”

And that intro is plenty kickass, showing different styles of marital arts in action and a taste of what’s to come in the lethal tournament. It’s highlighted even better by Paul Hertzog’s pulsating score.

And if you ever have a friend who gets mortally wounded by your nemesis in the kumite, you’ll need the perfect dramatic song to go with the montage of you walking around the city in sorrow:

Bloodsport was supposedly based on the real life kumite exploits of martial artist Frank Dux. However, according to co-writer, Sheldon Lettich, most of Frank Dux’s stories about the kumite, “turned out to be bullshit“.

Well, whatever the case may be, Bloodsport is definitely one kickass cult martial arts film.

-S