I still remembered the first time seeing Rocky. His statue was in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA), at the right corner of the stairs. By then, I was just a freshman at Bryn Mawr, a kid who did not know much about Rocky and Philly.
It was until 2018, a year after I graduated from the college, I watched the first movie of Rocky. It was stunning to see him standing at the same place in front of the PMA, raising his arms toward the sky. It was absolutely THE film that could represent the soul of Philly in my utter dream. I wrote - "Philly has carried the purest four years of my life. I wanna punch, as hard as Rocky did, on the ring, towards the end of my life, but I also knew that I could not and did not want to return to Philly."
Out of the fear that the ideal of Rocky would collapse, it took me another three years to watch the rest of the movies recently in 2021. Watching Adrian, Mickey, and many other important fighters lived, stayed, and passed away was definitely heartbreaking. However, Rocky was there. After the fight with Apollo Creed, Clubber Lang, Captain Ivan Drago, Tommy Morrison, and Mason Dixon, Rocky was still running along every street that I could easily recognize in Philly. I guess Rocky was wiseful to say, if you stay in one place long enough, you become that place.
I liked the clip when Rocky and Paulie were talking about the final fight, they said -
Paulie: What, you haven't peaked yet?
Rocky: Peak?
Paulie: Yeah. Peak.
Rocky: …I don’t know. There’s still some stuff in the basement.
Paulie: What basement?
Rocky: [Points to his chest] In here.
What was the stuff in the basement Rocky was referring to? Was it pride? Was it self-respect? Was it the damn beast inside?
I soon figured out that it was Rocky's deterministic way of living that had drawn me into him, just like all the heroic figures in the epic poem. Rocky is a fighter. He fights not because he can’t sing or dance, but for the reason that fighters fight.
Marie was right when she said to Rocky -
You know, who you are, you konw the part of you that is so full of life. I mean, we all have that feeling, that fire. We usually never get a chance to use it and then it just goes away. But you can. You've got this opportunity. So, do it. Why not? I mean this is who you are. This is who you will always be and you don't move aside for nobody untill you're ready to move and it does not matter how this looks to other people. All that matters is how it looks to you. Rocky. Rocky, look at me. How it looks to you and if this is something that you want to do and if there is something that you've got to do, then you do it. Fighters fight.
Rocky was right when he said to his son Robert -
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 you 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! Now, if you know what you’re worth then go out and get what you’re worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody!
Yes, Rocky has gone through hell, worse than any nightmare one could ever dream. But when it is over, he was no longer another bum from the neighborhood, but the one who stood in the ring, with the eye of the tiger.
The Soul must have selected his own Society. Rocky has a life, with Adrian and many beloved ones. He succeeded because he kept going, and going, and going.
I hope one day, someone could also say to me, "I live with a fighter." Till then, my name would be Chris Balboa for the end of my life.
很少写评论,也不会写。看过影片,心情从极度的奔腾,到完整的平静,有一股力量层层涌动,故以评论的形式来释放、升华。
想了想人生仅过了四分之一,并未功成名就,竟也品尝到洛奇退役后的感受。大城市快节奏的痛击,何尝不是拳拳见血,每个骄傲的年轻人,有谁未曾在自己的拳台闪耀过。
故事回到《洛奇6》,洛奇系列已经看过好多遍,从穿着普通短裤的“意大利种马”,到继承老拳王美国短裤的“重量级拳王”洛奇,再到“6”里面痛失爱妻,儿子在外,靠开饭馆,和一帮老兄弟庸常度日,用回忆来过活的退役前拳王。从5到6,时隔30年的影片,带给人的还是一样的感动。
洛奇老了,时代也在变化。人们依然喜爱拳击,拳击经理人的嗅觉依然敏锐,可整个拳击界的比赛却越来越难以唤起人们的热血和激情,仿佛看拳赛只是来看流血和暴力,拳迷买票也只是因为消费惯性和对遥遥无期的精彩比赛极度的渴望。
现象的聚焦,镜头要从现任拳王梅森·迪克逊开启。眼神冷酷声音深沉的黑人小伙,依然拥有超越常人的速度,无与伦比的节奏,锋利的拳头仿佛杀人武器,无情而坚硬。33场比赛全胜战绩,在拳击界屹立不倒。比赛需要传奇!可这样的传奇,换来的却是观众普通的掌声,甚至还有很多失望的嘘声,一次又一次。拳王外表坚强,心里也有些苦闷抑郁,除了钱挣得与自己地位不配,更重要的是那种真正通过胜利取得的荣耀感,超越自己的兴奋,他从未感受到。只有自己的老教练理解他,相信他,而他的经纪人,甚至整个团队,都只把他当成挣钱机器。人们来看比赛,看不到他们想看的东西。商业操控下的拳击从业者,感受不到人们的需求,或许只是有意的忽略。整个大环境在这里,谁能放下一切,去做改变者?
洛奇,退役的老拳王。在生活的重压下,没有攒下太多积蓄,靠着剩下的钱经营着自己的拳击饭馆,偶尔给来的食客讲讲当年的故事,餐馆气氛常常很好,也还算是安逸。曾经的朋友也越来越少,平常只有妻子的哥哥老波利,还有曾经的对手,同样年迈的手下败将常常在饭馆里聊聊天。虽然洛奇常常在谈过去,怀念妻子和教练MICKY,甚至让波利都感到接受不了。但他浑浊的外表下,还能看到饱满的肌肉,有些粗糙老化,也可以看出,地下室的那些器材东西从未真正离他而去。
这片老街,本该是洛奇走向生命终点的归宿。一切都是那么顺其自然,老人就该收起年轻的光辉,为年轻人让路。
顶着拳王儿子光环在大公司工作的儿子,也不常回来看他了,对他父亲,他爱着也恨着。残酷的生活和压力,复杂的人际关系,让他找不到合适的解决 方式。拳王父亲成功的光环,让他觉得无法超越,每次见父亲,都有一种深深的挫败感。
洛奇一直在思考和期待帮助儿子找回自尊,找到真正的自己。
偶然的机会,洛奇在酒吧偶遇了原来街边骂过自己的女混混“小玛丽”,当年拿着弹球,穿着皮衣的自己仿佛回来了。玛丽也成熟了很多,经历了生活的打击,成为了一个坚强的单亲妈妈。两人谈起往事,都已风轻云淡。能在这愈加冷漠的小街,因欲望快速变化的俗世,见到熟悉的人,何尝不是一种安稳的幸福。洛奇帮助玛丽很多,帮玛丽家装上新的门灯并点亮,跟他儿子认识,带她儿子在收养所买了一只看似又笨又老但眼神澄澈从不乱吠的狗,开车送玛丽回家等等。直到邀请玛丽来自己的饭馆帮忙,却被玛丽拒绝。
玛丽的拒绝有很多原因,不想被人当作可怜人,怕被其他邻居风言风语。儿子的冷漠也有很多原因,怕见到父亲有失败感,怕自己总被认为是拳王儿子。老波利此时也被开除了,真正变成了无所事事没人需要,端着酒瓶,痛苦地发泄。
洛奇知道自己该做点什么。
洛奇是一个拳手,You know “Fighters fight!”
事情不该这么继续下去,一个老拳王心中的野兽在嘶吼,这条街,不是归宿。
难道就要这样看着身边的人被击倒,难道就要这样让野兽困在心中,缺氧致死。
有些时候,语言的力量是脆弱的。洛奇做了个决定,重返拳台,打打当地的小比赛。他要重返拳台去找寻属于自己的荣耀,保持一个拳手做人的尊严。他也要告诉儿子,告诉玛丽,告诉波利,告诉全世界,ROCKY BALBOA NEVER STOP。
当然,这一切并没有那么顺利。
而这一切又触发了某个炸弹。有个电视节目,利用数据模拟处于全胜时期的新老拳王,进行模拟的拳王争霸。洛奇靠着顽强地打法,钢铁般的重击,大胜现任拳王梅森·迪克逊。观众沸腾,评论员也找到了评论的激情,拳王看到这一切露出不屑一顾而又惋惜遗憾的表情。经纪人发现了机会,希望搞一场老洛奇对阵新拳王的比赛。他们靠表演赛能赚大钱,赚名声说服了梅森·迪克逊参赛。在洛奇的饭馆,说服洛奇,却只用了两句话。
那熟悉的音乐响起,凌晨熟悉的生鸡蛋,迎着朝阳山顶的跑步,地下室老式的训练器材,比赛如期开始。在拉斯维加斯最繁华的地段,拳王儿子、玛丽、波利还有老拳迷,新观众坐满了整个酒店,还未出场ROCKY的欢呼声响彻云霄。
除了洛奇自己,没有人会真以为,洛奇能打败拳王。能抗住几局,已经是胜利。
后面的比赛,看到我头皮发麻,就算是导演出来的画面,可展现出来的就是一个真正拳手的魂魄,一次次地抵抗,眩晕,清醒,倒地,站起,眼神从未变过。意志足够坚定,会呼唤命运之神的眷顾。新拳王也在这场如炼狱般的比赛中,超越了自己,强大的对手,会呼唤强大的灵魂。不论输赢,双方都给自己交了一张满意的答卷。最终结果,争议裁决洛奇一分之差落败,观众沸腾,高喊洛奇,新拳王微笑,披上冠军战袍。
“你,我,没人能够击打得比生活还重,但是这不在于你击打的多重,而在于你能被击打的多重,但却能继续向前。”-这是洛奇在街头对儿子说的话
在这一集,洛奇实现了自己的诺言,每个人,都得到了救赎。包括我。
Fighters fight,记住这句话,对于你坚信要去做的事,释放自己的热爱,这就是人生。