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Rocky III
- 414 statements
- 81 feature instances
- 52 referencing feature instances
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The one where Rocky fights Hulk Hogan and Mr. T.Rocky III is a 1982 American film written and directed by, and starring Sylvester Stallone as the title character; the third installment in the Rocky film series.At the end of Rocky II, underdog Rocky Balboa defeated Apollo Creed to become the world heavyweight champion of boxing. Five years and ten title defences later, Rocky's reign remains intact and he has become a major celebrity, though at the cost of becoming complacent.In a reversal of Rocky and Apollo's roles in the first film, Rocky is challenged by a young up-and-comer named Clubber Lang (Mr. T). Rocky neglects his training compared to the passionate and aggressive Lang, and quickly loses the title in a stunning and decisive upset.Forced to confront his own failings and the sudden death of his beloved trainer Micky, Rocky falls into depression until he is approached by the now-retired Apollo Creed. Apollo wishes to settle a grudge with Lang by training Rocky for a rematch, instilling Rocky with the technique and expertise that characterised Apollo's ability as a highly-trained and well-rounded fighter. The two rivals bond throughout their training and become close friends, leading to a final climatic showdown with Clubber Lang.This was the film debut of Mr. T; and of professional wrestler Hulk Hogan, as the supporting character "Thunderlips". The film's main theme "Eye of the Tiger", was written by the group Survivor and became a smash hit single, topping the U.S. Billboard charts and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.The fourth installment in the series, Rocky IV, was released in 1985. | |
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Unknown Rematch Conclusion | |
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Unknown Rematch Conclusion: Perhaps the Ur-Example in all of pop culture is Rocky's third fight with Apollo Creed, which is witnessed by no one but the two fighters involved. It isn't until Creed that we learn that victor is Apollo. | |
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Artistic License – Martial Arts | |
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Artistic License – Martial Arts: The Boxer vs. Wrestler match is treated like a real life vale tudo-esque match in the vein of Muhammad Ali vs. Antonio Inoki. The announcers even lampshade that kind of match by claiming that usually, when the wrestler grabs the boxer, the fight is over. However, the match itself, while certainly a real brawl in-universe, is choreographed like a professional wrestling bout, with the wrestler hitting all sort of "worked" moves and even receiving a chair shot from a cornerman. | |
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Heroic BSoD | |
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Heroic BSoD: When Rocky finds out his ten title defenses were "hand-picked" by Mickey to be relatively easy wins, Rocky goes bonkers for the entire second act of the film. He thought he was fighting and defeating the best, but the realization that he was fighting only people Mickey knew Rocky could beat made him question his skill and achievements. This leads to him legitimately fearing fighting a destroyer like Clubber. | |
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Ripped from the Headlines | |
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Ripped from the Headlines: Real life: Joe Frazier, a tough boxer from Philadelphia who was famous for his left hook, did his roadwork in the city (including the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art) and used meat carcasses as makeshift punching bags, reached the pinnacle of his career with a victory over the quick, brash and charismatic Muhammad Ali. After a few defenses against less than stellar opposition that was clearly outclassed by him, Frazier then faced the hard-hitting (but relatively unheralded) George Foreman, and was knocked out in two rounds. A year later Foreman faced Ali, and in that bout Ali made a tactical decision mid-fight to stop using the Hit-and-Run Tactics he was famous for, and instead adopted the rope-a-dope strategy of lying on the ropes, blocking, parrying, and in some cases absorbing all the punishment Foreman could dish out and more, taunting Foreman all the while for Foreman's inability to knock Ali out. The result was that Foreman exhausted himself trying to KO Ali, and Ali then knocked him out. (Link) Rocky III: Rocky Balboa, a tough boxer from Philadelphia famous for his left hook who does his roadwork in the city (including the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art) and uses meat carcasses as makeshift punching bags, reaches the pinnacle of his career with victory over the quick, brash and charismatic Apollo Creed. After a number of defenses which his manager eventually admits were handpicked and posed no threat to Rocky, he then decides to defend his title against hard hitting slugger Clubber Lang, and is knocked out in two rounds. Afterward, Apollo Creed, (who is the analogue for Muhammad Ali) trains Rocky to fight in a different way, mirroring Apollo's own style. Rocky begins his rematch with Clubber doing very well by boxing and using Hit-and-Run Tactics, but when Lang finds a way to start getting to him, Rocky makes a mid-fight switch, starts using Stone Wall defense to defend against the worst of Lang's punches while taunting Lang for his inability to knock Rocky out. Lang quickly exhausts himself trying to KO Rocky, and then Rocky comes back and knocks him out. (Link) Real life: Muhammad Ali, an ultra-famous boxing champion, was brought to a Boxer vs. Wrestler bout against a similarly popular pro wrestler, Antonio Inoki. He initially thought the match would be worked in the pro wrestling tradition, but before the match Inoki revealed to him it was going to be a real fight, and Ali's camp had to intervene to save him from a more than likely defeat (by pressing Inoki's promotion into imposing all sorts of ridiculous rules for him only). After the match, Ali and Inoki became friends. Rocky III: Rocky Balboa, an ultra-famous boxing champion, is brought to a Boxer vs. Wrestler bout against someone who is implied to be a similarly popular pro wrestler, Thunderlips. He initially thinks the match is going to be worked in the pro wrestling tradition, but at the beginning of the match, Thunderlips reveal it is going to be a real fight, and Rocky's camp has to intervene to save him from a more than likely defeat (in this case, by having Paulie hit the wrestler with a stool). After the match, Rocky and Thunderlips have a friendly exchange. Chuck Wepner, the inspiration behind the original Rocky, capitalized on his fame the following year with a heavily publicized match against a professional wrestler (André the Giant) that was the main event of a card that ended with a live telecast of the mentioned Ali-Inoki fight. Both matches involved someone being thrown out of the ring, although in the movie Rocky also throws Thunderlips, while in real life it was only Andre giving Wepner the heave ho. Inoki would "win" a match against Wepner a year later. | |
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All There in the Manual | |
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All There in the Manual: The novelization gives Clubber Lang a backstory. As an orphan at an early age, he spent most of his childhood on the streets of Chicago's Southside, as well as time in orphanages and juvenile facilities. Later as an adult, Clubber was sent to prison for five years, for one possible count of a felony and/or assault charge. During his time being served he discovered boxing as a way to let out his frustrations and find his true talent. The novelization also names the three bikini models accompanying Thunderlips — Dora, Doreen and Daphne. | |
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Defeat Means Friendship | |
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Defeat Means Friendship: One of the more famous examples of this trope, starting when Apollo decides to become Rocky's trainer. | |
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Diegetic Soundtrack Usage | |
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Diegetic Soundtrack Usage: A high school marching band plays "Gonna Fly Now" at Rocky's statue unveiling ceremony. Later on a lounge band performing at Rocky's public training plays the theme. An annoyed Mickey yells "Shut up back there! Change your tune." | |
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Kayfabe | |
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Kayfabe: Once the match is called, Thunderlips breaks character and thanks Rocky for the bout. Rocky, who is unfamiliar with kayfabe, asks Thunderlips why he acted the way he did, which Thunderlips responds that is the name of the game. The movie interestingly zig-zags how it breaks kayfabe, as kayfabe was still the law of the land in wrestling at the time. While Thunderlips (played by Hulk Hogan) gives away that his character is all an act when he goes from violent and arrogant heel to friendly affability once the show's over, the match between him and Rocky is portrayed as a genuine competition, with no suggestion that wrestling as a whole is staged. note Hogan, who didn't hit the big time until after this movie brought him to the public eye, would have probably been blacklisted from the wrestling industry if the movie had given away that wrestling is entirely predetermined. | |
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Funny Background Event | |
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Funny Background Event: During the pre-fight interview, Paulie is peeking out over Rocky's shoulder and waving at the camera. | |
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ZigZaggedTrope | |
| Rocky III / int_272108cd | comment |
The movie interestingly zig-zags how it breaks kayfabe, as kayfabe was still the law of the land in wrestling at the time. While Thunderlips (played by Hulk Hogan) gives away that his character is all an act when he goes from violent and arrogant heel to friendly affability once the show's over, the match between him and Rocky is portrayed as a genuine competition, with no suggestion that wrestling as a whole is staged. note Hogan, who didn't hit the big time until after this movie brought him to the public eye, would have probably been blacklisted from the wrestling industry if the movie had given away that wrestling is entirely predetermined. | |
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Hidden Depths | |
| Rocky III / int_2dc0d2bf | comment |
Hidden Depths: While he may not be a smart guy and a rather bad fighter outside his power, the opening montage establishes Clubber as a savvy student of the game. He seems to be the one person who takes in Rocky's fights and realizes Rocky's opponents, while good, are not on the level of being able to actually defeat him. Before anyone else, Lang knows Rocky is more vulnerable than he seems to fuel his quest to face him. | |
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| Rocky III / int_2f253c94 | type |
Glass Cannon | |
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Glass Cannon: Clubber. On one hand, uniquely among Rocky's opponents, he actually knocks the Italian Stallion out, in the second round. On the other hand, he's also the only one of Rocky's challengers to suffer an early KO, as in their rematch, rather than a dramatic fifteen-round battle, Rocky manages to fell him in three. | |
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| Rocky III / int_3036294e | type |
Scary Black Man | |
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Scary Black Man: Clubber Lang absolutely plays this role to the hilt, as an ex street fighter turned ruthless, knockout machine of a boxer who trash talks and attacks anyone around him on a moment's notice. Look at the look on Mickey's face at the end of Clubber's training/fight montage at the beginning of the movie. Mickey is clearly terrified by the prospect of Rocky getting in the ring with this challenger! | |
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Training Montage | |
| Rocky III / int_31fcc258 | comment |
Training Montage: Part of the opening sequence features Clubber Lang training hard by himself and crushing his opponents while Rocky becomes complacent. Rocky gets a few training scenes while he's preparing for the first bout with Clubber, but mostly it shows how distracted and unfocused he is. Later he gets a proper one when being trained by Apollo. | |
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Rule of Pool | |
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Rule of Pool: Balboa pulls a fully-clothed Paulie into the pool during the training montage, mostly For the Funnyz. | |
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Actor Allusion | |
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Actor Allusion: Rocky's appearance on The Muppet Show is taken from Sylvester Stallone's actual guest appearance on the show. Jim Henson re-recorded Kermit's intro dialogue to say "Rocky Balboa" instead of Stallone's name. | |
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Ask a Stupid Question... | |
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Ask a Stupid Question...: Just before the first title fight, there's a scene where sports commentator Stu Nahan asks former Heavyweight Champion and guest commentator Apollo Creed for his prediction in the Rocky/Clubber Lang bout. When Creed (who famously lost the title to Balboa) picks Rocky, we have this exchange: | |
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Pretty in Mink | |
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Pretty in Mink: Adrian gets a couple furs. Even spoofed in a short review of the films. | |
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Throw It In! | |
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Throw It In!: An in-universe example. When Rocky is training to fight Clubber Lang, he gets a kiss on the cheek by one of his fans while Mickey is trying to motivate him. After Mickey shoves said fan away, he improvises his speech a little without skipping a beat. | |
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Hit-and-Run Tactics | |
| Rocky III / int_4f23179 | comment |
Rocky III: Rocky Balboa, a tough boxer from Philadelphia famous for his left hook who does his roadwork in the city (including the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art) and uses meat carcasses as makeshift punching bags, reaches the pinnacle of his career with victory over the quick, brash and charismatic Apollo Creed. After a number of defenses which his manager eventually admits were handpicked and posed no threat to Rocky, he then decides to defend his title against hard hitting slugger Clubber Lang, and is knocked out in two rounds. Afterward, Apollo Creed, (who is the analogue for Muhammad Ali) trains Rocky to fight in a different way, mirroring Apollo's own style. Rocky begins his rematch with Clubber doing very well by boxing and using Hit-and-Run Tactics, but when Lang finds a way to start getting to him, Rocky makes a mid-fight switch, starts using Stone Wall defense to defend against the worst of Lang's punches while taunting Lang for his inability to knock Rocky out. Lang quickly exhausts himself trying to KO Rocky, and then Rocky comes back and knocks him out. (Link) | |
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Early-Installment Weirdness | |
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Early-Installment Weirdness: For Mr T. While his persona and well-known "Pity the fool" catchphrase were first popularized in Rocky III, the movie has Mr. T hitting on Rocky's wife to antagonize him, far removed from the Mr. T who would become well known for telling kids to stay in school and to not do drugs, and being very respectful to women. | |
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Good Old Fisticuffs | |
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Good Old Fisticuffs: Rocky had Paulie cut his gloves off during the Boxer vs. Wrestler match so he can use his unpadded fists against the clearly more powerful Thunderlips. | |
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Bookends | |
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Book Ends: The film begins by showing the end of Rocky and Apollo's fight for the belt from Rocky II and it ends with the two former rivals having a friendly sparing match. | |
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Let's Get Dangerous! | |
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Let's Get Dangerous!: After getting unceremoniously tossed out of the ring by the hulking Thunderlips, Rocky immediately bolts to his corner and has his boxing gloves cut off in order to even the odds against his much larger opponent. Once Thunderlips makes his way back to the ring, a bare-knuckled Rocky fares much better against him. | |
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Sincerity Mode | |
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Sincerity Mode: During an interview with the upcoming rematch against Rocky, Lang admits that he doesn't hate the guy, but he "pities the fool!" When he was asked about his prediction for the match, he tones down his usual attitude and simply responded with "pain." | |
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Bring It | |
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Bring It: When Rocky and Clubber touch gloves at the beginning of the rematch. | |
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Names to Run Away from Really Fast | |
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Names to Run Away from Really Fast: CLUBBER LANG! He also has quite a personality to match. Even Mickey doesn't want to mess with him. (According to sources outside of the movie, his birth name is James.) | |
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Death Glare | |
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Death Glare: Apollo gives Clubber one when the latter rudely rebuffs his handshake. Not that Clubber is intimidated... Before the first fight when the boxers touch gloves and the referee reads the rules Clubber gives a distracted Rocky one, who keeps on looking away uncomfortably. Before the second fight, now in shape and determined to win, Rocky returns the glare. | |
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My God, You Are Serious! | |
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My God, You Are Serious!: Rocky tries to friendly talk some theatrical spots with Thunderlips in midst of the match, but he then gets clubbed down and he realizes that it is a competitive fight and not some sort of exhibition. | |
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Mean Character, Nice Actor | |
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Mean Character, Nice Actor: Thunderlips is revealed to be quite of a nice guy. He spends the entire match playing the Heel to the hilt, but afterwards he breaks Kayfabe to shake Rocky's hand, congratulate him on a good match and take some promotion photos, and goes to great length to ensure that there are no hard feelings. There's also the fact that the match was a charity bout that raised nearly $75,000. | |
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Jerkass Has a Point | |
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Jerkass Has a Point: Lang may be a massive jerkass, but he was indeed right about initially being denied his title shot. He fought his way to being ranked #1, and was deserving of the same chance that Rocky got (and Rocky didn't even have to fight for his first chance). Meanwhile, Rocky, while he wasn't fighting tomato cans, was fighting hand-picked boxers that Mickey figured would not win. Mickey outright admitted to protecting him to keep him champion. Which was not only unfair to Rocky, but also to Lang. Like him or not, Lang earned his title shot. | |
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Meaningful Name | |
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Meaningful Name: It's not easy to catch, but when the announcer chants Thunderlips' name, the wrestler does a kissing pose with his lips. Combined with his own description of himself as a ladies man, you can see what his ring name is supposed to mean. It doesn't make the name any less awkward, however. | |
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Villain Has a Point | |
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Villain Has a Point: Clubber Lang is outraged that Rocky won't allow him a shot at the heavyweight championship title and publicly accuses him of only ever taking easy matches. He's actually right: it turns out Mickey has quietly been refusing all challenges to the title except those he knows Rocky can beat. | |
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Hated by All | |
| Rocky III / int_77aae115 | comment |
Hated by All: During Clubber's brief tenure as World Champion it's clear nobody likes him. The audience boos him, the commentators are unflattering and someone even tries to heckle him, due to a combination of his jerkass personality - including needlessly antagonizing the still-popular and beloved former champion Apollo Creed - and having knocked out the extremely popular Balboa. It's worth mentioning, however, that Lang could not care less that nobody likes him. All he cares about is being champion. | |
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Bullying a Dragon | |
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Bullying a Dragon: Clubber does this to Apollo- twice. The first time he merely insults him by slapping away an outstretched hand. The second time, Lang gets physical and shoves the former Heavyweight Champ when Apollo turns his back on him, nearly causing a full brawl to break out- just before Lang's title defense! | |
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Rocky III / int_7eb73553 | |
| Rocky III / int_7f9b12a6 | type |
Chairman of the Brawl | |
| Rocky III / int_7f9b12a6 | comment |
Chairman of the Brawl: Thunderlips gets a wooden folding chair broken on his back courtesy of Paulie. | |
| Rocky III / int_7f9b12a6 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_7f9b12a6 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_7f9b12a6 | |
| Rocky III / int_7fbb2a3 | type |
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero! | |
| Rocky III / int_7fbb2a3 | comment |
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Mickey protected Rocky's title by hand-picking opponents. Rocky clearly had no idea who Clubber was at the statue unveiling, and a champion not even recognizing the top contender for their title shows how deeply Mickey buried any real competition. When Rocky learns what Mickey did, he starts questioning everything in his life and loses all confidence in his abilities. He immediately loses the title, and legitimately fears the rematch. | |
| Rocky III / int_7fbb2a3 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_7fbb2a3 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_7fbb2a3 | |
| Rocky III / int_81bdc398 | type |
He's Back! | |
| Rocky III / int_81bdc398 | comment |
He's Back!: Pretty much the entire third act of the movie. | |
| Rocky III / int_81bdc398 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_81bdc398 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_81bdc398 | |
| Rocky III / int_85557b38 | type |
Reality Is Unrealistic | |
| Rocky III / int_85557b38 | comment |
Reality Is Unrealistic: the fact that Mickey hand-picked opponents he knew Rocky could beat seems odd. But in fact boxing was, and pretty much still is, the only sport where everyone simply picks their opponents. The champ in any class has a lot of control over who they are going to fight. | |
| Rocky III / int_85557b38 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_85557b38 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_85557b38 | |
| Rocky III / int_86b21114 | type |
Badass Boast | |
| Rocky III / int_86b21114 | comment |
Badass Boast: Two very different examples. Thunderlips the wrestler shouts one mid-match before nailing Rocky with a kneeling backbreaker. When asked his prediction for his second match with Rocky, Clubber responds thusly: | |
| Rocky III / int_86b21114 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_86b21114 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_86b21114 | |
| Rocky III / int_8ae880f7 | type |
Deconstruction | |
| Rocky III / int_8ae880f7 | comment |
Deconstruction: Largely of the previous two movies and their climactic fights. While Rocky is a talented fighter, he won his title largely because of an almost supernatural ability to take a beating for fifteen rounds until Apollo wore himself out. Due to the very real possibility of Rocky suffering a Career-Ending Injury using this approach, and combined with his relatively advanced age for a boxer and tendency to lose focus on his training that was seen in the second film, Mickey had to choose Rocky's opponents carefully to prolong Rocky's career rather than setting him up with top contenders. It's also shown that Rocky's style has a major vulnerability, which is that if he's up against someone who can actually hit hard enough to significantly hurt him (which Clubber Lang can), it completely derails the approach he used against Apollo and, due to Rocky's lack of versatility, leaves him with no backup plan. Apollo has to rebuild Rocky from the ground up in a completely different style for him to become a truly great champion. | |
| Rocky III / int_8ae880f7 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_8ae880f7 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_8ae880f7 | |
| Rocky III / int_8b4f491c | type |
Villainy-Free Villain | |
| Rocky III / int_8b4f491c | comment |
Villainy-Free Villain: Clubber may be a Jerkass but he trains hard and fights clean, and all he wants is a legitimate shot at the title. | |
| Rocky III / int_8b4f491c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_8b4f491c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_8b4f491c | |
| Rocky III / int_92e8c891 | type |
Embarrassing Statue | |
| Rocky III / int_92e8c891 | comment |
Embarrassing Statue: Early in the film, an event is held to unveil a statue of Rocky with his arms triumphantly in the air. He doesn't say anything, but his expression when he sees it shows he's pretty self-conscious about it. Later, when he's at a low point after losing the title to Clubber Lang combined with Mickey's death, he actually starts yelling and throwing things at it. | |
| Rocky III / int_92e8c891 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_92e8c891 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_92e8c891 | |
| Rocky III / int_98f19e68 | type |
Our Founder | |
| Rocky III / int_98f19e68 | comment |
Our Founder: Philadelphia unveiled a Rocky statue on the museum steps. Paulie later comments on the statue being taken down, which also happened in real life (it was moved to the base of the steps). | |
| Rocky III / int_98f19e68 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_98f19e68 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_98f19e68 | |
| Rocky III / int_9aaf8eca | type |
Crippling Overspecialization | |
| Rocky III / int_9aaf8eca | comment |
Crippling Overspecialization: Clubber is focused solely on getting fast knock-outs with hard hooks (he rarely uses any other punch and doesn't throw a single jab). His style seems to be keyed solely on destroying Rocky's old style, and once Rocky starts outfighting, Clubber is outclassed and decimated in three rounds. It's very likely that the retired Apollo Creed, who specialized in outfighting and was much better at it than Rocky, and whom Clubber repeatedly insulted, threatened, and even attacked, would have beaten or even humiliated him in the ring. (Which would also correspond to the inspirations for the 3 characters. Rocky primarily borrows from Rocky Marciano and Joe Frazier, Creed from Muhammad Ali, and Lang from George Foreman. In real life Frazier won his first bout with Ali, then was brutally destroyed by Foreman in two rounds, and Foreman was then outclassed, knocked out, and demolished mentally, physically and psychologically by Ali.) | |
| Rocky III / int_9aaf8eca | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_9aaf8eca | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_9aaf8eca | |
| Rocky III / int_9bcd82c0 | type |
Took a Level in Badass | |
| Rocky III / int_9bcd82c0 | comment |
Took a Level in Badass: After Rocky's defeat by Clubber Lang, Apollo decides to help Rocky and train him in the more-refined and complex aspects of boxing. Suddenly Rocky goes from Unskilled, but Strong to a Master of All with speed and power, capable of reading his opponents and reacting properly and quickly raining down devastating punches. | |
| Rocky III / int_9bcd82c0 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_9bcd82c0 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_9bcd82c0 | |
| Rocky III / int_9d12bbc1 | type |
Foreshadowing | |
| Rocky III / int_9d12bbc1 | comment |
Foreshadowing: Lang is first seen in the opening montage, watching some of Rocky's title defenses and then leaving disgusted, as the first hint that the matches were against unworthy opponents... and Lang knew it. Distressed by the prospect of Rocky getting hurt during his brawl with Thunderlips, Mickey clutches his chest and seems to have extreme trouble breathing... Clubber's own fights in the opening montage show him quickly destroying one opponent after another on his way up the ranks, a hint as to how his first match with Rocky will go...and his potential weakness, which Apollo figures out. | |
| Rocky III / int_9d12bbc1 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_9d12bbc1 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_9d12bbc1 | |
| Rocky III / int_9eeb5455 | type |
Evil Virtues | |
| Rocky III / int_9eeb5455 | comment |
Evil Virtues: Clubber is not a pleasant fellow to be sure, but the film makes it clear that he took his training seriously for his first bout with Rocky, while his overconfident opponent squandered his preparation with a glorified circus with endless distractions. | |
| Rocky III / int_9eeb5455 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_9eeb5455 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_9eeb5455 | |
| Rocky III / int_a18fda9c | type |
Dumb Muscle | |
| Rocky III / int_a18fda9c | comment |
Dumb Muscle: Clubber's 220 pounds, heavily built, and hits like a truck, but he's actually a rather bad fighter. After Rocky starts exploiting his weakness, Clubber has no answer and is easily defeated. He also chooses to train alone and not even try to patch over his weaknesses with a skilled instructor. Outside of the ring he's shown to be dim and clearly has poor impulse control (see for instance him snubbing Apollo before the match for no reason); it's implied that this is because of his upbringing, as he dropped out of school and lived in various orphanages and juvenile halls for most of his life. However, it is notable that, while not too smart in many areas, Clubber is savvy enough to realize how Rocky is fighting hand-picked opponents and thus can be beaten. | |
| Rocky III / int_a18fda9c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_a18fda9c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_a18fda9c | |
| Rocky III / int_a1a02b6e | type |
My Defense Need Not Protect Me Forever | |
| Rocky III / int_a1a02b6e | comment |
My Defense Need Not Protect Me Forever: By the third round in his rematch against Clubber Lang, Rocky uses rope-a-dope techniques on him once Clubber's exhausted. | |
| Rocky III / int_a1a02b6e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_a1a02b6e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_a1a02b6e | |
| Rocky III / int_abd29ad8 | type |
No-Sell | |
| Rocky III / int_abd29ad8 | comment |
Rocky does this to Clubber in the climax of their rematch, where he no sells the increasingly panicking and frustrated Lang's devastating blows. Unlike many other examples of this trope, though, it's not a result of Rocky being tough enough to No-Sell Lang's punches, which are clearly shown to be devastating; Rocky is using defense and movement to take the effect out of Lang's blows until Lang simply became too tired to swing with full force. | |
| Rocky III / int_abd29ad8 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_abd29ad8 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_abd29ad8 | |
| Rocky III / int_acf33d00 | type |
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain | |
| Rocky III / int_acf33d00 | comment |
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Training under Apollo's guidance gives Rocky the skills to defeat Lang in their rematch; Lang's disrespect toward Apollo in the first match surely gives Creed the extra motivation to help Rocky out. | |
| Rocky III / int_acf33d00 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_acf33d00 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_acf33d00 | |
| Rocky III / int_ad1db87c | type |
Oh, Crap! | |
| Rocky III / int_ad1db87c | comment |
Oh, Crap!: Rocky gets a pair of them, one comedic and the other both tragic and plot relevant... During the charity Boxer vs. Wrestler match, Rocky has to get clubbed on the back of his head before he realizes that his larger and stronger opponent is taking the bout seriously. During his first match against Clubber Lang, Rocky is honestly shocked at how aggressive he is and how woefully unprepared he was to face him after the first round. Coupled with Mickey collapsing at ringside, his game is thrown off enough for Clubber to decisively end the fight in the second round. | |
| Rocky III / int_ad1db87c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_ad1db87c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_ad1db87c | |
| Rocky III / int_b032e4ed | type |
Ms. Fanservice | |
| Rocky III / int_b032e4ed | comment |
Ms. Fanservice: The three ladies in bikinis accompanying Thunderlips. | |
| Rocky III / int_b032e4ed | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_b032e4ed | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_b032e4ed | |
| Rocky III / int_b707726f | type |
Hypocritical Humor | |
| Rocky III / int_b707726f | comment |
Hypocritical Humor: When they go to Apollo's old gym in L.A., full of African-American boxers: | |
| Rocky III / int_b707726f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_b707726f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_b707726f | |
| Rocky III / int_b869b5b1 | type |
Color Motif | |
| Rocky III / int_b869b5b1 | comment |
Color Motif: The film puts a twist on Rocky's signature colors. In the previous movie, he wore black trunks with gold stripes. After he becomes champion, finds success, and loses his edge, he switches to flashy gold trunks with black stripes, as well as gold gloves and yellow shoes. | |
| Rocky III / int_b869b5b1 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_b869b5b1 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_b869b5b1 | |
| Rocky III / int_bbb6c059 | type |
I Shall Taunt You | |
| Rocky III / int_bbb6c059 | comment |
I Shall Taunt You: When Rocky sees Clubber's wearing out, he starts mocking his punches ("My mother hits harder than that!"), daring Clubber to hit him, and even playfully smacking Clubber on top of the head with his glove. | |
| Rocky III / int_bbb6c059 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_bbb6c059 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_bbb6c059 | |
| Rocky III / int_bbf11c0 | type |
Genius Bruiser | |
| Rocky III / int_bbf11c0 | comment |
Genius Bruiser: During the rematch against Clubber at the end, Rocky goads him into throwing punch after punch, which Lang does full force. While the blows do hit Rocky, he's not just standing there, taking the shots; he uses his gloves to guard against the head shots and moves his body to lessen the impact of the body shots, at the same time, letting Lang wear himself out. | |
| Rocky III / int_bbf11c0 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_bbf11c0 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_bbf11c0 | |
| Rocky III / int_bc74ef27 | type |
Berserk Button | |
| Rocky III / int_bc74ef27 | comment |
Berserk Button: Rocky doesn't respond to Clubber Lang's taunts until the latter makes a crude pass at Adrian. Cue Rocky flipping out and trying to fight Lang right there. | |
| Rocky III / int_bc74ef27 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_bc74ef27 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_bc74ef27 | |
| Rocky III / int_bcf135d7 | type |
Curb-Stomp Cushion | |
| Rocky III / int_bcf135d7 | comment |
The first fight between Rocky and Clubber is one, as Clubber demolishes an overconfident and ill-prepared Rocky in two rounds, although Rocky does manage to get a few good blows. The rematch is also one, this time with Rocky defeating Clubber, although like the first bout Clubber does have his moments and gives both Rocky and the audience some scares. | |
| Rocky III / int_bcf135d7 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_bcf135d7 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_bcf135d7 | |
| Rocky III / int_c3b51bb3 | type |
You Are Better Than You Think You Are | |
| Rocky III / int_c3b51bb3 | comment |
You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Adrian's speech to Rocky. | |
| Rocky III / int_c3b51bb3 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_c3b51bb3 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_c3b51bb3 | |
| Rocky III / int_ca1f9429 | type |
Boxing Lessons for Superman | |
| Rocky III / int_ca1f9429 | comment |
Boxing Lessons for Superman: An interesting version of this trope as the protagonist is already a boxer. Throughout Rocky and Rocky II, despite Mickey's coaching, Rocky had a very simple fighting style. While he had lots of talent, endurance and physical ability, he wasn't a refined pugilist and basically an Unskilled, but Strong Mighty Glacier with a Damage Over Time approach. After his loss to Clubber, Apollo (who is stated to be extremely skilled and up until he fought Rocky never had a fight last after 3 rounds) took Rocky and drilled him in all of the aspects of boxing Mickey left out such as footwork, feints, timed punches, effective jabs, etc. After his training, Rocky went from an Unskilled, but Strong Mighty Glacier to a Lightning Bruiser Master of All. | |
| Rocky III / int_ca1f9429 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_ca1f9429 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_ca1f9429 | |
| Rocky III / int_cd3a1755 | type |
Punch! Punch! Punch! Uh Oh... | |
| Rocky III / int_cd3a1755 | comment |
Punch! Punch! Punch! Uh Oh...: Rocky does this to Clubber in the climax of their rematch, where he no sells the increasingly panicking and frustrated Lang's devastating blows. Unlike many other examples of this trope, though, it's not a result of Rocky being tough enough to No-Sell Lang's punches, which are clearly shown to be devastating; Rocky is using defense and movement to take the effect out of Lang's blows until Lang simply became too tired to swing with full force. Done comedically in Rocky's bout with Thunderlips; Rocky hits Thunderlips in the abdomen with a few light jabs, trying to make things look good for the crowd's entertainment, but once the wrestler smashes Rocky to the mat with a forearm across the back, Rocky realizes that he's in for a rough night. | |
| Rocky III / int_cd3a1755 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_cd3a1755 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_cd3a1755 | |
| Rocky III / int_cdd76441 | type |
Big Guy Rodeo | |
| Rocky III / int_cdd76441 | comment |
Big Guy Rodeo: Thunderlips walks around, with Rocky clutching his neck from behind, while trying to break Rocky's hold. | |
| Rocky III / int_cdd76441 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_cdd76441 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_cdd76441 | |
| Rocky III / int_cde840c1 | type |
Pro Wrestling Is Real | |
| Rocky III / int_cde840c1 | comment |
Pro Wrestling Is Real: The film treats Thunderlips and professional wrestling altogether (or at least the Boxer vs. Wrestler match) as real stuff, because the match is not shown to have any kind of rehearsal, and features quite brutal action and an actually panicked Rocky. The only thing which is revealed to be an act is Thunderlips's berserk façade. | |
| Rocky III / int_cde840c1 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_cde840c1 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_cde840c1 | |
| Rocky III / int_d39e327f | type |
What the Hell, Hero? | |
| Rocky III / int_d39e327f | comment |
What the Hell, Hero?: Rocky is pissed when he finds out that the ten title defenses he had were against opponents Mickey handpicked. | |
| Rocky III / int_d39e327f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_d39e327f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_d39e327f | |
| Rocky III / int_d7639dba | type |
Achilles' Heel | |
| Rocky III / int_d7639dba | comment |
This is Clubber Lang's entire fighting style - he throws a high volume of brutal, very hard punches, relying on the power and speed of his blows to overwhelm and knock out his opponents. The problem is that Lang doesn't have the endurance to fight for long at that pace. | |
| Rocky III / int_d7639dba | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_d7639dba | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_d7639dba | |
| Rocky III / int_d83631f9 | type |
Impending Clash Shot | |
| Rocky III / int_d83631f9 | comment |
Impending Clash Shot: The film ends with Rocky and Apollo about to punch each other in an unofficial match either to see who'd win or just for the sport. | |
| Rocky III / int_d83631f9 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_d83631f9 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_d83631f9 | |
| Rocky III / int_d9ffec82 | type |
Curb-Stomp Battle | |
| Rocky III / int_d9ffec82 | comment |
Curbstomp Battle: The first fight between Rocky and Clubber is one, as Clubber demolishes an overconfident and ill-prepared Rocky in two rounds, although Rocky does manage to get a few good blows. The rematch is also one, this time with Rocky defeating Clubber, although like the first bout Clubber does have his moments and gives both Rocky and the audience some scares. Clubber's matches against other aspiring fighters as he works his way up the ranks are another example. The montage at the start of the film shows his demolishing his opponents one after another. | |
| Rocky III / int_d9ffec82 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_d9ffec82 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_d9ffec82 | |
| Rocky III / int_da1c8191 | type |
Writers Cannot Do Math | |
| Rocky III / int_da1c8191 | comment |
Writers Cannot Do Math: The characters refer to the events of Rocky II as happening three years prior. While that matches the real world time span between the releases of the two movies, Rocky II took place immediately after the first film, which ended in 1976. Based on this, the absolute latest Rocky III could take place would be very early in 1980. However, Mickey's gravestone indicates that the film takes place in 1981, which is supported by a picture of Rocky with Ronald Reagan, who became president that year. That would make the gap between films closer to five years. | |
| Rocky III / int_da1c8191 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_da1c8191 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_da1c8191 | |
| Rocky III / int_db6230b7 | type |
Lightning Bruiser | |
| Rocky III / int_db6230b7 | comment |
Lightning Bruiser: Thunderlips is a full head taller than Rocky and able to pick him up and throw him around with ease, yet as Rocky himself notes, very fast for his size. Sylvester Stallone said the first time he and Hulk Hogan got into the ring, he told Hogan to try a wrestling move to counter a punch. Stallone threw a hook, and the next thing he knew, he was on the mat, as Hogan had grabbed his hand and armdragged him down. This is Clubber Lang's entire fighting style - he throws a high volume of brutal, very hard punches, relying on the power and speed of his blows to overwhelm and knock out his opponents. The problem is that Lang doesn't have the endurance to fight for long at that pace. | |
| Rocky III / int_db6230b7 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_db6230b7 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_db6230b7 | |
| Rocky III / int_dc031fde | type |
Inelegant Blubbering | |
| Rocky III / int_dc031fde | comment |
Inelegant Blubbering: Rocky, just after Mick dies. | |
| Rocky III / int_dc031fde | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_dc031fde | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_dc031fde | |
| Rocky III / int_dec8bfbf | type |
Trash Talk | |
| Rocky III / int_dec8bfbf | comment |
Trash Talk: Clubber par excellence. In fact, it was his trash talking that got him a shot at the title, since Mickey made sure the match wouldn't be made and Rocky was about to retire before Clubber's trash talking caused Rocky to lose his cool and make the match. | |
| Rocky III / int_dec8bfbf | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_dec8bfbf | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_dec8bfbf | |
| Rocky III / int_e2ccee25 | type |
Animal Motifs | |
| Rocky III / int_e2ccee25 | comment |
Animal Motifs: Clubber's bizarre haircut, leather jacket, and feather earrings make him look like an animal; he paces in the locker room like a caged tiger, he roars when he throws a punch, and during the intro, a tiger's roar is played several times while the camera is on him. | |
| Rocky III / int_e2ccee25 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_e2ccee25 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_e2ccee25 | |
| Rocky III / int_e462893a | type |
Artistic License – Sports | |
| Rocky III / int_e462893a | comment |
Artistic License – Sports: Lang repeatedly hits opponents who are already on their knees (considered legally knocked down) without getting disqualified, even shoving the referees out of the way to do so. | |
| Rocky III / int_e462893a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_e462893a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_e462893a | |
| Rocky III / int_e54325c9 | type |
Heel | |
| Rocky III / int_e54325c9 | comment |
Once the match is called, Thunderlips breaks character and thanks Rocky for the bout. Rocky, who is unfamiliar with kayfabe, asks Thunderlips why he acted the way he did, which Thunderlips responds that is the name of the game. | |
| Rocky III / int_e54325c9 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_e54325c9 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_e54325c9 | |
| Rocky III / int_e9e35e8f | type |
Exact Words | |
| Rocky III / int_e9e35e8f | comment |
Exact Words: When a dying Mickey asks Rocky how the first match with Clubber Lang went, Rocky, to spare Mickey's feelings, says that the fight ended in a knockout in the second round. He declines to mention that he was the one who got knocked out. | |
| Rocky III / int_e9e35e8f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_e9e35e8f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_e9e35e8f | |
| Rocky III / int_eb8ec7c8 | type |
Jerkass | |
| Rocky III / int_eb8ec7c8 | comment |
Jerkass: Clubber is arrogant, cocky, and disrespectful to just about everyone he comes across throughout the film | |
| Rocky III / int_eb8ec7c8 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_eb8ec7c8 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_eb8ec7c8 | |
| Rocky III / int_f511ea9b | type |
Product Placement | |
| Rocky III / int_f511ea9b | comment |
Product Placement: Nike. You see the swoosh◊ everywhere in the movie. | |
| Rocky III / int_f511ea9b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_f511ea9b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_f511ea9b | |
| Rocky III / int_f962d8a3 | type |
Victory by Endurance | |
| Rocky III / int_f962d8a3 | comment |
Victory by Endurance: Rocky beats Lang in their rematch simply by tanking Lang's powerful punches. With Lang too exhausted from going full power, Rocky capitalizes on this to earn a 3rd-round knockout. | |
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1.0 | |
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| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_f962d8a3 | |
| Rocky III / int_name | type |
ItemName | |
| Rocky III / int_name | comment |
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| Rocky III / int_name | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rocky III / int_name | featureConfidence |
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| Rocky III | hasFeature |
Rocky III / int_name | |
| Rocky III / int_name | itemName |
Rocky III |
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