The Rocket (2005)

Memories

As a young boy growing up in Toronto, watching this movie gave me goose bumps. It brought back wonderful memories of the times my father would take me to the games at the Maple Leaf Gardens. A Toronto Maple Leafs fan for sure, but Montreal was a very close second. No other game at the Gardens matched the rivalry and intensity that was created when Montreal came to town. And to sit and be awed at watching the greatest of all hockey players. Very few, even by todays standards, could take a puck from his own end and burn his was up the ice with nobody touching him let alone stopping him. It was pure hockey poetry in motion.

A truly great movie that showed the frustration of his life both on and off the ice. A movie that I will never tire of watching over and over again. Because every time I watch it, I will be brought back to the Gardens when I had the thrill of watching him play. Maurice Richard...the greatest of hockey players. There will never be and has never been a player to match him as far as I'm concerned...even the great Gretsky. A 10 minute standing ovation is further proof of that when fans, particularily French Canadian fans, had an opportunity to give back to him for all what he gave to them. A great hockey player and a great man.

April 24, 2008

the rocket

This was a great movie. This was an eye opener for me. It helped me understand more about the NHL in 1940s and 50s. A great movie for youngsters. April 14, 2008

No need to be a hockey fan

I am not one at all, and know very little about the history of the NHL. Maurice Richard was a name to me like other vaguely heard names, Bill Tilden or Bronco Nagurski or Babe Zaharias Didrikson. I know all these athletes have interesting and important stories, but I have never investigated them, so they remain basically unknown.

What prompted my wife to pick this film up, I cannot imagine. She has no interest in hockey, and nearly no interest in sports. But fortunately she did, as it is not a film about sport. It is a film about people, and the transformation of one man from suppressed bystander who allows injustice to go unremarked to vocal critic who stands up for right when wrong holds all the cards.

The Maurice Richard in this film is a quiet man, a loner, and a bit fearful. But he is possessed by a burning drive and a hunger that makes him nearly unstoppable as a competitor. We see him rebuffed when he seeks permission to marry, and then we cut to wedding photographs. So though he appears ineffectual, he gets things done.

When he decides to get things done off the rink, his world changes. I was riveted by the action and the story. The few complaints in here seem off target to me; I believed in this man and his life, his wife and his coach. Excellent acting, great photography, bad guys to hate. What more could you want? This is a beautifully made film, exciting and well filmed hockey action wonderfully blended with spot-on recreations of life in this time and place. I was constantly amazed at the detail and look. Athletes may have been loved, but they still lived something like normal lives.

I enjoyed my evening immensely. A story I knew nothing about presented well.
March 29, 2008

Outstanding (but no Miracle)

This is definitely one of the greatest sports movies of all time. I would call it the greatest, if not for the greatest movie of all time, Miracle.

Nevertheless, this is still an outstanding movie. Even if you know the story cold, it is still mesmerizing to watch. March 3, 2008

More than a hockey star

Maurice "Rocket" Richard had one of the most successful and enduring careers of anyone in the history of the NHL. He began as a factory worker, but eventually got his chance to play professional hockey and he made the most of it. Tough and taciturn, he endured discrimination because he was French-Canadian, and physical attacks from opposing players. He became a hero to hockey fans and fellow French-Canadians during his long and illustrious career with the Montreal Canadiens. I listened to many of his games on the radio when I was growing up, but had no idea of the social and racial hurdles he faced in his life. This is a fascinating and informative movie about one of the greatest players in hockey history. February 23, 2008

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