Review: The Rocket
I was recently asked to review the movie, The Rocket: The Legend of Rocket Richard, before it made its debut in the US on Tuesday. I had been eagerly awaiting the release of the movie and was happy to review it before you could even buy it on DVD. For those of you who don’t know, the 124 minute long movie is about Maurice “The Rocket” Richard (the first player to score 50 goals in 50 games). Before I get going on the review, you can view the trailer below.
The movie actually opens up with credits and the riot outside Montreal’s arena in the game against Detroit in 1955 (also known as the Richard Riot).
Now, the movie was originally made in French so the English version is English dubbed over. The movie is still very enjoyable, but it was a little weird at first not having the mouthing of words match up with what you are hearing.
This movie was truly beautifully done. It fittingly had that old style feel and seemed like hockey’s version of Cinderella Man, one of my favorite movies. Surprisingly for me, I enjoyed this movie moreso than Miracle. The story is a very heartwarming one as you cheer Richard on as he went from a factory worker to the best in the NHL for the storied Montreal Canadiens franchise.
The following NHL athletes are featured in the movie:
-Sean Avery of the New York Rangers
-Pascal Dupuis of the Atlanta Thrashers
-Ian Laperriere of the Colorado Avalanche
-Vincent Lecavalier of the Tampa Bay Lightening
-Stéphane Quintal previously of the Montréal Canadiens
-Mike Ricci previously of the Phoenix Coyotes
At one game against the NY Rangers, Montreal was told to keep Richard off the ice because of what Dill of the Rangers would do to him. After a big hit by Dill, Richard got up, skated up to him, and punched him. He punched him again when he got up after the first one. Guess who was acting the nasty mean Ranger player? Yep, it was Sean Avery.
“It was the first time I had ever done anything like that,” said Avery. “It was exciting, and a little bit nerve-racking the first day. Because you’re in a rink with a couple of other thousand extras as well. The attitude I had is that I might as well get it right as quickly as possible. The second day you get into it more and feel more comfortable.
“It was fun, and I had never been to Quebec City either, and that was cool. It’s a beautiful city.”
The movie won nine Canadian Academy Awards including Best Screenplay, Best Director and Best Actor.
You can purchase the DVD for $18.24 at its official store here.
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