MovieChat Forums > Rocky III (1982) Discussion > I thought Apollo DID have The Eye Of The...

I thought Apollo DID have The Eye Of The Tiger

posted 9 years ago by rorygunn
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when they come in the gym and see all the fighters with the look in their eyes Apollo claims that he trained hard but didn't have that look in his eyes but Rocky did and that's why he won but if you look at the rematch with Apollo in Rocky II he does seem to have that look and is determined to beat Rocky where as Rocky has a goofy look on his face and is concerned that Apollo is still mad and only seemed to get the Eye Of The Tiger once the fight got going..I never understood why Apollo said that

[–] whatsupyo 9 years ago

I think it is because Apollo no matter what he was feeling going into the 2nd fight, he was still on top, is rich, had the money, the title, etc. He still had all of that. While Rocky really only wanted to last the distance in the 1st fight and show that he wasn't just a bum, his marriage to Adrian, his son being born and his desire to go through it all again and WIN made the "eye of the tiger" burn even more in him.

Apollo trained very hard for the rematch, he came back motivated but he still senses doubt in himself, as you see when he is in the mirror staring at the photo of Rocky beaten up, then crumples it. He is still telling himself "I won but I didn't BEAT him". He has doubts. On on the outside, he looks like he shows an "eye of the tiger" but inside he has doubts now.

When you have those sorts of doubts about yourself going into something like a fight, it can be difficult to maintain an "eye of the tiger". As for Rocky and his goofy look, that was just him and the way he was. The anger Apollo had at him sort of masked what he was really feeling inside of himself, that self doubt.