ccthemovieman-1 Many sports fans today recognize the nickname "The Rocket" and probably only think of Major League pitcher Roger Clemens. However, long before Clemens was "The Rocket" from Montreal.This movie is a nice tribute to him - Maurice "Rocket" Richard - one of the greatest professional hockey players of all time. A lot of people - especially in Quebec - still think he's THE greatest of all time. Those kind of things are always up for debate and there is no answer who is the greatest, but Richard's career numbers certainly rank him as a leading candidate for that honor. For many years, the National Hockey Leauge had just six teams and played 50 regular season games. Richard was the first to score 50 goals in 50 games. He also was on eight Stanley Cup championship teams, including five in a row.His statistics go on and on but it was Richard's heart, his determination to succeed under adverse conditions and, finally, his stance in sticking up against the bias against French-Canadians in the NHL, that brought him "icon" status in Quebec. He is truly a "legend" in his country and probably will be revered forever in Montreal.How much of this movie is fact, and how is fiction, I can't say. If you know movies, you know that many times a lot of it is made up for dramatic purposes. Yet, I think most of it here is pretty much on the money. I'm not sure about the riot scene because I think the movie infers that people rioted because of Maurice's big suspension.but, according to the report below, the riot occurred thanks to the league president attending a playoff game in Montreal following his disciplinary action.This is from the Wikopedia: "On March 13, 1955, Richard was given a match penalty for engaging in a fight with Hal Laycoe in a game against the Boston Bruins. He flattened Linesman Cliff Thompson in the resulting mêlée, and as that was his second attack on an official that season alone, a hearing was held: Richard was suspended for the balance of that season and the playoffs, which was at the time, the longest suspension for an on-ice incident in NHL history. Public outrage from Montreal soon poured in, but NHL President Clarence Campbell did not budge, and announced that he would be attending the Canadians' next home game against the Detroit Red Wings in four days.Midway into the first period, Campbell arrived with his fiancée. Outraged Canadians fans immediately began pelting them with eggs, vegetables, and various debris, with more being thrown at him each time the Red Wings scored as they built up a 4-1 lead. The continuous pelting of various objects stopped when a tear gas bomb was set off inside the Forum not far from where Campbell was sitting. The Forum was ordered evacuated and Campbell ruled the game forfeited to the Red Wings. A riot ensued outside the Forum, causing $500,000 in damage to the neighborhood and the Forum itself. Hundreds of stores were looted and vandalized within a 15-block radius of the Forum. Twelve police and 25 civilians were injured, and scores of people were arrested. The riot was over at 3 a.m., and left Montreal's Rue Ste-Catherine a mess."Whatever, the movie overall is entertaining and gives a good insight on what Richard and his peers went through in a biased NHL at that time. The film is as much about the prejudice as it is a biography of Richard. The only drawbacks I saw were wooden acting in some spots, too much dumb dialog and some of the action scenes which didn't look as real as it could have been. However, this wasn't a mega-bucks production, so I didn't expect it to look as such. I was very impressed, however, with the wonderful photography in here. That looks big-budget, all the way. Kudos to the cinematographer.It was fun to see hockey players playing the game as they did in the "old days," wearing no helmets and face-masks and not a whole lot of padding. If you think hockey is a rough sport now, you should have seen it back in Richard's day. You can an idea watching this movie. There are some brutal scenes on the ice. Seeing Richard punching the referee was worth the price of the rental alone! If you're a hockey fan, or a sports fan who loves history, you have to check this film out. Why it took several years to hit the video shelves, I don't know.

fanpuck33 First of all, I must say I was blown away by the story of Rocket Richard. I knew of him only as a hockey player, I had no idea that to many people, he was so much more. I always loved the Rocket, and this movie only adds to that. I have even more respect for the man than I did before.As for the movie, the lead actor was good and looks very much like the Rocket. The problem, however, is the directed audience. The movie clearly was intended for a Quebecois audience. Parts of the movie were somewhat difficult to follow if you are not familiar with the history of Quebec. While not a huge problem, it did detract from my viewing experience. I thought they could have done a better job framing the movie with a little more information. The other negative of the movie was the lighting. I checked the brightness on my TV and it wasn't the problem. The whole movie is very dark, makes it difficult to see.Overall, I'd say this is a must-see for any Canadians fan and any big hockey fan. If you don't follow the sport much, then the movie probably isn't for you. It's not quite the stand alone story that other great sports movies tend to be. I enjoyed it very much, but I don't know that a non-hockey fan would get much out of it.

Boyo-2 As a hockey fan who also happens to love movies, the two combined made seeing "The Rocket" a must for me. It was playing only for a week in a tiny theater in NYC so I saw it the day after it opened. I was surprised to find out that it had been out awhile and only just arrived here two weeks ago.Roy Dupuis is a tower of dignity as Maurice Richard. I don't know what Richard looked like in real life, or what he was like, but Dupuis is a terrific actor, a great skater, and he cannot be faulted for anything. I have to admit that although I have naturally heard of Richard, I did not know much about his life and struggles, but now I am very interested in reading up on him. I was lucky enough to have seen three games at the Montreal Forum, which is where he would have played and have an enormous amount of respect for the tradition of the Canadians. They are still to hockey what the Yankees are to baseball, even though they are not always a playoff team. But its men like Richard that have created that tradition.The whole movie is very well done and it was nice seeing current NHL players in small parts. It is a better movie than all the other hockey movies I've seen (not that there are that many to choose from) and that includes "Slap Shot" which I love since its hilarious but its not even close to this, as far as the story it tells about a real stand-up guy, facing many obstacles and playing the greatest sport in the world. Hats off (since no one wore helmets back then..) to all involved. 10/10.

piercingeyes66 This is an excellent film. I think that thing that I enjoyed most about this film is its humility. Despite his passion and brilliance on the ice, Maurice Richard was a humble man who never wore the mantle of greatness easily. Many of his accomplishments are depicted in this movie, but in a way that reflects this humble, yet utterly brilliant and great man. I was fortunate to be at the last game played in the Montreal Forum, almost 40 years after Richard last played for the team. The sixteen minute standing ovation and outpouring of emotion for this man when he was brought to centre ice is one of the most amazing things I've ever seen.If you're not from Quebec, and more specifically from Montreal, then it may be hard to understand the impact that this man had on the province. He was, during his playing days, literally seen as a religious icon. This movie does an amazing job at telling the story of the Rocket's lasting social impact upon Quebec, and it does so in a very quiet and compelling fashion.I should also point out the incredible detail that has gone into this film. As well as being an excellent actor, Roy Dupuis is a dead-ringer for the rocket. Mike Ricci is a carbon copy of Elmer Lach, and Vincent Lecavalier is a ringer for Jean Beliveau. The cages separating standing room from the seats were an actual feature of the forum through the 40s, and very much a symbol of French-Canadian working class discontent in Montreal at the time. The photograph sequence of Sugar Henry the Boston goalie who shakes Richard's hand after his game/series winning goal in the playoffs is lifted right out of the hockey history books--an amazing detail.