In the opinion of many, Rocky Balboa had stayed too long at the dance. He'd taken too many shots. He'd risen from the canvas once too often. His status as a genuine icon had absorbed too many blows.

At least that seemed to be the prevailing thinking.

But you know what? The Rock still had something left. He was far from punched out. Plenty of power remained in his message. And in his final film appearance, Rocky Balboa went out a champ. Head held high, dignity solidly intact and vulnerability fully exposed, Stallone made sure that the Rock moved us in the end.

The indefatigable battler from the mean streets of Philly still knows how to connect with the common man. The "Italian Stallion" still touches our hearts. He still jabs at our feelings and dreams.

And after all that he's been through, he endures like a mighty oak. His spirit remains indomitable, his determination to defy the odds, unchanged.

Rocky Balboa tells the story of an aging legend not quite ready to say goodbye to what he does best. A man who won't deny his essence despite the encroachment of time and the taunts of the naysayers. His body may be deteriorating but enough remains for one last attempt at the improbable.

When Rock stood toe-to-toe with Apollo Creed, he shocked the world. Now, as the years have creased his face and made his once ripped physique a memory, there's still a final quest driving him.

Given the unlikely chance to rumble with the current heavyweight king Mason Dixon, played effectively by real life boxer Antonio Carver, Rock sets out to prove he ain't no stumbling has-been. He's also determined to make fools of all the pundits that mocked his belated comeback attempt.

Not surprising, he succeeds on both accounts.

The reason Rocky Balboa rates as a solid piece of cinematic work is because Stallone knows his character so vividly. Very few actors have crawled inside a part and lived it like Sly does with the Rock. Stallone brings everything to the table. Humor, inspiration, pathos, anger, self-deprecation, determination, vulnerability, susceptibility and most of all, resiliency. It's all there to see, witness and experience.

Stallone is particularly convincing and effective in three powerful scenes in the movie.

First, when he anguishes and emotes with his eccentric brother-in-law Paulie over the loss of his beloved wife Adrian. His pain is palpable and the trauma of her absence has staggered Rocky like a fierce uppercut from Clubber Lang ( see Rocky III ).  Without Adrian, Rocky's hurting like never before and man, do you feel his agony.

Stallone also scores points when Rocky passionately puts a judgmental Fight Commission in its' place for trying to deny him a boxing license.  After doing their bidding and successfully following the guidelines that these bureaucratic hard-asses set forth, Balboa finds they're still intent on denying him the right to fight.

At first, he seems resigned to their decision but at the conference room door, he turns and puts up a fight as convincing as any he ever waged in the ring. Who are they he asks, after showing himself to be physically qualified, to squash his dream, his mission and to deny him his very life blood? What entitles them to snuff out a man's hopes and pierce his very core for no other reason than their blind prejudice and narrow-mindedness?

While upbraiding the Commission and taking them to task, Rocky is as persuasive and compelling in his own street lingo as any high powered corporate lawyer. With logic, common sense and heartfelt feeling, Balboa wins over his skeptics and the Commission eventually relents.

Finally, Rocky delivers a knockout when he has a moving heart-to-heart with his somewhat wayward and disillusioned son. When Robert attempts to blame his unfulfilling life on having to live in his father's massive shadow, Rocky drops him with a straight right. You're copping out, Rock shoots back. Circumstances don't make a man but rather character and resolve do.

Balboa scolds his progeny for getting away from what he once was, a spunky and gusty kid and turning into a shameless yes man who lets people and events run all over him. The true measure of a man is not what he dishes out, Rocky shares, but rather what he can absorb and take and still come back for more.

Finally, forced to look at himself for what he's become, Robert experiences a kind of awakening after listening to his father's simple eloquence. With his fists, Rocky won many a fight. With a few potent words, Balboa helps save his son.

I'm not ashamed to admit that each of these aforementioned scenes moved me to tears. A lots been going on in my life, some good, some confusing and some troubling and maybe I was more susceptible and emotional than normal. That might explain part of the reason I broke down a bit but that doesn't account for it all. 

On a very basic and human level, Rocky Balboa got to me. I saw in Rocky things that still matter to me like keeping your dreams alive and never getting to the point where you're prepared to throw in the towel. There's great honor in facing up to the everyday battles that confront you.

And though age may stab at you , as long as you believe you're capable of doing something, don't ever let preconceived notions or the doubters deter you from pursuing that which stirs you. That's what Rocky Balboa the film as well as the man, taught me.

So thanks Rock. Thanks for the memories. Thanks for forcing me to reach deep down inside myself and for touching me on levels that needed stimulation, that needed rekindling.

You went out a winner in every sense of the word. It's hard to believe that it's been 31 years since you threw your first punch in public. Man, how time flies! You were a revelation in the beginning and a gem at the end..

Yo Rock, you done good. You fought the good fight and in doing so, inspired the lives of millions. You left an indelible mark on all those that saw you. Not bad for a guy who seemed destined to be nothing more than an unknown pug, a club fighter of little repute.

So take care Rock. Stay well in Philly where you're loved and worshiped. Thankfully, you've got plenty of great remembrances to keep you warm on those bone chilling East Coast nights. And please keep punchin' no matter what you do or whatever life has planned for you in your waning years. 

It's hard to say so long but we're so grateful that you passed our way. And now that you're taking your leave, 31 years of having you around doesn't seem to be quite enough. A world without Rocky, lurking somewhere in the misty distance, ready to fight one last battle, doesn't seem nearly as appealing. It's a world that seems a lot emptier, a hell of a lot colder. A world missing one of its' most memorable characters.