There have been a lot of great movies over the years that were patriotic as hell. Independence Day, Apollo 13, Top Gun and Armageddon are a few that come to my mind as I sit here.
But none were as American and meant more at the time than the first Rocky movie. The timing of the movie and message it sent were both perfect for the USA when it was released.
Just when people were starting to question whether the United States was truly a great country, underdog Rocky Balboa took on Apollo Creed and made us believe that the American dream was still very real.