Paradise Alley


Stallone's directorial debut and what a movie! I absolutely adore this film. I think it's really fun, really sad, really nostalgic and nothing like Rocky at all. I think that people weren't ready for this tale in 1978, or perhaps it was a little old-fashioned for 1978 - I can never decide which it is. Anyway, it didn't do well critically and it did so-so commercially.

Stallone as Cosmo Carboni, and Armand Assante and Lee Canolito making up the trio of brothers trying to get rich. All three have different personalities, and that makes this mix a tasty one. Anne Archer, oh the lovely Anne Archer, is in this, looking stunning too. Some great fights in this at the end, and some comedic moments too. There is a lot from Stallone's past in this movie, and perhaps critics at the time thought it too self-indulgent, but the best writers write about what they know, so I don't see that as a problem.

B+