I quit my job.Creed · 2015 — Chapter 1 of 10 · 6'28" · B2
Adonis Asks Rocky to Train Him, Explained: behind closed doors
Adonis tracks Rocky down to ask for training, but the old fighter wants no part of the ring. "Maybe he wanted to go out like a fighter," Rocky says of Adonis's father — a line about how men choose to end things, aimed just as much at himself.
What happens
Adonis Johnson finds Rocky Balboa and asks the former champ to train him. Rocky, long retired and running his restaurant, is not interested. Over a quiet, closed-door conversation, the two men talk about Apollo Creed, about fighting, and about what it costs to walk away.
Listen for
take someone inbehind closed doorstalk someone out offace to face
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Phrase of the scene
behind closed doors
in private, with the public kept out
洛奇回忆自己和阿波罗那场不对外公开的第三战，整场都在私下进行。
The deal was settled behind closed doors before the hearing.
Also in this scene
- take someone in
to give someone a home or shelter
- talk someone out of
to persuade someone not to do something
- face to face
in person, directly with someone
Everything marked in this scene
25 notes across 101 lines
I ought to knock you out myself.so ... (that) result clause
You want to be so brain damaged you can't form a sentence?I can get hurt doing anything.to give someone a home or shelter
I didn't take you in for you to go backwards.for + object + to-infinitive
I didn't take you in for you to go backwards.in person, directly with someone
Adonis came in person to tell Rocky about his decision to fight full time.
So I wanted to tell you face to face.weak form
So I wanted to tell you face to face.You are your father's son.negated reporting clause
But it doesn't mean you have to be him.liaison
Good call.in private, with the public kept out
Behind closed doors.I don't do that stuff no more. Sorry about that.Listen, it's getting kind of late, kid.He's a perfect fighter. Ain't nobody ever better.liaison
Time, you know, takes everybody out. It's undefeated.Anyway, I gotta lock up.to persuade someone not to do something
Adonis learns that Mickey once persuaded Rocky not to quit the fight game.
Talked you out of quitting.I been fighting my whole life. I ain't got a choice.should have been + past participle
That fight should've been stopped.Maybe he wanted to go out like a fighter.So if you're ever in the neighborhood, come by.Since we're pretty much like family.Adonis Asks Rocky to Train Him, explained
What's really going on
On the surface, this is a young man asking an old trainer for a favour. Underneath, it is a conversation about inheritance and about how a man chooses to end things. Rocky knew Apollo Creed and still carries that loss, and "Time, you know, takes everybody out. It's undefeated." is his way of saying nobody beats the end, not even the men he admired. He warns Adonis against chasing his father's fate, but Adonis answers with pure stubbornness: "I been fighting my whole life. I ain't got a choice." That refusal to quit is what finally reaches Rocky, and it is the point where the two men begin to see themselves in each other. A favour turns into a partnership built on shared loss and shared stubbornness.
Theme
IdentityAdonis must decide whether to inherit his father's name or build a life of his own.
CourageA retired fighter weighs stepping back into a world that already took everything from him.
What you'll learn
- 'behind closed doors' carries more than its dictionary gloss.
- 'close up' changes the pressure of the reply.
- The surrounding lines set the social temperature.
Listen for
- face to face — weak form
- How you doing — liaison
- takes everybody out — liaison
Maybe he wanted to go out like a fighterA guess about how Adonis's father chose to face his end — on his feet rather than fading away. Said almost with admiration.
Time you know takes everybody out it s undefeatedRocky's favourite idea: time beats every fighter in the end, so nobody really leaves the ring a winner.
I been fighting my whole life I ain t got a choiceAdonis says fighting is not a hobby but the only thing he has ever known, the one place he feels at home.
But it doesn t mean you have to be himRocky's reassurance: Adonis can honour his father without repeating his father's life.
Questions about this scene
Why does Adonis come looking for Rocky?
He wants the man who fought alongside and trained his father to teach him. Rocky is his last link to Apollo Creed and to the life he is chasing.
Why is Rocky reluctant to get back in the corner?
He has stepped away from boxing and does not want to be dragged back into it. Training Apollo's son would pull him into a world he thought he had left behind.
What is Rocky trying to tell Adonis about his father?
That carrying the Creed name does not mean he has to live or die the way his father did. It is both a warning and a kind of permission.
What does Rocky mean by "it s undefeated"?
He calls time the one opponent nobody beats. Fighters win and lose, but age takes them all, so leaving the ring on your own terms matters.
Creed · 10 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 2jawnAdonis and Bianca's First Date
Watching · Chapter 1behind closed doorsAdonis Asks Rocky to Train Him
Chapter 2jawnAdonis and Bianca's First Date
Chapter 3on one's ownRocky Agrees to Train Adonis
Chapter 4an offer you can t refuseRocky Offers to Train Adonis
Chapter 5no pushoverAdonis Blows Up at the Gym
Chapter 6had an affair withAdonis Tells Bianca His Secret
Chapter 7die a happy manRocky Refuses to Fight His Cancer
Chapter 8cut from that clothConlan Trash-Talks Adonis
Chapter 9lock it inRocky's Pre-Fight Talk with Adonis
Chapter 10the heart of a championAdonis Creed Fights Ricky ConlanChapter 1 of 10 · about 38 min to go