9. Rocky Balboa vs. Apollo Creed - Rocky
Every Rocky movie is pretty much exactly the same; a 90-minute build-up to an epic fight between the titular boxer and whichever cartoon character he's fighting this time. However, the original is, of course, the one that started it all, and remains the best of the inconsistent six-film saga. The pain of the underdog is never felt better than in our first encounter with Rocky Balboa, as the little-known scrapper faces off against the charismatic, indomitable heavyweight champ, Apollo Creed. What really distinguishes this from other similar films is that Rocky doesn't in fact win, with the W being given to Creed on points, by which stage Rocky evidently doesn't give a damn, embracing Adrian and professing his love for her. Bill Conti's stonking score helps hammer the emotion home, ahead of a sequel where Rocky would beat Creed for the title.