It would be easy to classify Charles Biname’s The Rocket like any underdog sports film. It would also be wrong. Biname is after a bigger goal with this film. It is to expose the racism and discrimination during the fledgling days of the NHL. The film traces twenty years from the late 1930’s to the mid-1950’s.
The film is carried by the performances of three actors: Roy Dupuis as Maurice Richard, Julie LeBreton as his wife Lucille, and Stephen McHattie as Dick Irvin, coach of the Canadiens. Dupuis is stoic, and silent in the beginning, and later on gives Richard a strong voice. LeBreton makes Lucille unflinchingly caring even during the worst of moments. McHattie’s Irvin is the “never say anything nice” coach who will win at all costs.
In a film like Rocky, the final scene is winning the big match. In The Rocket, the best highlights of Richard’s career happen in the first hour. He is breaking records, and taking on other players. It is the second act that is more insightful to Ken Scott’s screenplay. The story is about overcoming classim and racism in regards to French-Canadiens. Richard battles the issue late in his career with an opinion column in the paper. He attempts to change the status quo in hockey by naming names. His real life actions went so far as to start a riot. The film makes Richard more like a Jackie Robinson, than a Magic Johnson. The film does grab a few pages from The Natural.
Biname’s direction adds different tones to the film. The 30’s & 40’s are portrayed with some stock footage run into a blue filter. The hockey games are brutal and exciting. The performances are caught in Dick Irvin’s or Richard’s unblinking gazes. Biname also takes Ken Scott’s screenplay for the entire ride, not just the sports. It is this that makes it a bigger film with deeper meaning.