Great freaking movie! Timeless tale of the underdog, all you have to do is tell it again and again in different situations with great acting (or maybe even so so acting) and you've got a hit. Just look at all the different versions of this story, Chariots of Fire, Rudy, Rocky, Raging Bull, on and on the list could go even to such stretches as It's a Wondeful Life (he's an underdog). You make a film with a fella whose never gotten a fair break in life who scrapes his way to the top to win and you've got yourself a winner. Of course it didn't hurt that this film had some of the best actors of our time in it like Gene Hackman, Dennis Hopper, and let's not forget the lovely Barbara Hershey.