THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
After three straight movies, it’s clear that Sylvester Stallone always finds a way to inspire us as the character Rocky Balboa. Although he would reintroduce a whole other badass out of John Rambo in First Blood, fans still couldn’t get enough of the iconic fictional boxer. And in Rocky IV, he made the character at his most patriotic.
PLOT
The sequel takes in 1985, four years after Apollo Creed trained Balboa to defeat Clubber Lang in a championship rematch, resulting in the former rivals to become friends. He decides to come out of retirement to challenge another boxer named Ivan Drago, who has been heavily promoted by the Soviet Union as an act of superiority. When the fight occurs, it does not go as planned for the patriotic Creed as he was beaten to death after two rounds. Despite reservations by Balboa himself and fellow trainer Tony ‘Duke’ Evers, the Italian Stallion respected his friend’s request to not throw in the towel and save his life. Offended that Drago showed no remorse for his actions, Rocky decides to challenge him to an unsanctioned fight on Christmas Day. He goes to the Soviet Union and trains there with the aid of Duke and Paulie, but his wife Adrian originally does not go due to being against his decision to put his life on the line like Apollo did. As Balboa trains by utilizing farm equipment to workout and do roadwork in deep snow, Drago uses high tech equipment while using steroids. Before the fight, Adrian shows up to support her husband, which motivates the boxer more than ever. On the night of the event, Rocky gets a hostile reaction by the Soviet crowd, whereas Drago has them squarely on his side. The fight does start similar to Apollo’s last bout when the Siberian Express dominates the first round, but the Stallion catches him off guard when being able to cut his eye with a right hook during the second. By the 12th round, Rocky would gain respect from the Russian crowd as they chant his name for the rest of the bout. It would be the 15th and final round for him to achieve victory by knocking out Drago. The film would end with the boxer giving a speech of equality and wishing his son Rocky Jr. (Rocky Krakoff) a Merry Christmas, resulting in the crowd applauding him.
THOUGHTS
Going in as a fan, expectations are bound to be high to enjoy this sports flick. And while this may not be the best, that doesn’t mean it’s not good. I think this one is able to stand out from past entries is because the way Stallone, as a director, is able to give a unique interpretation that challenges can be overcome as long as you remain resilient and continue the hard work you’re already putting in. You know things are not always easy in the life you make and if you think it is, it could be a deadly realization for you. He is able to help us capture that through his fourth performance as Rocky. The Stallion is known to be vulnerable before the fight starts, which doesn’t make it too surprising to see him feel such when he blames himself for his friend’s death. The position he was in has him haunted and avenging Apollo in Russia was the only way for him to feel redeemed. He could’ve ignored it, but he wouldn’t forgive himself if he did. You can’t exactly blame Apollo for pushing himself to challenge Drago in the first place because Carl Weathers accurately showed him as one who got motivated out of personal patriotism. It felt like a duty for him to represent the country he lives in because he wouldn’t be a respectable figure had he not. This is where we weep for his death because he never expected to die doing what he loved. Nevertheless, Rocky was able to do right by him in a way he never thought he would. Not only did he beat the crap out of the man that killed him, he was able to give a great speech about equality. I choke up hearing that because our world goes through new sets of conflict when no one sees eye to eye, making me wish the world was more peaceful than it is now. As usual, Rocky can’t get far without the people who love and motivate him. Talia Shire still has us love Adrian because she remains supportive of a wife, but is more assertive than ever. There have been many times Rocky has chosen to put his life on the line within the ring and each time, she chose to support him because the sport is his life. She had the right to be hesitant about fighting Drago because since she was there when Apollo died, as well as she was when Mickey, there was no way she would bare losing the man she loves. Luckily, that didn’t happen and her husband came home a champion again. There isn’t really much to say about Paulie because he doesn’t change that much compared to his friend. However, Burt Young does express him to be a complicated man who still chooses to support his friend no matter the scenario. Him admitting he looks up to him is a relief to hear because it shows deep down he wishes to have been a better person than before. I love that we got a stronger presence out of Duke compared to the past times because it was obvious how much he meant to Apollo vice versa. Tony Burton showed him as a man who is built of love and that love becomes motivation which he passed on to Creed, as well as Balboa. Every time I heard him about ‘No pain’, I definitely felt the said heart he was sharing and I’m glad he remained close to him after this historic bout. Considering how much of a dominant force Mr. T made out of Clubber Lang, it was definitely gonna be a challenge to top such a villain. Yet they almost made it look easy when the giant Ivan Drago appeared. You want to hate him for his remorseless towards his actions, but Dolph Lundgren shows something deeper. When he told Rocky ‘I must break you’, you finally understand he is in position where he has to make his country look strong, similar to what Creed was trying to do. He doesn’t boast himself, because that’s how focused he chose to be. When you look at his wife Ludmilla, played by Brigette Nielsen, you become self aware that she drove him to be the monster people saw him as and was too confident he would remain a superior figure longer than others would expect. Unfortunately, his loss was the country’s loss and she learned the hard way that greatness cannot be manufactured, only made with patience. When Ivan said ‘To the end’ before losing, that would move me as well because it brought relief that he had respect deep down for his opponents. He was humanized long before Creed II and I’m glad I was able to notice it beforehand. I’m always gonna have a soft spot for this movie, but even a fan like myself can admit there were issues that were very difficult to ignore. Like for starters, I thought it was a dick move for Drago to not get an entrance whereas Apollo gets as extravagant as possible. The guy clearly didn’t know what was going on until it happened and it’s pretty awkward to watch. I then wonder if it’s even possible for any kind of boxing match to take place in the stage theater it resembled in the movie. I respect the lengths they’re going for creativity, but that is just one of many things that feel over the top. Another would be how the photographers would instantly jump to the ring after Apollo’s loss. I mean yes the money shot is all they desire, but it’s ridiculous how they don’t understand Apollo was dying right in front of them. And it gets weirder how no medical professionals showed up at all when Rocky begged for help. In all honesty, how did Adrian not expect Rocky to avenge Apollo? The man has been willing to put his body on the line since they first fought, so it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise for him challenge Drago. I try not to care about children’s bedrooms onscreen, but I refuse to believe a kid would have a bike in the bedroom no matter how big the bike or the room would be. That’s just a weird way to brag that Rocky Jr. is living the best life. I got nothing against Paulie at this point, but he should’ve known that Rocky would want to isolate himself while training. So it’s definitely his fault he wasn’t prepared for that. I then freak out when spotting a red dot on Drago’s neck before the fight started. Was that from a camera or was that a sniper? Somebody please tell me the difference. However, I still find myself comfortable whenever choosing to view this film. To wrap up, Rocky IV is another solid entry in the franchise for being the tantalizing of its kind. If you have been a Rocky fan from the start, see this one now.
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