Rocky Balboa "B+"

The Italian Stallion Returns!

I'm not going to talk about the same things EVERYONE else in the world has already mentioned. How could Sylvester Stallone play Rocky again at 60 years old? I'm not going to mention it. After the disaster of Rocky V did he think anyone would actually care? Nope, not a word. Is this a joke? Not talking. Is he really that hard up for cash or is he just plain crazy? Nada.

You got to hand it to Stallone, he knows his lot in life. He was born to play "Rocky Balboa". And let me tell you, he has made a modern classic. No joke here. This is the best film since Rocky II, which is my personal favorite.

I need to give you all a little back story first. People forget that Stallone wrote the original Rocky and that he won an Oscar for his efforts in 1976. Even more people dismiss the fact that few people changed the landscape of movies more than Sylvester Stallone. Rocky not only set the standard for every single sports film made since but it forever altered the way we see boxing. Rocky really took the sport of boxing and elevated it into the national consciousness. The character of Rocky is the epitome of one man's determination and spirit that elevated him above the rest. And it was all done with a montage. Rocky was always at his best when he was a true underdog and what could be more of a dark horse than a 60 year old man fighting the heavyweight champion in his prime?

I won't give away too much of plotline but Stallone really knows this character and he shows it better than ever. It's no coincidence that most of the film takes place in a rundown and beat up Philadelphia which is the perfect metaphor for Rocky himself. Rocky is a successful restaurant owner that takes care of all the other down and out people, he's like a savior and role model for the downtrodden. This is a new perspective on an old character. Stallone could have played this role as a caricature of himself but instead he has infused it with such charm and grace that you are reminded that this man is extremely talented.

However, the pace of the movie is a little slow with no boxing happening until an hour and change into the film. The whole first two thirds of the film is like a "day in the life of a retired sports star" but is still very good. We get to see him reminisce about the old stomping grounds, where he first met Adrian, etc. We get to see Rocky and Paulie argue (nothing new) and we get to see his now grown up son living in his shadow. But let's face it, we came to see Rocky kick some serious ass. And we are not disappointed. The boxing scenes are beautifully well staged and there are nice moments when we get flashbacks as Rocky gets pummeled (as usual). Brief flashes of scenes and characters from the past films fills Rocky's head and it's almost like his life is flashing before his eyes. For a brief moment I thought . . . well, I won't say what I thought. Antonio Tarver plays the champion and even though he's no Mr. T or Apollo Creed, heck he's not even Ivan Drago it's nice to see that the character is a little more human and a lot less machine like. Nice cameo by Mike Tyson by the way.The movie was shot very well despite having a cinematographer that really hasn't done much of anything. All of our favorite scenes are there like Rocky training, running up the steps, etc. and They all look very good. But what is a Rocky film without the music? Bill Conti's original score is heavily featured and it gave me chills down my spine to hear it on the big screen after all those years. The cool thing is that Stallone used all the variations of the Rocky music from every film, and they all sounded amazing.

Believe me, overall this is a very fitting conclusion to this saga. The film was infinitely more satisfying than the last one and it truly celebrates the underdog in all of us better than most films could ever hope for.

Great job Stallone, and I can't wait to see what you do with Rambo.