Rocky (film series)
ROCKY (PG)
D: John G. Avildsen
United Artists (Robert Chartoff & Irwin
Winkler)
US 1976
119 mins
Sports/Drama
W: Sylvester Stallone
DP: James Crabe
Ed: Richard Halsey & Scott
Conrad
Mus: Bill Conti
PD: William J. Cassidy
Sylvester Stallone (Rocky
Balboa), Talia Shire (Adrian Pennino), Burt Young (Paulie Pennino), Carl Weathers (Apollo Creed), Burgess
Meredith (Mickey), Joe Spinell (Tom Gazzo)
Everyone loves a good rags-to-riches story, especially
one which sees a virtual unknown go from complete obscurity into the hearts of millions, and in the instance of Rocky art and reality virtually replicate themselves.
As for the film itself, Sylvester Stallone gives his
career-defining performance as Rocky Balboa, a semi-professional boxer from Philadelphia who gets his shot in a world heavyweight title bout, set up as an exhibition fight after the
original main event was cancelled. This is Rocky's big shot though, and gives his all to win over the crowd and maybe even win the match.
Stallone was a bit-part actor before Rocky made him a
household name, facing financial hardship when he first put pen to paper on the shooting script. The film itself was shackled with a low budget and small shooting schedule, but went on to
become the biggest box office success of 1976, as well as being named Best Picture of the year.
It's not quite the best boxing movie ever made, but
certainly the most inspirational, the film itself as well the story behind its production.
9/10
ROCKY II (PG)
D: Sylvester Stallone
United Artists (Robert Chartoff & Irwin
Winkler)
US 1979
119 mins
Sports/Drama
W: Sylvester Stallone
DP: Bill Butler
Ed: Stanford C. Allen & Janice Hampton
Mus: Bill Conti
Sylvester Stallone (Rocky Balboa), Talia Shire (Adrian),
Carl Weathers (Apollo Creed), Burt Young (Paulie), Burgess Meredith (Mickey)
Exactly the same film as the first, except with a
Hollywood ending.
The film takes off where the first one ended, where Rocky
and Apollo Creed, moments after declaring that neither are interested in a rematch, get into the changing rooms after their bout, do some dick measuring and decide that a rematch will be on
the cards because how else will a franchise of movies happen?
Despite its recycled story, it's a great deal better than
the comic book style nonsense which followed, despite losing a lot of heartfelt inspiration which came with the first movie.
6/10
ROCKY III (PG)
D: Sylvester Stallone
United Artists (Robert Chartoff & Irwin
Winkler)
US 1982
99 mins
Sports
W: Sylvester Stallone
DP: Bill Butler
Ed: Don Zimmerman & Mark Warner
Mus: Bill Conti
Sylvester Stallone (Rocky Balboa), Talia Shire (Adrian
Balboa), Burt Young (Paulie Pennino), Burgess Meredith (Mickey Goldmill), Carl Weathers (Apollo Creed), Mr. T (Clubber Lang), Terry 'Hulk' Hogan (Thunderlips)
Rocky loses his heavyweight title against a thuggish
brawler and rebuilds his reputation, with the help of a former rival, in the days leading up to a rematch.
Bits and pieces from the first two films are reconstructed
into this third film of the series, with far more Hollywood gloss than the first outing. The film benefitted hugely from the worldwide success of its fantastic, immortally famous theme song
("Eye of the Tiger").
5/10
ROCKY IV (PG)
D: Sylvester Stallone
MGM/United Artists (Robert Chartoff & Irwin
Winkler)
US 1985
91 mins
Sports
W: Sylvester Stallone
DP: Bill Butler
Ed: Don Zimmerman & John W. Wheeler
Mus: Bill Conti & Vince DiCola
Sylvester Stallone (Rocky Balboa), Dolph Lundgren (Ivan
Drago), Carl Weathers (Apollo Creed), Talia Shire (Adrian Balboa), Burt Young (Paulie Pennino), Brigette Nielsen (Ludmilla Vobet Drago)
An attempt on allegory, especially during a time when the
Cold War was still on-going, with world champion Rocky Balboa taking on a technologically-advanced Russian fighter. The scenes in which Rocky works out by chopping logs and running in snow
intercut with Ivan Drago's thoroughly rehearsed training regime are unintentionally hilarious.
It's ridiculous, but audiences didn't care, generating a
huge box office return to make the film amongst the biggest hits of 1985.
4/10
ROCKY V (PG)
D: John G. Avildsen
MGM/United Artists (Robert Chartoff & Irwin
Winkler)
US 1990
104 mins
Sports
W: Sylvester Stallone
DP: Steven Poster
Ed: John G. Avildsen & Michael
Knue
Mus: Bill Conti
Sylvester Stallone (Rocky Balboa), Talia Shire (Adrian
Balboa), Burt Young (Paulie Pennino), Sage Stallone (Robert Balboa, Jr.), Tommy Morrison (Tommy Gunn)
Rocky, getting far too old for these shenanigans, is
double-crossed by a young apprentice who he trains to become the next heavyweight title contender, and the ring veteran loses his boxing licence as a result.
By far the worst of the entire series, including the Creed
movies, despite regaining the services of the original director.
3/10
ROCKY BALBOA (12)
D: Sylvester Stallone
MGM/United Artists (Charles Winkler, Billy Chartoff, David
Winkler & Kevin King)
US 2006
102 mins
Sports
W: Sylvester Stallone
DP: Clark Mathis
Ed: Sean Albertson
Mus: Bill Conti
Sylvester Stallone (Rocky Balboa), Burt Young (Paulie
Pennino), Antonio Tarver (Mason Dixon), Milo Ventimiglia (Robert Balboa, Jr.), Geraldine Hughes (Marie), Tony Burton (Tony 'Duke' Evers)
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the original Rocky
film, this sixth film of the series muses on the comparison between the current boxing world champion and the former, using video game technology to generate a virtual fight, in which the
latter wins.
A real bout is then manipulated by the current champion,
whose feelings were hurt by such fiction.
Elements from the previous films are thrown together in
this nonsensical attempt to revitalise the franchise, but Stallone is far too old to make this convincing. For die hard fans of the series, it's moderately enjoyable, but in comparison to the
first film, this is purely in guilty pleasure territory.
4/10
