Rocky Balboa

It all started way back in 1976 when Sylvester Stallone - who wrote the script and took the leading role - created the character of the Philadelphia low-grade boxer who managed, against all the odds, to go the distance with world heavyweight champion Aollo Creed and give the world a new kind of underdog to support. In "Rocky II" (1979), after 15 brutal rounds, he defeats Creed and takes the title. In 1982, "Rocky III" sees our hero lose to Mt T before Apollo helps him bounce back. By the time of "Rocky IV" (1985), the franchise had acquired an international dimension as the Cold War is acted out in the ring with Rocky squaring up to the Russian Ivan Drago. Another five years passed before Stallone felt that he had to return to the iconic role - in "Rocky V", he adopts a young fighter who turns on him.

That really should have been it - but, as the tagline for "Rocky Balboa" puts it, "It ain't over till it's over" so, 16 year after the last film and an amazing 30 years after the original movie, he's back. It seems that Rock is so missing his wife Adrian that, in spite of running a successful restaurant named after her, he finds that he has something "luking in the basement". On this sixth outing, the narrative arc is just the same as first time round - again a complete no-chancer facing a world champion after a gruelling training routine involving the same frozen meat, the same one-armed press-ups, and of course the same race up the Museum of Art steps - and the same music.

What's different is the advanced years of Rocky and of course Stallone himself - but he looks good, the film looks good, and you'll feel good at the final bell. As the man says: "It ain't about how hard you hit, it is about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much can you take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!"

Rocky now retired lives from records his deceased wife(Talia Shire in archive footage). Again he deals with alcoholic Paulie(Burt Young),and his estranged son(Milo Ventiglimia, substituting to Sage Stallone), a cocky executive. He's owned a restaurant where is homaged as one of the greatest boxing champions in the history. Meanwhile he knows a single mother(Geraldine Hughes)and falls in love with her. But Rocky comes out from retirement to combat strongest, youngest and faster contender ; he's Mason 'The line'Dixon(Anthony Taver). Rocky attempts to prove himself and his son.Then he's trained by veteran boxer named Duke(Tony Burton, as Burguess Meredith had dead).

This agreeable predictable entertainment displays splendidly the 'formula Rocky'. The movie works at usual manner, fitting appropriately to franchise. Writer-director-actor Stallone new outing is surprisingly entertaining and packs good feeling. Usual and nostalgic musical score by Bill Conti and atmospheric cinematography by Clark Mathis. The motion picture is lavishly financed by the producers complete saga, Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler and well directed by Stallone who along with John G Avildsen made the six Rocky.

While here the opponent is an invincible young boxer,champ of the world, in former entries the contenders were the following : Rocky 1, a corpulent Carl Weathers; Rocky II again Carl Weathers through a rematch; Rocky II against Mr T from A Team; Rocky IV against a massive Russian boxer played by Dolph Lundgren; and Rock 5 against an ingrate young fighter who he trained played by Tommy Morrison.

It's tough growing old, but even though the body starts to crumble and the mind slowly fades, the fight should go on; this message, which will resonate with long-time fans of the series, is at the heart of Rocky Balboa, and makes for an emotional return for America's greatest fictional sporting hero.

In the years since returning to his old Philly stomping ground, Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) has lost his beloved wife Adrian to cancer, and settled into retirement from boxing, the heavyweight champ now running a restaurant called Adrian's. His son Robert (Milo Ventimiglia) has very little time for his old man, bitter that he has lived for so long in his father's shadow. Feeling lonely, Rocky befriends bar-woman Marie (Geraldine Hughes) and her son Steps (James Francis Kelly III), who support the ageing boxer when he decides that what he really wants to do is return to the ring.

Stallone returns to the directing chair for this sixth film in the long-running franchise, and he does a great job, carefully balancing the sentimentality with the action, never letting things get too schmaltzy or too cheesy. Rocky's fight to pick up the pieces and keep moving forward is inspirational, his kind nature is heart-warming, and his motivational speech to his son is frank yet touching. The final 'exhibition' match between Balboa and current heavyweight champion Mason 'The Line' Dixon (Antonio Tarver) proves that the film's star still has what it takes in the ring, the fight being just as hard-hitting and tense as those against his opponents in parts one to four (the less said about Tommy Gunn the better).

While I could have done without all of the fancy visual touches during the closing fight (rapid cuts between full colour and black and white), Rocky V ably proves that comebacks are possible, even this late in the day.

In Philadelphia, the retired former champion Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) misses his beloved deceased wife Adrian; tries to get closer to his son Robert (Milo Ventimiglia) and has a routine life helping people, running his restaurant telling his past glories to clients and taking pictures with his fans. When the television shows a virtual fight between Rocky and the unappreciated undefeated heavyweight titleholder Mason Dixon (Antonio Tarver) wined by Rocky, he feels the need to return to the ring to practice boxing in little fights as a sport. However, Mason's managers see the chance to promote their non-charismatic champion in a fight in Las Vagas in a charity event and invite Rocky for "the fight of the century". And fighters fight…

I was reluctant to see "Rocky Balboa", but fortunately the high IMDb Rating convinced me to see this great movie, if not the best of the "Rocky" franchise. The plot is very well constructed, but the most important are the messages in the lines of the simple Rocky. His speech to his son is amazing and his attitudes are great examples to be followed. I have recently seen the last "Rambo" and together with "Rocky Balboa" I dare to write that Sylvester Stallone proves that "the last thing to age in some body is their heart". Congratulations to him! My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Rocky Balboa"

I really don't know what people were thinking about giving this film such a hard time. None of the other Rocky films were horrible, why would this one suddenly be? I agree, there were some cheesy things that obviously would have to happen to justify him fighting so old. But, he did a very good job writing in certain twists to make the story make a bit more sense how it could actually happen. I went into the movie expecting scene after scene to be cheesy. I was actually surprised by the lack of cheesiness, granted it had a bit.

This was a very heartfelt film. It was definitely going back to the kind of movie the first one was, not spending too much time on the fighting part of the story. The fighting was toned down quite a bit in this one, probably so Stallone could acquire a PG rating.

The film is rightfully rated PG, and I would recommend it to any age group. Just a touching story about caring, friendship and love. An excellent way to end the Rocky series...