In the Ring (2006)
*** (out of 4) Writer-star Sylvester Stallone, director John G. Avildsen, producers Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler are joined by cast members Carl Weathers, Talia Shire and Burt Young as they discuss the making of ROCKY. The documentary, clocking in just under an hour, is broken down into three different parts. Part one covers Stallone turning in the screenplay, the casting of the picture and everyone coming together on a low-budget movie. Part two starts off with everyone talking about what a special talent Shire is and they discuss what she brought to the film. This portion also talks about various scenes in the film with her including the ice rink sequence and what was originally in the screenplay. This part also pays tribute to Burgess Meredith as the cast and crew talk about what made him so special. Part three takes a look at Young and Weathers and what made them so right for their parts. Finally, part three takes a look at the new things the film had to do in order to break its "B" movie budget. There are quite a few documentaries out there about the movie as well as the series so it's good that this one here doesn't take a look at the typical stuff and instead tells stories about some of the things we often don't hear about. Yes, all the patting each other on the back might not be what people want to hear but I think it's quite genuine here as it's clear that everyone involved with the film are affectionate with each other. There are a couple times where the actors get emotional talking about each other and especially when it comes time to discuss Meredith. Fans of the series should enjoy the stories being told and hearing the interviews so for them this is highly recommended.
