Rocky Balboa

As far as the Rocky franchise goes, nothing really comes close to the original in terms of its intimate scope and epic grandeur on a low-budget (not to mention top-notch and near iconic cast). In terms of the sequels, while it's not always looked upon as the "best", I have a fondness for part 3, if only for its balance of drama and comedy and that it bridges the gap between the early part of the franchise and latter part. And yet in this final installment, Rocky Balboa, Stallone goes back to the roots: the dark and rundown streets of South Philadelphia, and while his film starts as a kind of eulogy for the series (not least of which for the character Adrian), it quickly kicks into gear as a celebration of what Rocky is all about. It's essentially a story of rising to a challenge, proving your worth to nobody in-particular except yourself, and also sticking close as possible to those you care about, family and friends... and the occasional awesome training montage doesn't hurt.

In this segment Rocky is in his 50s and runs a restaurant called Adrian's where he reminisces with the patrons with old stories. He also befriends a woman whom he used to walk home many years ago (she may have been a character in the original Rocky, I can't recall) who also has a son named "Stephs" for Stephen. But with his son unsure about what his father's legacy has on him, and Rocky's own unsure feelings about the "basement" inside of himself, of pain over Adrian dying, he decides to get back into fighting again. In typical "movie" style (and I mean this as a compliment to the conventional wisdom of the writing), a challenger comes forward, young Mason Dixon, who is undefeated and has come under scrutiny due to a computer simulation that shows Rocky, in his prime, could kick his ass. So, training commences, speeches of inspiration/hope delivered, and it all leads up to the big bout in Vegas.

The script, as mentioned, is perhaps the strongest thing here. Stallone shines as usual in his quintessential role, and seeing people like Paulie and Apollo Creed's former trainer played by Tony Burton are nice touches too. Little flaws: Milo Ventimiglia Jr, despite having the same "jaw" as Stallone put it, is not a very good actor here. I'm not sure if it was the direction he was given for the character or just how he is, but he was constantly stiff and then when called upon to get big in a dramatic scene like the confrontation with Rocky outside the restaurant (one of those "Don't do this!" scenes), it falls totally flat. There's also a beef one can have with the way inspiration is summoned in the climactic bout. When we see Rocky and Dixon fighting with just the normal camera angles it's riveting and taut, but then Stallone piles on the clips, the flashbacks, the slivers of nostalgia, and it just gets a little too much and almost (key word 'almost') spoils the momentum of one of the best fights in the entire franchise.

Sure, some of its humor is a little corny, and some of the line deliveries by Stallone aren't always given the biggest "umph" one would want (hey, it's Stallone, waddaya want), but it is a true-blue Rocky movie, and makes a fine sort of comeback note to a franchise that had its ups and downs over the 70s and 80s. It's nothing if not from the heart, in its craft and in its performances, and it should be admired as one of those final bows to an audience that knows this is the end, as opposed to dragging it out even further.

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!"

If you are a film buff you know for example that Bogey did a number of films especially late in his career which, while not exactly Maltese Falcon, were nonetheless solid and entertaining.

So that is the key to this film. Understand that Stallone, who I think will be idolized by viewers of the future, does not know the meaning of the word quit. The oddsmakers said Rocky would stop at the second. When the 4th came out and was rock-solid (!) Hollywood was stunned.

Rocky 5 was a bit of a lemon but again Stallone never quits.

If you have seen all the Rocky films and they are still fresh in your mind, then his film will be a treat.

If you on the other hand are not a fan, or just arrived from another planet, then what you have is a well-told and well-acted drama that builds into a pretty good boxing film.

Either way you win.

((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

Sylvester Stallone completes his Rocky Epic with a stirring conclusion. I saw a special sneak preview in Detroit at a Kronk Boxing Gym benefit. Although the first 45 minutes kind of dragged, and at times the dialog made me cringe, its at least as worthy of Rocky II or the original Rocky. A lot of flashbacks, but it definitely wraps up the series a lot better than Rocky V did. It won't win best picture, or any great acting awards, but the cinematography was better than I've seen in a lot of the previous 5. As far as the big question in the blogs, does Rocky die in this one, you'll have to wait till Christmas and see for yourself. The music was great, the final scenes were great, and Paulie was great! It was also interesting to reintroduce the characters of Little Marie and Spider Rico from the first movie.

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.