I trawl through the best and worst that modern entertainment has to offer, putting my health and my ...
I trawl through the best and worst that modern entertainment has to offer, putting my health and my santiy on the line, so you don't have to. Read more about my exploits in my reviews. I try to make them informative and fun at the same time.
Member since:13.10.2009
Reviews:42
By 1985 and four movies in, there wasn't much left on this planet for Rocky to beat. He'd already prevailed over Apollo Creed, Mr T and even Hulk Hogan. His next opponent? The Soviet Union.
A couple of years after his victory against Clubber Lang, Rocky is still on top. But a new threat emerges from behind the Iron Curtain in the form of Ivan Drago - a hulking Soviet boxer whose strength borders on superhuman. Drago is set to fight Rocky for the heavyweight title, but a patriotic Apollo Creed unexpectedly steps in and challenges him to an exhibition bout.
The fight starts off in good spirits, with Creed showboating for the crowd, but things soon take a turn for the worse when Drago's power is unleashed and the older fighter is pummeled without mercy, finally dropping dead to the canvas. Man, you don't mess with Ivan Drago.
Vowing to avenge his friend's death, Rocky drops his heavyweight title and travels to Russia to fight Drago. Whereas Drago trains in a high-tech gym with scientists monitoring his every move, Rocky embarks on a mad strength training regime in freezing Siberian weather to toughen himself up. When the fight finally comes around, both men are in phenomenal shape and determined to win, but Drago is still much bigger and stronger. Worse, the entire Soviet crowd hates Rocky for being American.
Reviewing Rocky IV with any kind of conventional analysis is almost a waste of time, because it's got so little in common with the original Rocky that it might as well be from an entirely different franchise. Whereas Rocky was subtle, understated and sensitive, Rocky IV is brash, over the top and pumped up on adrenaline. But its also bloody good fun.
The stakes just keep getting raised. His final insane training sequence, accompanied by the pounding beats of Hearts on Fire, is impossible not to enjoy. By the time he's done, Rocky is stronger than he's ever been. Likewise, the fight against Drago is a brutal slugging match where Rocky is tested to his limits. He starts off taking a hammering from the seemingly invincible Drago, but a lucky punch opens a cut over the Russian's eye, denting his confidence and giving Rocky a chance to fight back. As the fight drags on, the initially hostile crowd gradually warms to the American, impressed by his determination.
When the final bell rings, a victorious Rocky makes a speech to the crowd about the importance of change, and how two men fighting in the ring is better than all out war between their two countries. By the time he's finished, everyone, including the Soviet Premier and the entire Politburo is cheering and applauding. Yeah, forget Glasnost, Perestroika and the internal dismemberment of the Soviet Union - it was Rocky Balboa who really ended the Cold War.
In a sense then, Rocky IV represents both the best and the worst that the series has to offer. It's Rocky at his most fun, but also his most ludicrous. Enjoy it, but don't expect too much from it.
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Action/Adventure - Director: Peter Jackson - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Liv Tyler, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Andy Serkis
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
East meets West when Rocky takes on a vicious Soviet fighter who literally killed his last ... more
opponent! Sylvester Stallone writes, directs and stars in this war between nations, in which the only battle is fought in a boxing ring. Rocky Balboa (Stallone) ...
![Rocky 4 [DVD] [1986]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78180115.jpg "Rocky 4 [DVD] [1986]")
Oct 13th, 2009
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