Rocky Balboa Review
by Clint Morris
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Let’s admit it, Rocky has been giving it a good slug for years now, but his last cinematic bout, Rocky 5
– still remember seeing it at an empty-theatre on opening day in 1990;
pretty sad state of affairs for a series that started out on such a
high – was anything but a knockout. Now, with the long-proposed Rocky Balboa,
Sylvester Stallone finally gives us a match worth watching. It’s so
good in fact; you’ll wish cinemas had installed TiVo into the seats.
Rocky Balboa could’ve easily ended up like any of the other Rocky
sequels – and you can’t blame the public’s scepticism; the character
had become somewhat of an overblown superhero – but there’s one thing
that stopped it from becoming so: Sylvester Stallone. Yep, Stallone’s
like a fine wine it seems, he’s gotten better with age – and wise
enough to know that you don’t let a studio exec come two-feet within a
movie set these days.
As the titular character announces in the
film “There’s still some old junk in the basement”, Sly felt the series
ended on a low (with the piss-poor Rocky 5),
and wanted to give fans a movie that would again – like the Oscar
Winning role – touch their hearts again, not just have them laughing
into their popcorn as a small Italian man pummels a 7-foot opponent
with ease (ah, Rocky IV: Cheesier than Lasagne). After several years of pitching his Rocky 6 to every studio and producer in town, Stallone finally got his movie made. Scratch that, Stallone finally got ‘our’ movie made.
The world is a different place now than what it was when the first Rocky
came out – and Sly makes note of that in his pic. The former
Heavyweight Champion of the World is now all alone – his beloved
Adrian, we discover, died a few years before; and his son, Robert (Milo
Ventimiglia), has an, er, 'Rocky’, relationship with his mega-famous
Dad – except for the people he spends his nights talking to at the
restaurant he runs in South Philadelphia; and brother-in-law Paulie
(Burt Young, returning for his sixth Rocky film).
Mason
"The Line" Dixon (Antonio Tarver) is the reigning heavyweight champion
distinguished only by the ease with which he took the title. Since he
has never had to prove himself, never faced a truly equal opponent, he
is considered by fans to be all skill and no heart, with no real future
in the sport... Until a computer simulation matches him against Rocky
Balboa in his prime.
The “cartoon fight” (as Paulie amusingly
calls it) gets Rocky thinking though: What if this is the second chance
he never thought he’d get -- a billion-to-one shot to prove to himself
and to those he loves that while the body changes, the heart only grows
stronger.
With the help of rediscovered pal, ‘Little’ Marie
(Geraldine Hughes, reprising a role made famous by Jodie Letitizia in
the first film – remember, she was the girl who yelled out ‘Screw you,
Creep!’ to Rocky) and her teenage son Steps (James Francis Kelly III),
his son Robert, Paulie, and Apollo Creed’s ex-trainer, Duke (Tony
Burton), Rocky rediscovers the montage – and some “hurting bombs”.
As
reviewers, we’re not taught to talk in the ‘first person’ - but I think
this calls for a temporary desertion of the journalistic system. I was
truly astonished by this film. Stallone has returned the series to its
roots – writing a credible, realistic story of a very likeable loser
who wins you over with his golden heart and golden gloves. For the
first time since the first film, we ‘feel’ for the character again… so
much so that you’ll be standing in the aisles, cheering him on, and at
other times, near at waterworks stage because of just how darn
inspiring it is. And though the storyline may seem a little cheesy to
same – I mean, 60 year-old-guy in a major boxing match? – but it ain’t
that far from reality : Just a few short years ago, George Foreman did
the same thing. With his rock-hard body and well-versed fighting style,
I believed every minute that Rocky was ‘in’ this fight.
The fact
that Stallone knows this character so well is what aids in the film’s
efficacy. It’s not even the scenes in the ring that are the best, but
more so, some of the more emotional scenes – like the sequences between
Rocky and his estranged son, Robert (Ventimiglia).
“It will beat
you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it”, Rocky
tells his mixed-up son, who feels like he’s living in his
larger-than-life dad’s shadow. “You, me or nobody is going to hit as
hard as life. But 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!
“Let me tell you
something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows.
It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees
and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is
gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't how hard you hit; it's about
how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can
take, and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done. Now, if you
know what you're worth, then go out and get what you're worth. But you
gotta be willing to take the hit, and not pointing fingers saying you
ain't where you are because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that
and that ain't you. You're better than that!”
I tell ya, the
writing is sensational. He knows how to wrangle an emotion, that’s for
sure. There’s a moment where Rocky breaks down in the meat factory that
is truly gut wrenching. Hard to believe this is the same guy who
starred in D-Tox and Avenging Angelo just a couple of years back.
Stallone,
who also served as the films director, has penned a movie to be proud
of. It’s nostalgic – there’s a lot of references to the first film;
including a scene of Rocky and Paulie taking a tour of the some of the
memorable locations from the original; it’s touching – Stallone pulls
back on the cheese, and instead lets a lot of the expressions just do
the talking; The performances are terrific – this is the best I’ve seen
Stallone in many, many years, and the supporting cast (particularly
Burt Young as the always amusing Paulie, and Milo Ventimiglia, who
plays Rocky’s son, Robert) are top-notch – even though Dixon, the
opponent, seems a bit cardboard at times; and that final fight sequence
is shot proficiently well – again the credit of Stallone, who has as
good an eye as he does a left hook.
This is a masterpiece of a
sequel. And for the sixth entry in the series, that is really saying
something. Sly, you’ve done it! The big guy goes out fighting.
Rocky! Rocky! Rocky! Rocky! 4 out
of 5 Rocky Balboa
Australian
release: 22nd February,
2006
Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Burt Young, Milo Ventimiglia, Antonio Tarver, Geraldine Hughes
Director: Sylvester Stallone
Website: Click
here.
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