Rocky IV (1985)

Genre: Drama

Directed by: Sylvester Stallone

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Dolph Lundgren

Time: 90 minutes

Ivan Drago, a Russian boxing champion and super athlete, arrives to America with his wife and a team of trainers and promoters. Drago is being sold to the public as the personification of Russian superiority. Incensed by that arrogance and wanting to prove something to himself, Apollo Creed challenges Drago to an exhibition bout. Sadly, Creed dies in the ring after a series of blows, under the eyes of his friend Rocky Balboa. Balboa challenges the Russian boxer to a match, which will take place in the USSR.

At this point, the Rocky franchise was really starting to lose steam. Stallone, who wrote and directed the film, all the while playing the title role, still manages to make you root for his underdog character. That being said, the level of cheesiness and clichés is increasing and we are going through the paces of a recipe at this point.

Rocky IV is truly a product of its time. It is emblematic of the feeling Americans had about Russians then. The Russian characters are over-the-top and exaggerated. Still, Dolph Lundgren, without saying much, manages to make Drago a truly menacing presence on screen.

The training part is pretty cool, though it feels more like a long music video than a movie. In spite of its flaws, I will give a passing mark to this one, for the good scenes included, a good underdog and a convincing villain.

Rating: «««