| Rocky Balboa (2006) Cast:Sylvester Stallone, Burt Young, Tony Burton, Antonio Tarver, Geraldine Hughes, Milo Ventimiglia, Talia Shire,Pedro Lovell Rocky (Stallone, of course) is now long retired and a widower (Though Shire is shown in flashbacks and is interestingly listed as being in the credits) and he runs a restaurant called "Adrian's" in which he chats with the customers and talks about his glory days, he also still has trouble getting over his wife's death to cancer and remarks that "He has something still in the basement." however when he sees a computer animated fight that has him going up against the current champ Mason "The Line" Dixon (Tarver) Rocky trains once again for himself. In what is a much better movie than it had any right to be. Rocky Balboa was in fact a movie that I couldn't believe was being made, especially since Sly was 59 but like Charles Bronson, Sly actually looks more compelling with age but the idea sounded ridiculous. Then I saw the trailer and knew this was going to be good and sure enough it was though it's not the best one of the series (The first one will always be) and in fact I liked Rocky II better but I was surprised just how well the character worked still, in a time when movies have been recycled to generic cardboard cut outs, one perhaps needed an icon and with sequels to the 80s most popular characters (Alien VS Predator, Freddy Vs Jason and The Terminator to name a few) revived to the screen it's somehow bittersweet that the icons of my teenage days are still standing tall over the new slew of characters introduced. Rocky is of course a timeless character and even if Rocky III and Rocky IV weren't very good (And yes I still stand by my recommendation of Rocky V) this Rocky is far removed from his invincible antics of the 80s. The Rocky here is actually a pathetic and tragic figure. From the moment the film starts he is pining over his wife Adrian, he tells the same stories to his customers who seem bored or indifferent to his glory day stories much like it would be in real life and yet the Rocky isn't all that far removed from Carl Weathers's Apollo Creed from Rocky IV, who is training and fighting for pride although it's more sad because if Rocky is to die it's really not as tragic as he has literally nothing left. Stallone filters that irony with effective results and his character may fight and may win but it doesn't matter as it literally is the final chapter and there will be no more fights, endorsements or fans calling his name after a couple of years after this fight. This is a movie in which Rocky is doing for himself and himself alone and with his old school training methods, his old school trainer (the always welcome Tony Burton) and old school heart carries him far but at the end it's all indicated that Stallone is ready to finally embrace retirement and in many ways this movie is downbeat. For all the training montages and fights that Rocky won, it's sort of sobering to see him end up like this but heroes have to hang it up sooner or later and in this movie Rocky does it the best way possible and he comes full circle. The audience of course is left with the feeling of a mix of happiness, sadness, adrenaline (The fight is very well done and suspenseful) and the knowing feeling that this is indeed Rocky's final run and all we can say is that were thankful to have taken such a long run with one of the most appealing icons of our time. D.Sylvester Stallone*** |