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2006
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ROCKY
BALBOA
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STARRING:SYLVESTER
STALLONE,BURT YOUNG,MILO VENTIMIGLIA, GERALDINE HUGHES,ANTONIO
TARVER,JAMES FRANCIS KELLY III,A.J. BENZA,PEDRO LOVELL,HENRY G.SANDERS
WRITTEN
BY SYLVESTER STALLONE
PRODUCED
BY WILLIAM CHARTOFF,KEVIN KLING,CHARLES WINKLER & DAVID
WINKLER
DIRECTED
BY SYLVESTER STALLONE
GENRE:DRAMA/SPORT
RATED:AUSTRALIA:M/UK:12A/USA:PG
RUNNING
TIME:102 MIN
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When
I first heard that Sylvester Stallone was going to bring back the
Italian Stallion for another round I found the news to be rather unsettling.
Rocky V, while not the
best film in the franchise was still a fitting finale to the series,
and the fact that it has been 16 years since the last film (making
Stallone 60 years old) did not make things any easier. But I was wrong.
Dead wrong.
Rocky Balboa begins with the aging southpaw still living in
the slums of Philadelphia. Long retired from the sport of boxing,
Rocky is now widowed and alone after his beloved wife Adrian (played
in previous films by Talia Shire) passed away a few years previously
due to cancer while his relationship with his son Robert (Milo Ventimiglia)
is fragile to say the least. The owner of an Italian restaurant named
after his late wife, Rocky holds court re-living past glory's while
once a year on the anniversary of Adrian's death he along with brother
in law Pauile (Burt Young) tour the places where he and Adrian had
met and fell in love which angers Paulie who tells Rocky that he should
let Adrian go.
Alone and depressed Rocky goes back to his old stomping ground for
a quick drink where he finds 'little' Marie ( the girl from the first
film who told Rocky to screw himself now played by Irish actress
Geraldine Hughes) working as a bartender. They become fast friends
and Rocky offers her and her son Steps (James Francis Kelly III) a
job at his restaurant. Around this time ESPN host a simulated computer
fight between Rocky and the current undefeated yet disrespected champion
Mason "The Line" Dixon (Antonio Tarver) which Rocky wins
by knockout. After watching the fight something awakens in Rocky who
decides to come out of retirement and box again. Receiving the go
ahead to box again by the state athletic commission, Rocky is approached
by Dixon's managers who want to capitalize on the popularity of the
computer fight and set up an exhibition match in Las Vegas. Rocky
accepts the challenge only to be faced with a public backlash and
the ire of his son, as once again the underdog must go against the
odds and unleash the beast that has built up inside of him.
A compelling and emotionally touching film that reminds of the first
two Rocky movies, Rocky Balboa is an excellent finale which
shows just how good an actor Sylvester Stallone is when given the
right material. Having played the character five times before Stallone
doesn't phone in his performance as he gives Rocky a depth we haven't
seen before thanks to his great script which contains some excellent
monologues, with Rocky's breakdown in front of Paulie and confrontation
with his son two of the better scenes I have seen this year.
With Stallone getting older I can't help but feel this movie is more
than autobiographical. Indeed this is a man exorcising his demons
on screen through his alter ego as Stallone does not shy away from
the main issues that have drawn criticism from all corners (myself
included), with the biggest issue of his age being met head on with
both humor and sincerity.
Burt Young is great as Paulie, firing away the often humorous one
liner's with ease, while Milo Ventimiglia is a vast improvement when
compared to Sage Stallone. Geraldine Hughes absolutely shines as Marie,
with Stallone making a wise decision by not having Marie and Rocky
fall in love. The only flaw casting wise lies with Antonio Tarver
who not only doesn't have the intimidating presence needed to strike
fear in the hearts of the audience (much like Clubber Lang and Ivan
Drago), but also lacks character. Now many would say that fault lies
within the script, but I must disagree. Ivan Drago was not a well
written part, yet he was still affective.
Direction wise Stallone is on top of his game. Granted there are pacing
problems (especially at the start of the film) but once the Rocky
theme hits and training montage begins it is pure bliss. The best
scene has to be the excellent boxing match between Balboa and Dixon.
Starting off as your average HBO covered fight, Stallone creates an
emotionally charged slug fest complete with slow motion, black and
white color palates mixed with crimson red ala Sin City,
images of Adrian and Rocky's former trainer Mickey giving encouragement
from the grave and Bill Conti's excellent, driving score.
This is great film making which grabs you by the heart and does not
let go. Cheers to Sylvester Stallone for the ultimate send off and
making it all worth while. |
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