ROCKY IV (1985)
THE film where Stallone started to lose his way with Rocky…
Movie critics scoffed and sneered, with some reason, but the film brought in $1.4 billion at the box office and cinema bosses reported fans on their feet as Balboa and Ivan Drago slugged it out in a fight to apparently determine the Cold War.
The fight has to happen after Drago kills Creed in what was supposed to be an exhibition, displaying superhuman strength and punching power. Balboa wanted to throw the towel in, but Creed implored him not to and by obeying his friend’s wishes, has terrible consequences.
Balboa gives up his world championship to fight Drago. For free. In Russia. On Christmas Day. Crikey!
Drago was played by Dolph Lungren, who revealed he considered boxing professionally before friends dissuaded him, is managed by his wife, played by Brigitte Nielsen, and is a baddy. He takes steroids, isn’t bothered about Creed dying, just wants to destroy anyone who stands in his path.
Typical Russian, fumed American audiences – or at least, that was surely the idea.
Stallone whips himself into shape via several music-video style montages and goes on to come through several crises to outlast Drago in a scrap that makes Jack Dempsey-luis Firpo look like a light spar.
Cheesiest moment of the film – and there’s a fair bit of competition – is when a silhouette of Mikhail Gorbachev is brought to his feet to applaud Balboa after his victory.