If he dies, he
dies…
The above is a
popular phrase from this movie, uttered by Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) after he
knocks out and eventually kills Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). This makes Rocky
IV the last of the Rocky films to feature Carl Weathers.
Like Rocky III,
this movie is direct-to-the-fight, with not much happening in between. Rocky III had
Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) face a fighter early on, and then we see little
until the final fight against Clubber Lang (Mr. T). Here, Drago kills Apollo in
an exhibition match, prompting Rocky to challenge him to a fight in Russia,
where Drago is taught a lesson by the Italian Stallion.
The fight
choreography here is better than in Rocky III,
but I still stand by saying it’s nothing like the fights we saw in Rocky and Rocky II.
The movie’s plot
revolves around the Russians bringing in a fighter they claim can take on
anyone. As mentioned, this fighter ends up killing Apollo, and Rocky seeks
revenge for his friend’s death.
The movie is
written and directed by Sylvester Stallone himself, and it was a commercial
success, making over 10 times its $28 million production budget. It received
mixed reviews but stands stronger than the previous Rocky film
released three years earlier.
The movie did
have some production hitches. For example, Stallone had to step in to resolve a
dispute between Weathers and Lundgren, which arose when Lundgren threw Weathers
hard into the corner, causing Weathers to walk off the set angry.
Another hitch
occurred when Stallone decided he wanted to film a real fight and sparred with
Lundgren. During the sparring, Lundgren hit Stallone hard in the chest, causing
his heart to hit his breastbone, leading to swelling and Stallone being
hospitalized.
The movie didn’t
boast much—it was short and focused on Rocky’s revenge. The drama from Rocky and Rocky II is
missing here, and the film lacks the motor-mouthed antics of Clubber Lang,
which were fun to watch in Rocky III.
Although many of
us love this movie because of how short and direct it was, I still felt the
drama from the previous movies if they were added would have made this movie
even more special.
To me, Rocky IV should have been the end of the Rocky series, but the financial success of the franchise led to another Rocky film, which ended up being panned by critics.
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