The Perfect Distillation

Rating: 7/10 (19 March 1999)

Credit Sylvester Stallone with being able to figure out what the people want and how to put it on the screen.
The biggest thrills of any "Rocky" movie come from the spectacularly staged fight sequences. So in "Rocky III", Stallone gives us two heavyweight bouts. Mr. T is the evilest villain, playing the role he was meant to play. For good measure, Stallone even throws in an hilarious "exhibition match" between Rocky and "Thunderlips", played by a little known pro wrestler, Hulk Hogan.
In these matches, the viewer feels the power of every punch, the awesome impact of every landed blow. It's all helped along by Bill Conti's score and the rest of the totally 80's soundtrack.
We're also treated to a music-video style training montage -- another Stallone staple -- that is the envy of every amateur fitness buff. Who doesn't feel like doing push-ups after hearing "The Eye of the Tiger"?
"Rocky III" is the ultimate distillation: you've got good guys, bad guys, bad guys-turned-good guys; there's comedy, tragedy, and redemption. Is it great movie-making? Of course not. Does it deliver everything you'd expect (and have come to want)? Absolutely.