Rocky IV; This time it's personal

Rating: 6/10 (7 July 2013)

****SPOILERS**** Saved for the great fight scenes the movie Rocky IV is just a retread of the previous four Rocky films with Rocky Balboa, Sylvester Stallone, bucking the odds and winning against monstrous odds against an opponent who in real life would have made quick work of him in the two ever battered it out for real. Dolph Londgren the king size Tab Hunter look alike playing Russian and gold medal Olympic super heavyweight boxing champion Ivan Drago in fact knocked the wind out of Stallone while filming a boxing scene in the movie that he ended up in the hospital, with a damaged heart and 200 over 140 blood pressure reading, in critical condition for over a week. Lundgren also mauled and manhandled actor Carl Weathers, who played former heavyweight champ Apollo Creed, so badly that he walked off the set until he was talked into coming back by Stallone among others to finish his part in the movie.
This time around Rocky happily retired from boxing is forced to come back for just one more bout against the Siberian Express Ivan Drago after he knocked out cold and killed Apollo Creed in an exhibition match held at Las veges' MGM Grand Hotel Casino. With the "Fight of the Century" scheduled to take place at Moscow's Olympic Arena on Christmas Day Rocky has to get himself into the best shape in his career to take on and beat the big bad an invincible Russian Bear. With the late Apollo's manager Duke Evers,Tony Burton, training him in the snowy wastelands of Siberia Rocky feels that he's now ready to do the impossible; Beat the Soviet giant and beat him on his home turf and at his own game.
****SPOILERS**** In the early rounds of the bout it's Dargo's superior hight & strength as well as 90 inch reach that plummets and ties up, in the ropes & clinches, Rocky in his attempts to get inside him and punch away at his midsection. That in an effort to get Dargo to drop his guard and then have Rocky open up upstairs on his jaw in order to put the big guy away. With the rounds ticking away and despite the devastating punishment that he's taken Rocky is still on his feet by the time the last and 15th round comes around. with Rocky losing on points but still sanding on his feet it's the Russian crowd together with the Soviet Primier, played by a Mikhail Gorbachev look alike actor,that stands up and cheer on the American representative of the hated capitalist system Rocky Balboa against their home town hero and man of the people Ivan Dargo! That more then anything else energizes Rocky to keep up the good fight and with a dozen or so devastating body blows followed up by head shots puts the by now spent and exhausted Soviet Superman away with seconds to go in the 15th round.
With no more worlds or opponents to conquer and having avenged Apollo's death in the ring at the hands of Ivan Dargo a battered and bloodied Rocky Balboa gives a speech to the filled to capacity audience in the boxing arena about how peace on earth and goodwill for all men is possible if only we can put our differences behind us just like he and Drago, who by now has the greatest respect for his once hated American opponent, did to the cheers of all the spectators including the Soviet Premier and the entire Politburo. What a way to end a movie!