"Rocky" for the MTV age

Rating: 6/10 (5 December 2017)

Virtually the same movie as "Rocky III", with a better (and longer) climactic fight, but Dolph Lundgren, although physically intimidating, is a wooden log in terms of personality in comparison to Mr.T. Stallone's screenplay is formulaic to the extreme, and often ridiculous (how can anyone last 15 rounds with a man who supposedly has three times the punching power of the average heavyweight? As for the Russian crowd chanting "Rocky! Rocky!", yeah, sure...), but as a director he keeps the film speeding like a runaway locomotive, and the editing is sometimes exhilaratingly masterful. Killer - and timeless - 1980s soundtrack. **1/2 out of 4.