Franchise returns to form (on repeated viewings)

Rating: 7/10 (24 April 2020)

Now I must admit to having initial misgivings to the fourth entry in the Rocky franchise but on repeated viewings it has greatly grown on me.
The film was made at the height of the Cold War and has an element of U.S.A. vs Soviet Union tensions demonstrated by James Brown singing Living In America!
The casting of Dolph Lundgren as Soviet Union nemesis Ivan Drago is a masterstroke as he looks like a machine and mumbles about twenty words of dialogue through the film.
He delivers some classic lines such as 'if he dies, he dies ' as he kills an old character from the series (spoiler).
The soundtrack is a great mid 1980s synthesizer filled delight. There are several great songs to accompany Rocky in some obligatory training montages in remote Russia (Canada).
At one point cash rich Rocky buys Paulie a robot. Yes a robot to try and make his character more interesting?