Rocky IV has the most amazing soundtrack ever!

Rating: 10/10 (30 January 2008)

We all know the plot of Rocky IV is awfully thin (Soviet boxer comes to USA. Soviet boxer kills Rocky's friend. Rocky goes to Soviet Union to avenge aforementioned friend. End of script). And this movie has very little dialog. Granted. This movie is actually a 90-minute music video. Absolutely. And it's full of stereotypes and clichés on the USSR and Russians etc. Logically, this movie is total trash, and by far the worst Rocky movie.
And you know what? Rocky IV is by far my favorite Rocky movie, and one of my all-time fave films. I know this defies all reason, but I'll tell why.
I'm a huge Stallone fan, and once again Sly remarkably directed and acted in this fourth installment of the Rocky saga; the others actors sincerely and convincingly played their parts as well; the editing is impressive too. But the real star of the movie is in fact one you certainly didn't expect.
As I said above, Rocky IV is a one-hour-and-a-half music video, and its real wonder is actually soundtrack author Vince DiCola. As much as I love and respect Bill Conti's work on all other Rocky movies, I must say that in my mind, DiCola's score on this movie surpassed Conti's and is the "true", the "ultimate" Rocky soundtrack.
DiCola managed to capture the essence of Rocky, i.e. overcoming one's fears, fighting against the odds, perseverance in the face of adversity etc. I'm referring especially to "Training Montage" and "Heart's on Fire" (wonderfully sung by John Cafferty): more than any other piece of music I've heard in my life, Vince DiCola's tunes are incredibly inspiring, unbelievably motivating... Just listen to them, they'll pump you up like nothing else. Whatever your occupation is (physical or intellectual), they'll instantly put you on a high and in the right mindset to achieve your goal. DiCola's music is so powerful, combined with the impressive editing of the training scenes, I would even be tempted to say it has a near-magical power to motivate you. It's definitely the ultimate inspirational music.
And the score in the rest of the film, especially "War" during the final fight, is equally terrific. It makes you root for Rocky from the beginning to the end and feel his emotions.
Stallone often had remarkable soundtracks for his movies (e.g. those by Jerry Goldsmith for the Rambo saga) and it's a shame and incomprehensible that DiCola wrote very few film scores (same for John Cafferty, why isn't he more famous?). I acknowledge that the first time I saw Rocky IV, I hated Vince DiCola's music because it was so different from Bill Conti's, but after watching the movie again, I came to adore it. In 1985, it was a score ahead of its time, and more than twenty years later, it still is. It hasn't lost an ounce of its power. Is it humanly possible to compose a more motivating soundtrack?
Watch (and above all, listen to) Rocky IV from this perspective and you'll understand why there are so many people who love it.