Down But Not Out

Rating: 8/10 (12 February 2007)

The ROCKY series got back to its roots with this human story of the former Heavyweight champ down and out once more. The result is a much-better-than-reputed effort that, until 2006's ROCKY BALBOA, served as a fitting conclusion to the popular boxing saga.
Stallone returns as the title character, so brain damaged his doctor says he can't fight no more. So he picks up a protégé in young Tommy "Machine" Gunn (Tommy Morrison), allowing him to vicariously relive past glory. Along the way he reconnects with his young son and learns that what really matters is family. It sounds corny in an after school special kind of way, but it not only works, it works magnificently.
ROCKY V has long been called the black sheep of the series by fans (even Stallone himself), often because Rock never steps into the ring. True, this is not really a boxing movie, but boxing is never really what made the ROCKY films tick. It's always been the human angles, and for that reason, ROCKY V ranks as a solid addition to the series.