Moving. Exciting & all round - Good!

Rating: Null/10 (9 August 2004)

I'm absolutely amazed at the awful reviews people have given this film. I thought it was great!! Ok, I did have the advantage of seeing it on tv last night just after Van Damme's DREADFUL "A.W.O.L" but i still reckon Rocky 5 is a gem of a movie. Forget his voice (which CAN be irritating at times), Sylvester Stallone has the sharpest mind in Hollywood and he's highly accomplished in every field of movie-making. Boxers are the roughest and toughest of people but they're still human with the same feelings and vulnerabilities as everyone else & I think Stallone deserves MEGA respect for the compassion and understanding which shines through all 5 of the Rocky series. I don't think there's an emotion or a situation a boxer could face that Sly hasn't covered - and covered convincingly. The problem this film has always faced is that it appeals to a different, more thoughtful audience than the first 4. It's much more of a 'drama' than an 'action' movie. Take it as it is, and dramas don't come much better. The 'sugary' scenes between Rocky & his son are always particularly savaged in listings magazines. But what do they know! I found them genuinely touching. Here's a guy with a limited intellect desperately trying to reach out to his son and not really knowing how to express himself. Stallone CAN act! Talia Shire was electrifying & Richard Gant deliciously horrible as the thinly disguised Don King. "Touch me & I'll sue!" I remember seeing Rocky 4 at the cinema in 1986. At the time it seemed wonderful, but, all these years later the "isn't America wonderful" theme has aged badly and the flag-draped ending is just embarrassing. Rocky 5 hasn't aged a bit and remember Stallone was FORTY FOUR when 5 was made. He looked pretty damn good. The fight sequence near the end is as good as anything in the first 4. Yes! People were standing up in the theatre and yelling, every bit as much as a real fight, and this wasn't even "in the ring". I always remember the muffled roar of the audience when Stallone looks to camera just for a couple of seconds and we all knew Tommy Gunn was finally going to get his arse kicked. Sheer entertainment. I've heard Stallone is fond of saying to newcomers: "Forget the art. It's a business." Maybe it's because he thinks like that, that he produces such wonderful art. For me, Rocky 5 has to be 8 out of 10.