Rocky V connects perfectly with the first Rocky movie

Rating: 10/10 (23 July 2015)

I saw Rocky V recently and I enjoyed it as much as I did when I first saw it in 1990. In fact I considered Rocky V the perfect ending for the Rocky saga. The next chapter, Rocky Balboa, was OK, but for me it was mostly nostalgia and it didn't generate any emotions in me. But Rocky V Wow! That movie hit all my emotions. Rocky V broke the formula. Our hero loses all his money and has to go back to the neighborhood. Ashamed and humiliated. Of course he is traumatized! Doctors told him he had brain damage and he couldn't fight his way out of this problem. He was on denial and he wanted to get it all back. So when Tommy Gun shows up, he sees an opportunity. An opportunity that was stolen by the Duke. At the end of the movie, Rocky didn't get what he wanted. He failed. It is rare to see an American movie where the hero fails.
Rocky didn't get what he wanted, he got what he needed. Personal respect. By beating Tommy Gun on that amazing street fight Rocky became again the people's champion.
Here is where Rocky V makes a perfect loop with the first Rocky movie. In that film it is established that Rocky's motivation to fight Apollo is not money or to be the champion of the world. He just wanted to go the distance with Creed to prove to himself the he wasn't another bump from the neighborhood. It is a personal victory. In fact, when the fight ends Rocky tells Apollo he doesn't need a rematch. In Rocky V Adrian establishes that the difference between Rocky and Tommy is that Rocky always fought with his heart. Money and the championship were secondary. Passion drove Rocky through his carrier. But Tommy was hungry for money, the title and glamor. The Duke said it perfect: "Hey Rock, you have more class than him!" This are the main reasons why I love Rocky V.