Despite a few powerful moments, the lowest point of the "Rocky" franchise

Rating: 5/10 (20 August 2017)

In 1972, Stallone couldn't even be an extra in "The Godfather". In 1976, he wrote and starred in the year's Best Picture, classic underdog story and franchise starter "Rocky". And Roger Ebert saw in him a new Brando.
The 80's didn't exactly prove Ebert right but they consolidated his star-status. 1982 was his peak with the success of "Rocky III" and the release of "First Blood" that introduced another landmark of American cinema: John Rambo. The rest of the decade had its share of ups-and-downs making Sly actor and/or director a punching ball for the Razzies. His "Rocky IV", while the most successful sport-movie of all time wasn't exactly a critical success, even among the fans.
So 1990 wasn't exactly Sly's finest hour with his starlight fading in favor of rivals like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis. That convinced him to approach Rocky with the same angle. There's always a parallel between Rocky and Stallone's story and the idea of taking Rocky back to his roots, to simpler values like family and friends was actually good. The 80's were over, the iron curtain was open, and Gordon Gekko in jail. But from Stallone's own admittance, he made the film out of greed and rated it a zero. So maybe what lacked in "Rocky V" was a sincere approach to a material that looked good on the paper.
Taking Rocky back to the blue-collar streets of Philadelphia was only viable if there was a good story-line to justify it. Unfortunately, "Rocky V" while not a mediocre film never really fulfills its potential, despite many touching moments, it often gets lost in the realms of cheap predictable made-for-TV stuff. Stallone is wrong when he gives the film a 'zero', he's a good actor, passable director, great writer when he puts his heart in but not much of a critic. Some scenes in "V" belong to the best of the franchise and make it even better than "Rocky IV", which was build on a predictable 'death-followed-by-revenge' plot, the story-line of every 80's sports movie.
But I love the way "Rocky V" puts you in the Drago match' immediate aftermath, with Rocky shaking and trembling like a frail puppy, asking Adrian to take him home, you could tell he was tired of this 'nonsense'. But then the press conference back in America features so many cringe-worthy moments every hope in cinematic excellence had definitely vanished. I couldn't believe journalists would ask Rocky for a come-back the minute he set his feet on the American ground, I wanted him to pull a Tony Montana and shout "What was the Drago hit- a game of dominoes or something?". So many things belonged to the 'Idiot Script' formula, when you wait for one line to be said, but it doesn't come because you've got to wait for the most dramatic instant.
Rocky could tell the journalists that he was suffering from brain damage and the case was rested. The film even involves a subplot with the growing father-and-son relationship between Rocky as a mentor and Tommy "Machine" Gun, making his son Rocky Jr. jealous, but instead of talking to his father, Jr. becomes more and more rebellious until we get to the obligatory confrontation where they come to terms. And the moment where Rocky makes up with his son is conveniently the same where Tommy turns into a one-dimensional ungrateful villain, it's not exactly the kind of smooth transition we're getting used to. It took Rocky, Adrian and Paulie three, four movies to evolve, Rocky Jr. and Tommy one hour.
This is the same kind of flaw that undermined "Rocky IV", when characters start to behave according to a script rather than a realistic arc, just like Apollo when he was teasing and mocking a Russian giant who was obviously in better shape, as if his defeats with Rocky didn't humble him a bit. It's a shame that Stallone didn't rewrite the script, because Rocky Jr. and Tommy were interesting characters, and well played by the two deceased actors Sage Stallone and Tommy Morrison but it seems like the purpose of their presence was to highlight some need from Rocky to pass the torch, to be the Mickey of someone. Fair enough, but I hated the way relationships always worked on the kind of binary "On/Off" level that damaged the film's credibility.
But the biggest flaw of all was that poor man's Don King played by Richard Grant, he chewed the script every time he was in, and was like the most irritating presence, where was this guy in the previous Rocky? Who the hell was this Union Cane? They even went as far as calling him George Washington Duke while there's another Duke in the film, to add to the confusion. The film is set in 1985 but it is obvious we're in 1990, if new boxing figures were to come, if Rocky had to lose money and get poor again, and last but not least, if Robert 'Rocky' Jr. was supposed to be 14, then just set the film five years after the fourth, and at least, you'll gain a few points in credibility and not have one of the most inexplicable goofs ever.
The film, directed by the late John G. Avidsen featured some really powerful scenes, including a flashback with Mickey, allowing us to see Burgess Meredith one last time, a great confrontation between Rocky and Adrian, and an interesting ending showing how Tommy was more of a mislead guy than a villain but "Rocky V" tangles way too much between mediocrity and excellence. Well, let's call it uneven despite good intentions.
Or maybe we should be thankful it flopped, since it allowed Rocky to make his great "Rocky Balboa" which revitalized the franchise and allowed "Creed" and a second Oscar nomination to happen. In 1990, the franchise was over but you know what Rocky says about things being over, right?