One Last Time, Rocky!







Rocky Balboa makes one more appearance, nostalgic yet impressive, as the inspiring undefeatable man who fought for his dreams – with all his might.

Sylvester Stallone took on the sixth installment in Rocky’s time-enduring saga, as writer, director and main actor. And he does a good job, considering he’s 60 and can still throw a scary kick and punch!

Rocky has long retired from boxing and lives a quiet lonely life, mourning his beloved wife Adrian, who has died of cancer. Talia Shire, who played Adrian in the previous movies, is seen in flashbacks). He owns a restaurant in his South Philly neighborhood, he gives autographs and takes pictures with fans and he is still close with brother-in-law Paulie.

What puts Rocky on fire is an ESPN computer simulated fight between him and heavy weight champ Mason “The Line” Dixon (played by Antonio Tarver) – predicting that Rocky would have been triumphant in his prime. Balboa decides to put himself to the test one more time and prove himself a true winner.

He doesn’t receive encouragement; his son, played by “Gilmore Girls” actor Milo Ventimiglia, works for a large corporation and has little warmth for his father. The media offers no support to the aging boxer, while Paulie himself is skeptical.

Rocky nevertheless re-enacts the classical physical training – lifts huge metal weights and feverishly exercises then triumphantly runs up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Oh, the memories.

And then the inevitable big fight with Dixon comes and Stallone is in unbelievable physical shape, not only for sixty, but for any age for that matter. This requires no spoiler warning: of course he wins. Of course the thousands of people in the audience chant “Rocky! Rocky!” endlessly. Of course there is a moral lesson: courage and determination and a good heart will bring you victory.

Sly himself must be pleased with the result of his hard work. He has said that he wanted to smooth the rough edges in the Rocky series after 1990’s “Rocky V” flop. And this must be a role close to his heart and one he has put a lot of soul in – after all, he did write all six “Rocky” films and received incomparable critical acclaim for his first lead role.

The very first in the series, 1976’s “Rocky”, received that year’s Academy Award for Best Picture, while Stallone was nominated for Best Actor and Best Screenplay.

However successful one or another of the installments has been, and whatever kind of criticism “Rocky Balboa” will receive, hard-core fans are happy. To them, the Philly fighter is a hero and an inspiration. Reason to move forward and not give up.

Give to the Cesar that which belongs to the Cesar.