Rocky Balboa (2006) Dir: Sylvester Stallone
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This sixth film in the iconic boxing franchise was the last one I needed to watch before I finally had made it through Rocky's story. I had enjoyed most of the films, aside from the fifth one, so I was looking forward to this one. Moreover, seeing an old dog going for one more fight sounded interesting.
I think this film marked a return to what has made this franchise so good; a compelling story, a good soundtrack, solid side characters and a proper training montage - what more could you want? I also liked that Sylvester Stallone returned to direct - nobody knows the franchise, and the character, better than him.
It felt like a proper Rocky film, which was the most important thing. I really enjoyed the story, especially in how it paralleled the first film. It was another classic underdog story to add to a collection of epic underdog stories. The more modern camerawork and editing added something different to the presentation too - I liked it.
It felt like Sylvester Stallone was back to his best with the character he created and nurtured. It was a great performance, which reminded me of the Rocky of the first few films. Also, I have huge respect for the shape Stallone got into for the film, considering his age at the time.
Burt Young gave an amusing little performance in his key supporting role, while Geraldine Hughes, Antonio Tarver and Milo Ventimiglia all provided solid and compelling performances with their own supporting roles. Honestly, everyone was at least decent, including James Francis Kelly, Tony Burton and Pedro Lovell, who deserved quick mentions too.
Overall, this was a really good comeback for the franchise. It returned to the roots of the Rocky story and found what made it so enjoyable again. I've really enjoyed making my way through these films, and ending on a high note certainly motivates me to move onto the 'Creed' films next.
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