Review of Rocky Balboa (2006) by Mark D — 03 Sep 2010

Despite seeming initially like nothing more than a cash grab for an aging Stallone, Rocky Balboa ended up being something of an unexpected knockout, packing a strong emotional punch and delivering Rocky fans a much stronger closing chapter than the unfortunate Rocky V.

Stallone is fantastic as an over-the-hill Rocky, falling right back into his old shoes and bringing the franchise back to its roots by mimicking the tone and feel of the original film. The early portions of the film are more of a nostalgic look back at the original five films, with several montage sequences and some beautiful cinematography.

The progression of Rocky's character as he struggles to cope with his loneliness and his fading sense of self is surprisingly moving, offering a suitable buildup for the final climactic fight with the young heavyweight champion (played reasonably well by Antonio Tarver, who was an actual light-heavyweight boxing champ).

This final exhibition match is incredibly visceral, filmed as if it is being shown as a real Pay Per View boxing event. According to the special features, Stallone and Tarver were actually hitting each other quite hard during this scene, claiming that there are no "phantom punches" and that every hit is real.

Despite the fact that one or two of the dialogue scenes feel cheesy or forced (thanks to the writing which stays true to Rocky's character, but doesn't always work), Rocky Balboa marks a great return to form for Stallone, who really gives the film everything he's got both emotionally and physically and deserves a bit of respect for not letting down his fans.