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Rocky V (1990)

Rate: 8
Viewed: 12/03, 12/05, 7/11, 9/20

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12/05: The Rocky franchise did enjoy a nice resurgence when Sylvester Stallone came back to reprise his role for Rocky V with John G. Avildsen reclaiming the director chair.

There's a touching scene that was never shown before, and it's Rocky and Mickey at the old gym. The acting is much improved this time with excellent supporting work by Tommy Morrison as Tommy Gunn and Richard Gant as George Washington Duke who's an imitation of Don King in the flesh. What I like is Rocky going back to his roots which is a complete opposite of how he was acting in the previous sequel. The street fight between him and Tommy Gunn at the end is entertaining.

All in all, although dark and depressing, Rocky V is a welcome deviation from the usual formula.

7/11: Rocky V has been long considered the black sheep of the franchise for failing to follow the formula.

Yeah, when Rocky left his son at the airport, he was like 7 years old. After his father returns a month later, he's 14. The best performance comes from Richard Gant as a clone of Don King. Another aspect to like is the skillful editing. Sylvester Stallone recapturing the old Rocky persona goes a long way, too.

All in all, Rocky V is a sequel that people will either hate or accept.

9/20: Dark and depressing, Rocky V is a lot better than the last two sequels because it's honest and goes back to the roots that made the boxing icon who he was.

There are many strong performances. I'm surprised to see Adrian coming out assertively which never happened before. Even Paulie is likeable this time around. Mickey is back to be special once more. Largely because of the cast, Rocky V is finally a movie about human beings and their flaws.

There's a sad truth about life imitating art when it comes to the relationship between Sylvester Stallone and his son as Sage died of a heart attack eight years ago (most likely suicide by drug overdose or simply from many years of drug abuse). The rumor is he had a nonexistent relationship with his father, having been raised by maids, nannies, and gardeners, and was a loner most of his life with a few friends. At any rate, both are very good in Rocky V.

Interestingly, Tommy Morrison passed away one year after Sage's death from complications of AIDS and had a pretty weird life himself. The parts his character was saying during dinner did happen for real. Despite being tested HIV positive, Tommy claimed he didn't have it, but knew otherwise in 1989, and was asked to be tested over and over. He also committed bigamy by marrying two different women, calling his first wife "D1" and the other "D2." When his body broke down years later, he opted for chest implants only to have them removed due to infection.

Two best parts of the film are Rocky hitting the bag while watching Tommy Gunn's match with Union Cane and his street fight with Tommy afterwards. It's thanks to the excellent editing job by John G. Avildsen, Robert A. Ferretti, and Michael N. Knue. Rocky can be corny and naïve at times, but he's endearing.

All in all, a detour can be wise when the sequels have become too formulaic, and that's why Rocky V worked.