Rocky IV

Director: Sylvester Stallone (1985)

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, Brigitte Nielsen, Carl Weathers

Rocky IV is an unabashed patriotic and political-type movie that adds the great Soviet nemesis character in Drago. The 1985 film was directed by Stallone and had audiences cheering in the theaters and is well worth another look all these years later.

Steeped in cold war themes, the film jumps off with Rocky’s longtime rival-turned-friend Apollo Creed (Weathers) killed in the ring during an exhibition match with Russian super-amateur Ivan Drago (Lundgren).

Determined to avenge the death of Creed, Balboa (Stallone) decides to fight Drago on his own terms and his own turf, training in a barren and rural area of the former USSR. The final fight sequence is intense and authentic.

Opinion/Review: Many critics have savaged Lundgren and Nielsen for relatively stilted performances, but it’s important to remember that they were portraying characters that represented the Soviet Union at that time. With that in mind, they did just fine. As did Stallone, both as an actor and director, creating a visual spectacle that measured up with the franchise legacy.

Fun Facts: “Living in America,” performed by James Brown, was featured in the scene in which Creed entered the arena before his match against Drago, and this song reached No. 4 on the Billboard pop charts. … The film played heavily on the notion that the Soviet Union’s premier athletes were being fed a steady diet of anabolic steroids during the 1980s. … Stallone, Lundgren and Nielsen reprise their roles from Rocky IV and Creed II.