By Jim Cawkwell

Photo © Mary Ann Owen/FightWireImages.com

 

Considering that Sylvester Stallone is all but irrelevant in modern-day Hollywood - and being one whose skepticism often overpowers his more optimistic moments - it was easy to believe that “Rocky Balboa” was just a cheap attempt steal back some long lost limelight for its creator.

 

Sixteen years ago, Rocky V appeared to have drifted far from its spirited origins. Disappointment in the fifth installment of the series was such that Hollywood studios gave up on Stallone’s vision and refused to bankroll another venture.

 

But whether you like Stallone or not, the Rocky films are the most recognizable part of his life’s work and he didn’t give up on concluding the story on a more satisfying note. Even his participation in “The Contender” reality boxing show was in part an attempt to cultivate interest in what would become the final chapter of Rocky’s life.

 

They were never great films in comparison to the finer works of their time, but the Rocky franchise survived through thirty years because of its memorable characters, the emotions they invoked, and the encouraging messages they delivered.

 

And aside from their popularity in general, the films made an impact on boxing by inspiring generations of young people to take up the sport. Some of them became world champions, while others never got farther than pounding away on the heavy bag in their garage. However, all understood and were enamored by the story of the underdog that rises against the odds.

 

The realism of “Rocky Balboa” is what draws it nearer to its original essence than its immediate predecessor. The simple camera work captures the deteriorating Philadelphia streets in which we were first introduced to Rocky as a part time fighter and debt collector.

 

Stallone was always a master at playing characters that won our sympathies and encouraged us to root for them. Now no longer anywhere near his own physical prime and seeking to redeem the almost comic callousness of his last effort, one senses that Stallone plays this new Rocky with a focus on humility. It felt as if the last actions and words of the beloved character were meant to honor his past, and leave a sense of dignity.

 

However, Stallone has not abandoned his penchant for ludicrous character names. Mason “The Line” Dixon is only one step up from Tommy “The Machine” Gunn. But the portrayal of Dixon - played by Antonio Tarver - very much resembles several of boxing’s current stars whose superior technique and flawless records fail to capture the public’s imagination.

 

Unlike the stereotypical monstrous maulers of past Rocky films whose agendas consisted of the beheading of the heroic star, Mason Dixon’s character has some depth to it. He is presented as a man with his own destiny, friendships and conflicts.

 

Apart from the obligatory sycophants, Dixon does not have the unwavering confidence of his entire team. When his promoters talk together (“could you imagine if Dixon met this bastard in his prime? He’d (Rocky would) kill him.”) there is the slightest hint that they view their man as a commodity to be exploited purely for their own gain.

 

Dixon is the undefeated, undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, but has become a victim of his own success. He lives the lavish lifestyle amongst an entourage of ego accommodators; but for all his success, he feels unfulfilled.

 

He has material possessions and a record that reveals his superior statistics, yet he knows that as a fighter he has never had to dig deep and ask those fundamental questions of himself. He struggles to find his self-respect, and secure that of the public whom demand to see him fight with heart against credible opponents instead of producing clinical exhibitions.

 

Now boxing fans, does that remind you of anyone?

 

Meanwhile, whatever wealth Rocky has left is made of memories. He manages “Adrian’s,” the restaurant named after his late wife, and struggles to adapt not only to life without her, but also the knowledge that he is a relic of a past that only he wants to remember. There are signs everywhere that much of what he knew and loved is gone, and that the world is moving on as he stays rooted in the daily grind, feeling evermore insignificant.

 

Though Rocky’s former fame is still evident in his surroundings and the people he encounters, life goes on, and without his soul mate, or the ability to connect with his son - who has begun to resent the shadow of the Balboa name - a complex of emotions swells up inside, and he resolves to unleash his “beast” the only way he has ever known.

 

The basis for the eventual exhibition between Balboa and Dixon is a virtual reality fight between prime versions of them which was modeled after the Muhammad Ali vs. Rocky Marciano computer fight that predicted Marciano a stoppage winner over “The Greatest of All Time” some years ago.

 

Within the context of the film, it’s really the only believable way to facilitate a bout between a vibrant champion and a former titlist whose age is revealed to be in his fifties. It’s also fodder for the history buffs who love to spout their impossible boasts that the great fighters of decades past would wipe the floor with today’s crop.

 

The fight itself is as real as it’s going to get in a Rocky film. The footage was filmed at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas in-between the legitimate undisputed middleweight championship action fought out between Bernard Hopkins and Jermain Taylor in December 2005.

 

The HBO graphics and color commentary from Jim Lampley, Larry Merchant and Max Kellerman all provide the scene unmistakable authenticity. There is even a cameo appearance from Mike Tyson who taunts Dixon from ringside.

 

Despite all his years in the fight game, Rocky still has not managed to muster any semblance of defense, and many of the characteristic fight dynamics are in full effect with the famous score and incidental music accentuating the highlights of the bout. Unlike “The Contender” of course, all of this is much more appropriate when there are no real careers at stake.

 

If you have yet to see it, I won’t ruin the ending here. But I will say that what transpires between the fighters is as realistic in terms of concept and physical performance as you could imagine in comparison to past Rocky fight choreography which bordered on complete caricature of the real thing.

 

If there is an obvious flaw with the film it is in terms of its pacing. Much of it is spent trudging alongside Rocky throughout his daily life, and his battle to attain a license to fight - won after one of several jaunts on the soapbox - is unrealistically sudden and no more dramatic. Moreover, the fact of his debilitating eye injury that plagued him since the beginning is overlooked as he passes his medical with flying colors.

 

Then we are suddenly into full on “Gonna Fly Now” training mode. After the fight, there is no more than the predictable visit to Adrian’s graveside without any further reference to Rocky’s newfound relationships, or even token closure of his short-lived rivalry with Dixon.

 

But overall, “Rocky Balboa” brings the series to as pleasing a conclusion as might be possible. The film is reported to be doing well, though one hopes not well enough to give the impression that a seventh installment would be in order.

 

We should probably be thankful that Rocky received a proper sendoff, as rumors continue to circulate about the possibility of sixty-year-old Stallone threatening to save the world once more as Rambo, before sending old John J. to a psychiatrist in order to finally get right with the world.

 

In closing, there is a particularly resonant quote from “Rocky Balboa” that embodies the real message of the film. It not only sums up the character’s plight, but also offers encouragement to anyone who has been told that their dreams are beyond their reach.

 

“What’s crazy about standing toe-to-toe with somebody and saying, ‘I am?’”

 

Contact Jim Cawkwell at jimcawkwell@yahoo.co.uk