Sylvester Stallone
Rocky IV

Fourth chapter of the saga featuring the boxer Rocky Balboa, now wealthy and determined to retire after reclaiming the world heavyweight title in the previous episode. From Russia comes a young and very muscular Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren), who, accompanied by a fierce staff, challenges the so-called American champions, claiming to be absolutely stronger and more prepared. The dear old friend of Rocky, Apollo Creed, who has retired from professional boxing for five years and is thus a bit rusty, accepts the challenge. The African American boxer believes he's in shape, but he hasn't accounted for the (doped) power of the Russian, and the exhibition match ends in tragedy after just two rounds.

Rocky, who had promised Creed not to throw in the towel under any circumstances, finds himself consumed with remorse and devastating sadness. It's then that he decides to avenge his friend by challenging the Russian in Moscow. To show what he's made of, our hero trains in the desolate and frozen Russian lands, with rudimentary means, while the Russian, amid high-tech gyms and anabolic steroids, pushes his power to the highest destructive peaks. The match will take place at Christmas in a sports hall where the cheering for mother Russia will seemingly crush American capitalistic presumption.

Amid hostile boos, Rocky fights like a true lion, and despite the blows dealt by the mega-Russian, he endures and wins over the average fan present who starts chanting his name. As Drago sees his support dwindling and can't understand why Rocky withstands thousands of powerful punches, the politicians in the audience grow irritated. In a curious reaction of individualism, Drago will claim in front of the home audience to be fighting to win, but for himself.

Rocky, after all 15 rounds, will knock him down.

By then, the audience will be completely on his side. Balboa's final speech is iconic in film history. His swollen and bloody eyes and various cranial traumas inflicted by the Russian won't stop him from expressing a humanitarian concept, and addressing everyone, he advocates for peace and brotherhood. "When I came here, you didn't like me, and I didn't like you. But then you changed, and I changed, and if I can change and you can change, then the world can change." The speaker translates, and the adoring audience erupts, under the amazed eyes of a fake Gorbachev.

The 1985 film, directed and starred by Stallone, aims to highlight a historical phase (in a terminal moment) of the Cold War and chooses sport as a key for interpretation. The ring is a metaphor for the display of human merchandise. In the case of the American, the focus is on the individual. The Russian, on the other hand, supports the image of an entire nation. In Creed's exhibition, the fight is preceded by an impressive show of American wealth and megalomania. The splendid and energetic James Brown sings the modern anthem "Living In America" while Apollo dances proudly. The Russian ring is cold, and the prelude is the national anthem. Strong and perhaps excessive claims and a somewhat overflowing political bias.

Noteworthy is the cinematography, Rocky's splendid training in the snow, and a truly overwhelming soundtrack.