Rocky IV (1985)

★ 7.1 1h 31m 4,764 votes IMDb
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Rocky Balboa holds the world heavyweight championship, but a new challenger has stepped forward: Drago, a six-foot-four, 261-pound fighter who has the backing of the Soviet Union. This time, Rocky's training regimen takes him to Siberia, where he prepares for a globally televised match in the heart of Moscow. But nothing can truly prepare him for what he's about to face – a fight to the finish, in which he must defend not only himself, but also the honor of his country!

Rocky IV

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Cast

Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone as Robert "Rocky" Balboa Age 79 · New York City, New York, USA Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone (born July 6, 1946) is an American actor and filmmaker. In a film career spanning more than fifty years, Stallone has received numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe...
Dolph Lundgren
Dolph Lundgren as Ivan Drago Age 68 · Stockholm, Sweden Hans "Dolph" Lundgren (born 3 November 1957) is a Swedish-American actor, director, and martial artist. He is best known for his roles in action films, particularly in the 1980s and 1990s, including i...
Carl Weathers
Carl Weathers as Apollo Creed Died 2024 · New Orleans, Louisiana, USA Carl Weathers (January 14, 1948 – February 2, 2024) was an American actor, director, as well as former professional football player in the United States and Canada. He was best known for playing Apoll...
Talia Shire
Talia Shire as Adrianna "Adrian" Balboa Age 79 · Lake Success, New York, USA Talia Rose Shire (née Coppola; born April 25, 1946) is an American actress. She gained widespread recognition for her role as Adrian Pennino, the wife of Rocky Balboa, in the iconic "Rocky" film serie...
Burt Young
Burt Young as Paulie Pennino Died 2023 · New York City, New York, USA Gerald Tommaso DeLouise (April 30, 1940 – October 8, 2023), known professionally as Burt Young, was an American actor who played Rocky Balboa's friend Paulie in the Rocky film series. He also appeared...
Brigitte Nielsen
Brigitte Nielsen as Ludmilla Vobet Drago Age 62 · Rødovre, Danmark Brigitte Nielsen (born Gitte Nielsen; July 15, 1963) is a Danish actress, model, singer, and television personality, who began her acting career with appearances in the 1985 films Red Sonja and Rocky...

Audience Reviews

The Movie Mob 7/10 Sep 16, 2022
**The greatest Rocky movie? I think it could be.**

It's hard to pick a favorite Rocky movie, but Rocky IV definitely makes its case for first place. The epic showdown with Ivan Drago drips with emotion, heart, and motivation in ways the other movies can't match. Add the restless conflict between USA and Russia at the time, and it just doesn't get better. Getting the final fight perfect was so crucial that Sylvester Stallone recommended actually boxing and ended up in the hospital after getting knocked out by Dolph Lundgren. Ivan Drago is, without a doubt, the franchise's best villain. The development of Rocky and Apollo's relationship in Rocky IV is a beautiful credit to excellent writing and four movies worth of growth. The added Christmas spirit gives the film more character. If you had to watch only one Rocky, I would say pick this one, but it's only as great as it is because it stands on the shoulders of the movies that came before.
GenerationofSwine 10/10 Jan 12, 2023
I liked it and then I didn't like it and now I like it again. I have a serious love/hate relationship with this one.

The hate comes from Rocky and Rocky II and a little bit, just a little from Rocky III. This was a film focused more on the fight than the Rocky story and, just like Rocky III, and, honestly, I miss the heartfelt Rocky family part of the franchise.

Mickey, Creed, Adrian, Paulie, they were the real heart behind what made the Rocky movies great and.... this focused more on the fight.

However, it was inspirational and that is what you ultimately sit down to watch a Rocky movie for. You want to see the little guy, the under dog struggle and work hard and give it his best win or lose... and the best part about the Rocky franchise is that he doesn't always win, you see him hurt, you see him lose, and you see him get back up and fight.

And that is what Rocky IV delivers.
Nathan 6/10 Mar 03, 2023
Unfortunately, Rocky IV is the first film in the series that has disappointed me.

This film had major tonal conflicts. For starters, the film is trying to have a very tragic story that motivates Rocky with the death of Apollo Creed, but at the same time has goofy scenes of a robot housewife. I did not like the ungroundedness that began to take shape here. This film also drew the least amount of emotion from me. I felt that Apollo Creed’s character regressed in this film, with him underestimating Ivan Drago the same way he underestimated Rocky in the original film. He no longer had the humble wisdom that he portrayed in Rocky III and was all about the spectacle and show. Additionally, I thought this opponent was the weakest of the series. This is probably due to the main connection between the two boxers being the death of Apollo, and that aspect fell flat for me. The final fight was the least exciting of the series, mainly due to the lack of buildup.

The acting is pretty similar to the third film, with Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, and Carl Weathers all doing an excellent job. But the same complaint I had in Rocky III remains in this film, with the main antagonist being extremely corny and poorly acted. The silent, stoic figure of Drago was intimidating but lacked any emotional connection that the previous antagonists had.

I would like to note that this film had a little too much 80s music for my liking. I really enjoyed the track "Eye of the Tiger," like in the third film, but I felt that there were not enough of the classic Rocky themes that really boosted the training segments.

Overall, I still enjoyed this film, even with all of its flaws.

Score: 57% |
Verdict: Decent

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