Rocky III (1982)

Director:

Sylvester Stallone

Writer:

Sylvester Stallone (written by)

Release Date:

28 May 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Sport

Tagline:

His life is happy, his fights have seemed easy. Now a young upstart is going to make him prove just how far he can still go...

Plot:

When Rocky is defeated by a brutal challenger, Apollo Creed offers to retrain him in order to regain his fighting spirit.

Plot Keywords:

Champion | Rematch | Death | Boxing | Charity

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 6 nominations

Cast

Sylvester Stallone	...	Rocky Balboa
Talia Shire	...	Adrianna 'Adrian' Pennino Balboa
Burt Young	...	Paulie
Carl Weathers	...	Apollo Creed
Burgess Meredith	...	Mickey Goldmill
Tony Burton	...	Duke
Mr. T	...	Clubber Lang
Hulk Hogan	...	Thunderlips
Ian Fried	...	Rocky Junior
Al Silvani	...	Al
Wally Taylor	...	Clubber Lang's manager
Jim Hill	...	Sportscaster
Don Sherman	...	Andy
Dennis James	...	Wrestling commentator
Jim Healy	...	Wrestling commentator

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby | 70 mm 6-Track

Certification:

Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Canada:PG (Alberta) (re-rating) (1999) | Iceland:16 | Mexico:A | South Korea:12 | Brazil:12 | Peru:14 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Canada:G (Quebec) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Norway:18 (1982) | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Biltmore Hotel - 506 S. Grand Avenue, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Chartoff-Winkler Productions

Trivia:

Mr. T's film debut.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Rocky is in training for the re-match with Clubber and is having flashbacks to the first fight, they cut to a scene in black and white where Rocky is taking an uppercut to the body. It is clearly visible that Rocky is wearing the "Stars and Stripes" trunks that Apollo gives to him right before the re-match. Rocky could not have been wearing these trunks because they hadn't even been given to him yet.

Quotes:

[a special, surprise gathering is being held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art; A high school band finished playing "Gonna Fly Now"; citizens applauses]
Mayor: Thank you. Thank you, One and all. Every once in a while a person comes along who defies the odds, who defies logic, and fulfills an incredible dream. On behalf of all the citizens of Philadelphia, and the many who have been touched by your accomplishments and your untiring participation in this city's many charity functions, it is with tremendous honor that we present this memorial which will stand always as a celebration to the indomitable spirit of Man. Philadelphia salutes its favorite son, Rocky Balboa!
[Fans cheer and applause; unveils the bronze statue of The Italian Stallion, Rocky Balboa; cheering grows louder]
Adrian: It's beautiful.
Mickey: Definitely a thing of beauty.
[Fans cheering "Rocky"]
Rocky Balboa: Thank you.
[clear throat]
Rocky Balboa: Thank you very much. I don't know. Wh-What do ya say to something like this? About three years ago... this city... really took me inside, you know? And I want to thank you very much for that. I really do. And I've been thinking that, uh, I wasn't gonna bring this up, but I might as well now. I would never do anything to hurt this sport that has been so really good to me. And I've been talking it over with my wife... and my manager... We think that...
[Confused]
[...]

Movie Connections:

Edited from Rocky II (1979)

Soundtrack:

Eye of the Tiger

Be nice, it ain't that bad.....

Clearly the most entertaining of the Rocky films due to its perfect pacing and well-choreographed matches. Stallone is at his best when playing Rocky--it is his vision and his creation--and, despite what Hollywood wants us to think, he is not a bad director either.

What he masters are "subtleties" (my term): certain facial expressions or small actions/reactions at perhaps less-than-pivotal moments which reveal his skill. They need to be really looked for to be seen, which is why only those who without the ability to look deeper than the surface find him so mediocre.

I don't want to give them all away, but here's one example of a subtlety that shows just how human he can make his characters (especially Rocky): in this film, in the break between the end of Round 2 and the beginning of Round 3, he is sitting in his corner getting a mouthful from Apollo. An assistant starts to spray something in his face (probably something to coagulate the blood, I don't know), but Rocky, who is focused intently on Apollo's furious coaching, opens his mouth as if he is expecting water to be sprayed in. He suddenly flinches in disgust as the spray goes in his mouth and stings his face. It's just a tiny tiny humorous moment that speaks loudly about attention to detail.

Or how about in Rocky 2, at the beginning of the match when they meet in the center of the ring and Apollo starts making his bravado-laden threats, we see Rocky just sort of nod and half-smile at him politely, then next you see a side-on shot of him turning to walk back to his corner, and the look on his face says "What a prick." Priceless.

I'm not a fan of boxing, or the first Rocky movie (too slow), or the last Rocky movie (huh?), but this one is extremely enjoyable for me to watch as a human being who faces challenges just like anyone else, and who needs that occasional inspiration to give me a dose of determination to overcome them.