Reluctantly retired from boxing, and back from riches to rags, Rocky takes on a new protege who betrays him, as the champ's son must adjust to his family's new life after bankruptcy.
Rocky Balboa proudly holds the world heavyweight boxing championship, but a new challenger has stepped forward: Drago, a six-foot-four, 261-pound fighter who has the backing of the Soviet Union.
Director:
Sylvester Stallone
Stars:
Sylvester Stallone,
Talia Shire,
Burt Young
Rocky struggles in family life after his bout with Apollo Creed, while the embarrassed champ insistently goads him to accept a challenge for a rematch.
Director:
Sylvester Stallone
Stars:
Sylvester Stallone,
Talia Shire,
Burt Young
Thirty years after the ring of the first bell, Rocky Balboa comes out of retirement and dons his gloves for his final fight; against the reigning heavyweight champ Mason 'The Line' Dixon.
Director:
Sylvester Stallone
Stars:
Sylvester Stallone,
Antonio Tarver,
Milo Ventimiglia
A small-time boxer gets a supremely rare chance to fight a heavy-weight champion in a bout in which he strives to go the distance for his self-respect.
Director:
John G. Avildsen
Stars:
Sylvester Stallone,
Talia Shire,
Burt Young
The former World Heavyweight Champion Rocky Balboa serves as a trainer and mentor to Adonis Johnson, the son of his late friend and former rival Apollo Creed.
Director:
Ryan Coogler
Stars:
Michael B. Jordan,
Sylvester Stallone,
Tessa Thompson
John Rambo is released from prison by the government for a top-secret covert mission to the last place on Earth he'd want to return - the jungles of Vietnam.
Director:
George P. Cosmatos
Stars:
Sylvester Stallone,
Richard Crenna,
Charles Napier
Former Green Beret John Rambo is pursued into the mountains surrounding a small town by a tyrannical sheriff and his deputies, forcing him to survive using his combat skills.
Director:
Ted Kotcheff
Stars:
Sylvester Stallone,
Brian Dennehy,
Richard Crenna
In Thailand, John Rambo joins a group of mercenaries to venture into war-torn Burma, and rescue a group of Christian aid workers who were kidnapped by the ruthless local infantry unit.
Director:
Sylvester Stallone
Stars:
Sylvester Stallone,
Julie Benz,
Matthew Marsden
Rocky Balboa is forced to retire after having permanent damage inflicted on him in the ring by the Russian boxer Ivan Drago. Returning home after the Drago bout, Balboa discovers that the fortune that he had acquired as heavyweight champ has been stolen and lost on the stockmarket by his accountant. His boxing days over, Rocky begins to coach an up-and-coming fighter named Tommy Gunn. Rocky cannot compete, however, with the high salaraies and glittering prizes being offered to Gunn by other managers in town.Written by
Murray Chapman <muzzle@cs.uq.oz.au>
On this film, as well as Rocky (1976), Jimmy Gambina, a famous boxing trainer from California, was the trainer. He is barely mentioned, although famous for the fight scenes in both movies, as well as a technical advisor on boxing. See more »
Goofs
The large house Rocky is forced to leave is not the same house as in Rocky IV and III. However many years pass between Rocky becoming rich and losing his fortune, so it is entirely possible the family moved at some point during the height of Rocky's popularity. See more »
Quotes
Merlin Sheets:
Rock, ya know, George would like you to consider putting on those damn gloves again. It's a helluva pay day.
Rocky Balboa:
Well, ya know, I'm officially expired.
George W. Duke:
No, you do have marquee value. You put butts in the buckets, asses in the seats. A businessman, with any sorta brain, don't retire when he can still pull in the bread, baby.
See more »
Crazy Credits
In the closing credits Elton John's "The Measure Of A Man" plays while it shows stills from all five Rocky movies. See more »
Alternate Versions
In 2002, director released a work-print version of the film online, under the title "Rocky V: Director's Cut". In this version, the opening credits are completely different, with different music. Additionally, the music throughout the film is decidedly different then that used in the final version of the film; in particular, there is a lot more music rather than the songs used in the theatrical cut (although Michael Bolton's "When I'm Back On My Feet Again" plays in this cut when Rocky visits Mighty Mick's). Several scenes are edited differently in the Director's Cut, and often with different dialogue. There are also a number of deleted scenes in the film, including a scene of Rocky getting drunk at the bar prior to visiting Mighty Mick's Boxing, and a scene where Rocky meets Marie from to find that she is a prostitute and has just become homeless. Additionally, the Director's Cut has a completely different edit of the street fight, with new music, and also includes the Mickey hallucination scene. See more »
The Measure of A Man
Music and Lyrics by Alan Menken
Performed by Elton John
Produced by Phil Ramone
Courtesy of MCA Records, Inc. and Phonogram, Ltd. See more »
Sometimes it gets annoying to me how critical people are of the Rocky series. It's like they feel like they have to say terrible things about it, probably because people can be so negative that they can't find it in themselves to believe that a 'less than intelligent' person with heart, drive and passion can move mountains and achieve success.
I personally thought this, and every other Rocky movie, was fabulous. I thought Sage Stallone was amazing in his debut as Rocky's son. Also, this movie showed a more real side of boxing, the business side, with exploitative agents and corrupt business tactics.
Some may think the Rocky series is an unrealistic saga, but Rocky IV proves it isn't. The person we saw struggle, fight, and grow rich is now back to square one...minus all the money but still with the heart.
I saw this movie and it brought tears to my eyes. It shows how wrapped up we can become when trying to achieve our goals through others and how it affects people around us.
I thought it was an interesting storyline and was a lot better than people give it credit for.
109 of 140 people found this review helpful.
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Sometimes it gets annoying to me how critical people are of the Rocky series. It's like they feel like they have to say terrible things about it, probably because people can be so negative that they can't find it in themselves to believe that a 'less than intelligent' person with heart, drive and passion can move mountains and achieve success.
I personally thought this, and every other Rocky movie, was fabulous. I thought Sage Stallone was amazing in his debut as Rocky's son. Also, this movie showed a more real side of boxing, the business side, with exploitative agents and corrupt business tactics.
Some may think the Rocky series is an unrealistic saga, but Rocky IV proves it isn't. The person we saw struggle, fight, and grow rich is now back to square one...minus all the money but still with the heart.
I saw this movie and it brought tears to my eyes. It shows how wrapped up we can become when trying to achieve our goals through others and how it affects people around us.
I thought it was an interesting storyline and was a lot better than people give it credit for.