1982 | Dir. Sylvester Stallone | 100 Minutes
"There is no tomorrow!"
Living in comfort and softened by a series of easy victories after becoming the heavyweight champion of the world, Rocky is challenged and soundly defeated by a true contender. Subsequently, Mickey dies from a heart attack. Picking himself up from a low point in his life and in his career, Rocky befriends his formal rival Apollo Creed, trains with him and his team in Los Angeles in hopes of regaining his title, his motivation, and his pride.
Sylvester Stallone's Rocky III takes the character of Rocky to a new and entertainingly incredulous direction. Rocky seems to have lost his endearingly humble ways, memorably playing the fool in a charity match against a pro-wrestler portrayed by Hulk Hogan and training in a luxury hotel instead of Mickey's gym. Rocky's wake-up call comes in the form of Mr. T's Clubber Lang, a twisted reflection of Rocky's journey from hungry up-and-coming fighter to world champion.
Sylvester Stallone plays up Rocky's vulnerability and insecurity, sharing some of his best scenes with Talia Shire's Adrian. By Rocky III, Adrian has developed into Rocky's emotional anchor, and Shire delivers her best performance in the series yet. Loaded with personality Mr. T is memorable as antagonist Clubber Lang, aggressively verbose and formidable, delivering an instantly iconic performance. Burgess Meredith delivers a touching performance as Mickey, his character passing away in a deeply affecting scene halfway through the film. Burt Young's Paulie is as amusingly volatile as ever, this time with an uncomfortable racist bent during the Los Angeles segment of the picture.
At times cartoonish but retaining the inspirational heart of the series, Rocky III is arguably the most entertaining film in the series. Thematically, Rocky III is centered on the belief that in order for greatness to be retained, the great must continue to learn, to improve, and to fight without becoming complacent. Though nowhere near the high standard set by the first Rocky film, Rocky III may be more of an essential part of the Rocky canon than Rocky II.
FRAGMENTS
- The film opens with an adrenaline-pumping montage of Rocky's victories set to Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" which has since become as synonymous with the Rocky film series as Bill Conti's "Gonna Fly Now"
- The bronze statue of Rocky at the top of the steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art was donated by Sylvester Stallone to the city of Philadelphia after the release of Rocky III and is currently resides at the bottom of the stairs by the museum
- With no acting or boxing experience, Mr. T was cast as Clubber Lang after Sylvester Stallone spotted him on television in the "America's Toughest Bouncer" competition
- The woman who asks Rocky for a kiss during his public training session is played by Sasha Stallone, Sylvester Stallone's wife at the time of the film
MCU CONNECTIONS
- Sylvester Stallone (Stakar in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3)
