‘You wanna hear me say it? You wanna break me down? I’m afraid…’
What an utter joy it has been to return to the Rocky franchise after a few years away. I’ve gone from being certain that Rocky II is my favourite of them all to now flip-flopping between the first movie and Rocky III. Ding. Ding.
After Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) coasts to ten successive title defences, he’s all ready to retire. What he doesn’t reckon with is the arrival of the world’s greatest killing machine in the shape of Clubber Lang (Mr. T). As the Italian Stallion gears up for one final fight, a terrible tragedy forces a change of perspective.
This one really does have it all. Hulk Hogan. The death of Mickey. Apollo’s tiny shorts. Paulie’s casual racism. What more could a guy ask for? It also boasts the scene in which Adrian (Talia Shire) forces Rocky to admit that he’s afraid – possibly my favourite scene in the entire franchise.
In terms of the cast, Mr. T makes for a genuinely imposing and intimidating villain and the rest of the supporting cast are firing on all cylinders having now lived with these characters for nearly a decade. Say what you want about Stallone as an actor, but he really sells Mickey’s death scene (my wife cried like a baby), and with Apollo Creed, Carl Weathers perfectly captures the combination of swagger and self-doubt that epitomises a washed-up fighter. A word too for Shire who is finally given more to do than just smiling sweetly and looking at her shoes. She delivers her best work of the franchise here.
Rocky III is not objectively the best Rocky film, but right now, it’s my favourite. Ask me again next week and I’ll probably have changed my mind again. It’s like trying to pick your favourite Beatles album. All this and I haven’t even mentioned ‘Eye of the Tiger’ for chrissakes. An iconic anthem for an incredible threequel.