Sylvester Stallone may be world-renowned as an action movie star, but Rocky IV is a reminder that he is also an exceptional writer and director.
The character arcs of Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed have been among my most favorite storylines in film. Over the course of the Rocky movies, they were once rivals who became close friends helping each other, and as Apollo, Carl Weathers delivered yet another terrific performance in Rocky IV.
One of the highlights of Rocky IV is the scene with James Brown performing "Living In America" for Apollo's grand entrance to the boxing ring, brilliantly compounding the tension between Creed and Drago before their fight.
Another favorite is the pep talk scene with Rocky and Duke when they were in Russia, which is even more emotional now with the late Tony Burton's passing.
The Rocky movies have always had an outstanding cast and characters, but another staple is the very flawed but funny Paulie, played by Burt Young. May he, too, rest in peace.
A couple years ago, there was a very quiet release of a director's cut of the 1985 film installment, Rocky IV: Rocky vs. Drago, which contains previously deleted scenes. But whether it's the director's cut or the original theatrical version, Rocky IV is my favorite in the whole franchise, and it was made even better by an outstanding soundtrack and score by Vince DiCola.
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