Rocky Balboa

Thirty years after he first stepped into the ring, Rocky Balboa returns for one last fight in grand form. Sylvester Stallone has been talking about making this one for years, and here it is, a good 16 years after Rocky V. Rocky, now a widower, is trolling about Philadelphia, hanging out with Paulie (Burt Young), running a restaurant named Adrian’s (after the wife) and trying to communicate with his put-upon son (Milo Ventimiglia). When a computer-generated fight claims Rocky the victor over current champ Mason “The Line” Dixon (Antonio Tarver), Rocky gets the itch to put on some gloves and start punching things again. Stallone does this character so well, and he really puts a lot of heart into this movie. He’s also in pretty damn good shape, making the final boxing match more than credible. Nice to see him get a chance to put the character to bed in a graceful manner. Rocky V, although not horrible, wasn’t good enough to close this character out. This movie most certainly is.