Roocky V

I wasn’t sure where this series would go next. The answer seems to be back to the beginning in many ways. And the last moments of the film seem to suggest this is the last one? But clearly that is not the case. Still, this is still written by Stallone, but not directed by him.

Rocky has lost all his money, so they are back in the old home town, and barely getting by. Rocky’s son, Rocky, is getting picked on at school and wants attention from his dad, but his dad has a new friend in the form of Tommy Gunn. Gunn is a mean fighter, and Rocky trains him up for decent fighting, but a promoter Duke wants the money, and uses Tommy to get there. After the TV fight, it all comes down to a more personal grudge match between them that Duke wishes he could make money from.

The most amazing character arc in this movie is Rocky’s son, Jr, who goes from rich kid to punk in about 30 minutes. I’m not sure I entirely believe that Rocky would put Gunn over Jr, so that part of the story didn’t work terribly well for me, Jr just ending up too unbelievable. At the end, the street fight is a nicer personal touch than a prize fight.

This remains a likable series, so let’s jump forwards to the next one!

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