Rocky IV (1985)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Sylvester Stallone

Writer:

Sylvester Stallone (written by)

Release Date:

27 November 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Sport

Tagline:

He's facing the ultimate challenge. And fighting for his life. [UK]

Plot:

When Apollo Creed is killed in a match against a powerful Soviet boxer, Rocky decides to challenge him himself.

Plot Keywords:

Boxer | Russian | Death | Champion | Boxing

Awards:

7 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Sylvester Stallone	...	Rocky Balboa
Talia Shire	...	Adrian
Burt Young	...	Paulie
Carl Weathers	...	Apollo Creed
Brigitte Nielsen	...	Ludmilla Vobet Drago
Tony Burton	...	Duke
Michael Pataki	...	Nicoli Koloff
Dolph Lundgren	...	Captain Ivan Drago
Stu Nahan	...	Commentator #1
R.J. Adams	...	Sports Announcer
Al Bandiero	...	American Commentator #2
Dominic Barto	...	Russian Government Official
Danial Brown	...	Rocky Jr.'s Friend
James Brown	...	The Godfather of Soul
Rose Mary Campos	...	Maid
Jack Carpenter	...	KGB Driver
Mark De Alessandro	...	Russian Cornerman
Marty Denkin	...	Russian Referee
Lou Fillipo	...	Las Vegas Referee (as Lou Filippo)
James 'Cannonball' Green	...	Manuel Vega
Dean Hammond	...	Interviewer
Rocky Krakoff	...	Rocky Jr.
Sergei Levin	...	Russian Ring Announcer
Tony Maffatone	...	KGB Agent
Sylvia Meals	...	Mrs. Creed
Dwayne McGee	...	Limo Driver
LeRoy Neiman	...	Ring Announcer
George Pipasik	...	Caretaker
George Rogan	...	Igor Rimsky
Barry Tompkins	...	American Commentator #1
Warner Wolf	...	Commentator #2 in Las Vegas
Robert Doornick	...	Sico the Robot (voice)
Richard Blum	...	Reporter
Gerald Berns	...	Reporter
Ray Glanzmann	...	Reporter
Julie Inouye	...	Reporter
Patrick Pankhurst	...	Reporter
Jean Thoreau	...	Reporter
Jim Bullock	...	Reporter
Frank D'Annibale	...	Reporter
Rose Dursey	...	Reporter
Richard Kelley	...	Reporter (as Rick Kelley)
Craig Schaefer	...	Reporter
Jeff Austin	...	Reporter
Leslie Morris	...	Reporter
Bob Giovane	...	Reporter
Julio Herzer	...	Reporter
George Spaventa	...	Reporter
Rolf Williams	...	Reporter
Jim Hodge	...	Reporter
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
David Lloyd Austin	...	Soviet Leader (uncredited)
Gabriel Campisi	...	Extra (uncredited)
Bobby Mardis	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Garth Shaw	...	Betacam Operator (uncredited)

Directed by
Sylvester Stallone

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Sylvester Stallone		written by

Produced by
James D. Brubaker	....	executive producer
Robert Chartoff	....	producer
Arthur Chobanian	....	executive producer
Irwin Winkler	....	producer

Original Music by
Vince DiCola

Cinematography by
Bill Butler

Film Editing by
John W. Wheeler
Don Zimmerman

Production Design by
Bill Kenney

Art Direction by
William Ladd Skinner

Costume Design by
Tom Bronson

Makeup Department
Stephen Abrums	....	makeup artist
Donna Bis	....	hair department head
Leonard Engelman	....	makeup artist

Production Management
JoAnn May-Pavey	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Duncan Henderson	....	assistant director
Janet G. Knutsen	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Gary Clark	....	head paint foreman
Stan Cockerell	....	assistant property master
David Fischer	....	art director: Canada
Rick Gentz	....	set designer
Bill Iiams	....	general foreman
Fred Lucky	....	storyboard illustrator
William S. Maxwell III	....	lead man
Wayne McLaughlin	....	property master: Canada

Sound Department
Steve Bartlett	....	sound
David Behle	....	sound recordist
Marty Church	....	adr mixer
David B. Cohn	....	sound editor
Andrew Patterson	....	supervising adr editor
Donald C. Rogers	....	sound (as Don Rogers)
Charles M. Wilborn	....	sound mixer

Special Effects by
Michael Clifford	....	special effects assistant
Howard Jensen	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Ron Lambert	....	optical color timer

Stunts
Mark De Alessandro	....	stunt coordinator
Gene LeBell	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Colin J. Campbell	....	gaffer
John J. Connor	....	camera operator
Roberto W. Contreras D.	....	assistant camera: Canada
Roberto Contreras	....	second assistant camera: Canada
Dave Friedman	....	still photographer
Joseph Lederer	....	still photographer (as Joe Lederer)
Paul Murphey	....	video assist operator
Peter F. Woeste	....	assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Haleen K. Holt	....	costume illustrator

Editorial Department
Tim Board	....	additional editor
Gregory M. Gerlich	....	assistant editor
James R. Symons	....	montage editor

Music Department
Vince DiCola	....	score produced and arranged by
Ed Fruge	....	score produced and arranged by
Jeremy Lubbock	....	conductor
Jeremy Lubbock	....	orchestrations arranged by
Terry 'Doc' Mahady	....	additional orchestrations
Mark Torien	....	musician
James D. Young	....	music editor (uncredited)

Other crew
Howard Blank	....	production assistant
Mady Manson Burza	....	first assistant accountant (as Madalyn Burza)
William Chartoff	....	assistant location manager
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer
Michael Kehoe	....	production assistant
Michael Roberts	....	location auditor
Ken Weikel	....	production accountant
Gabriel Campisi	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Chartoff-Winkler Productions
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
• United Artists

Distributors

• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical) (35mm print)
• MGM/UA Entertainment Company (1985) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (Brazil) (DVD)
• CBS / Fox Video (1986) (USA) (VHS)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1988) (USA) (TV)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (all media)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• CBS Records  soundtrack
• Goldman & Associates  extras casting
• Inter Video  24 frame video services
• Scotti Bros. Records  soundtrack

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Russian

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:12 | Brazil:14 | Mexico:A | South Korea:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Norway:15 | Singapore:PG | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Grand Teton National Park, Moose, Wyoming, USA

Company:

Chartoff-Winkler Productions

Trivia:

Sylvester Stallone met Dolph Lundgren personally before auditions for the Ivan Drago character were held. Stallone told Lundgren that he had a good chance to get the part, but advised him to gain twenty pounds of muscle.

Goofs:

Continuity: Bloodstain on Rocky's shorts during bout with Drago.

Quotes:

Drago: [from teaser] My name is Drago. I'm a fighter from the Soviet Union. I fight all my life and I never lose. soon I fight Rocky Balboa, and the world will see his defeat. Soon, the whole world will know my name.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Angry Video Game Nerd: Chronologically Confused About Sequel Titles (#1.15)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Sweetest Victory

A reasonable fourth instalment, as long as you suspend ALL disbelief!

And so, after taking on the might of none other than Mr. T in part III (And winning), Rocky Balboa (Sylverster Stallone) returns to face his greatest challenge yet - Defeating the Russian heavyweight super-strength and steroid-powered boxer, Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundren).... ....And there's not much else happening in this formulaic but embarrassingly entertaining and feel-good fourth instalment in the "Rocky" series, which, as it happens, ended up being the second from final one to be made. As yet.

It's the death of Rocky's enemy-turned-friend Apollo Creed (The disappearing Carl Weathers) in the movie's first half that sees Rocky return to the ring. He goes to Russia to train for the match, despite warnings that another fight could kill him. Que plenty of genuinely exciting training sequences, with lots of nice 80's music played in the background, as Rocky prepares to wipe out the man who was responsible for his friend's death.

There's some highly memorable lines and moments in there as well, such as the scene where Drago's punching power is measured, and the chilling moment where Drago utters to Creed "You will lose." Some of the dialogue is so preposterous, however, that you'll probably find yourself laughing, particularly towards the end where Drago discovers that he isn't the iron man he thought he was.

Yep, it's trashy, but it's damn good fun. The boxing scenes are as unrealistic and silly as ever (As if the Russian spectators in the final boxing match would end up cheering for Drago's opponent, and AS IF you would hear those loud clumping noises every time a punch is thrown!), but Sylveser Stallone is always watchable as the simple but likeable boxer, whilst Dolph Lundren has probably never been on better form. Following the death of Apollo Creed, there's a wonderfully directed moment in the movie where, with no dialogue at all, the eyes of Both Drago and Rocky meet for several seconds - This tiny sequence alone sort of spells out what the rest of the movie is going to be about!

There's plenty of steroetyping in there too (Look at the way the Russians are portrayed), and Talia Shire is as miserable and irritable as ever as Rocky's put-on wife. The usual support is back in there too in the form of Burt Young and the amazing Brigette Neilson, and, believe it or not, much can be said for Stallone's direction; he may not be too worried about realism or plot, but when it comes to exciting and entertaining his audience, he really is something quite special.

All in all, this is trashy fun, but it's still fun, and, whilst it's nowhere near as mature as the original "Rocky," it probably remains the best out of the four sequels (Two being the worst). Not bad at all.