Rocky II (1979)

Although this was a major step in turning Sylvester Stallone into the '80s icon that he would become, Rocky II sees the star still some short distance away from being fully-formed at the end of the 1970s. While tough and strong, Rocky Balboa is far from the sculpted man-mountain he would become in later instalments, and there's still more time for character development and relationship moments that help to make Rocky more than just the standard "action hero" seen in so many other Stallone vehicles.

Set in the immediate aftermath of the first film (with the opening scenes replaying that fight between Rocky and Apollo Creed), this shows our main character dealing with his new-found success, trying to make the best of things, and considering how to make the most of his boxing reputation without having to dive straight back into the ring. Apollo, on the other hand, is being mocked and insulted by those who believe he received a hiding from someone who never should have been allowed to go the distance with him. There has to be a rematch, but that means that Rocky needs to learn a few new tricks. Meanwhile, he's very happy to be starting a family with Adrian (Talia Shire), but Adrian knows that she'll eventually have to see him fight again.

Once again written by Stallone, who also decided to direct this time around, this is a full and engaging character piece that stands toe to toe with the original. It continues the story of Rocky in a way that doesn't feel like a complete retread, although it ultimately ends up in the same place, but looking at it in hindsight, knowing what comes along after it, makes it easy to see the different parts of the formula falling into place.

Stallone is once again very good in front of the camera, remaining a gentle giant who is often held back by himself more than those directly around him. Shire gets to do a bit more than just be timid and quiet, developing her character into the motivating and supportive partner she would remain for the rest of the series, whether for or against whatever upcoming boxing match looms ahead. Carl Weathers is still a crackling and very worthwhile antagonist, his fighter desperate to reclaim his reputation while also admiring the strength and grit of his opponent. Burt Young pops his head into enough scenes to keep his character a part of the core group, Burgess Meredith still does wonderful work as Rocky's trainer, Mickey, and both Tony Burton and Joe Spinell once again do enough in their brief moments of screentime to make a good impression.

It may not be distilled to the purity of what we think of now when we think of this franchise, but the iconic theme plays often enough, there's a training montage, the final act is all about the big fight, and this nicely ends one story arc that is then reworked to form a strong throughline that would hold together the very best of the later instalments. 

8/10

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Prime Time: Rocky (1976)

It is interesting to rewatch Rocky for the first time in decades and consider a number of things you might have forgotten. It’s also equally interesting to even contemplate reviewing it in the 21st century. I mean . . . who needs another review of Rocky at this point? Nobody. But here I am anyway. 

The story of a boxer (Rocky Marciano AKA The Italian Stallion, played by Sylvester Stallone) who seems to have missed any shot at glory, Rocky is a boxing film that features a surprisingly small amount of boxing. It’s crucial to the tale, and to the character, but this is just as much a character study as it is a rousing sports movie.

While watching Rocky this time around, I really couldn’t be certain that I had ever actually watched the whole film before. I would have been very young when first checking it out, and it isn’t as simplistic, or as focused on the training and fights, as some of the later movies in the series. It’s now impossible for me to know if I had ever watched the whole thing, however, because Rocky is a massive part of pop culture. You know how Stallone speaks. You know the main theme (music by Bill Conti). You know that a battered and tired Rocky shouts “Adriaaaaaaaaan” when he wants his partner beside him at the end of a fight. These are all things that are locked in to my brain, just as some of the main supporting players are. 

The story of Stallone holding out to get a deal in which he could star in the film he wrote for himself is the stuff of legend nowadays, a modern Hollywood fairytale in sync with the film itself, but can you remember who actually directed this? It was John G. Avildsen (who would also strike big with The Karate Kid, but seems destined to be overshadowed by the iconic characters he placed onscreen in professional fights).

Stallone is excellent in the lead role, although (and it seems weird to say this) it’s strange to see him looking much closer to someone with a normal physique than the super-ripped and muscular form he started to build from the 1980s all the way through to now. He definitely hits the perfect note here though, a fighter in the ring who just wants life outside the ring to be a bit better for himself and everyone he knows. Talia Shire is  very sweet as the super-shy Adrian, while Burt Young is alternately amusing and annoying as her insensitive brother, Paulie. Burgess Meredith is great fun as Mickey, the trainer who dismisses Rocky until he gets his unexpected chance at the big time, and Carl Weathers is brilliant as Apollo Creed, the boxer supplying that chance. Unlike so many other opponents in the series, Apollo isn’t depicted as a big villain, and the series would benefit enormously from this decision. There are also good little moments for Joe Spinell (as a local crime boss who employs Rocky as a debt collector) and Tony Burton (as Apollo’s corner man/assistant).

I realise that I have spent all of this time telling you plenty that you already know. Like myself, most people have either seen this film or know enough about it to feel like they have seen it. There are still some surprises to be savoured though, especially if you haven’t checked this out in years, and the film wins viewers over with little details and sweet moments that lay the foundation for the hugely successful franchise it would become. This isn’t perfect, far from it, and anyone seeking something in line with the more formulaic sports movies that are so often described as “Rocky mixed with [insert sport here]” may be disappointed, but it’s full of heart, and often full of an innocence that you only truly appreciate when you realise that it’s the vital ingredient missing from some of the mis-steps in the later instalments.

Maybe not a knockout, but it still manages to stand upright against the barrage of jabs that may come from a modern critique. 

8/10

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Journeyman (2017)

Journeyman is the second directorial feature from Paddy Considine, who also wrote the script and stars in the lead role, and it's another incredibly moving and sad film, albeit in different ways from his impressive feature debut, Tyrannosaur.

Considine is Matty Burton, a boxer coming to the end of his career. He has a loving wife (Emma, played by Jodie Whittaker) and a very young daughter. He also has some good friends in his corner (including Tony Pitts and Paul Popplewell) as he faces off against a young, tough boxer who calls himself the future (Anthony Welsh). When his last fight ends, Burton ends up with an injury that affects his brain, and his personality.

The first thing that I noted about Journeyman was the quality cast. Considine has a knack for picking people that can handle the material he gives them, and his own performance is yet another flawless turn in a career full of them. While everyone else does well in their roles, it's Whittaker who easily equals Considine, going through a whole range of emotions in many scenes as she watches the man she loves act like a child, a stranger, or even a potential threat, as his brain refuses to let him find himself.

The second thing I noted is a minor criticism. As the boxing sequence began I felt that it wasn't shot too well. I started to hope that the film wouldn't be focused on the boxing if it wasn't going to be as well shot as any other scenes. I needn't have worried. The boxing is integral to the plot but this is not really a boxing movie. It's a film about a journey, and not just the journey of the main character. The journey also involves his friends and, most importantly, his wife, often struggling without any other support around her.

You could argue that this is a clichéd film, and there are certainly moments that will feel familiar if you have watched any other film about someone trying to overcome major adversity, but that doesn't dilute the power of it. I spent a couple of scenes on edge, there is the threat of violence in a couple of scenes that affected me like a bucket of cold water splashed into my face, but most of the film reduced me to a tear-streaked wreck with a big lump in my throat (a scene with a phone call between Considine and Whittaker will move even the toughest viewer in my opinion).

The film is about love, loyalty (Pitts and Popplewell spend a chunk of the movie avoiding the friend they no longer recognise, or know how to help), pain, and forgiveness (kudos to the writing for not painting the boxer played by Welsh as a panto villain, which allows the actor at least one great moment in the second half).

I was encouraged to watch this recently when it was picked as a film club choice. If that hadn't happened then I don't know how long I would have taken to get to it. Don't make the same mistake as I did. Get on it as soon as you can. Considine has been one of my favourite actors for many years, and he's now also one of my favourite writer/directors.

9/10

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Noir November: The Set-Up (1949)

Based on a lengthy noir poem by Joseph Moncure March, The Set-Up is one of the first films that I ever saw to make use of that well-worn trope, the boxer due to throw a fight. It's not, however, the very first. Trust me, I checked with people who know a lot more than I do. But it holds up as an early example already showing how perfect the idea is, even in such a simple, stripped-down, form.

Robert Ryan plays Stoker, the boxer past his prime who thinks he still has at least one good fight left in him. Unfortunately, his handlers think different, which is why they've taken money from a tough guy to ensure that Stoker loses the fight when he's supposed to. But they don't let Stoker in on the plan, assuming that they won't ever have to let him know. That all changes when the boxer really remembers how to box, and his co-operation is needed to keep everyone safe. But he has his pride, and a real shot at victory.

It's hard for me to talk at length about The Set-Up without feeling as if I'm stretching everything out too far. The film itself is such a fine example of economical brilliance that rambling on about it would almost seem like a slight insult. Suffice it to say, the script by Art Cohn is sharp and full of heart, as befits the central character that viewers are rooting for, and the direction by Robert Wise is a reminder of why his name is attached to so many classics in so many different genres. The fight scenes remain tense and impactful, while the character beats outside the ring really flesh out a world that could have just as easily been full of blank faces rolling by until the bell rang for the main event.

Ryan is fantastic in the main role, one that requires him to be credible in the ring and also readable in his thoughts - the pride, the doubt, the determination, etc. Audrey Totter also does well, playing the woman who wants to stand by his side but who also feels that any answers to their problems are unlikely to lie in boxing. George Tobias and Percy Helton are the men who are apparently in Stoker's corner, and Alan Baxter overshadows the proceedings as the menacing figure who wants the fight to end just as he's "predicted" it would.

I really want to discuss the third act in more detail, but I'll refrain. That ruins films for those who've yet to see them, and it's something that would be more involving in an actual conversation anyway, as opposed to just me describing my own reaction to how things turn out. Instead, I'll just encourage as many people as possible to check this one out. Then we can chat about it for a long time if we ever meet up and share a beverage or two. It's short enough that if, by some chance, you dislike it then you won't have wasted too much of your day. But, trust me, it's not one I can imagine film fans disliking.

9/10

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