The 9 Best Scenes In Rocky IV

The 9 Best Scenes In Rocky IV

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Many fans of the Rocky franchise will agree that Rocky IV has some great cinematic moments. But which one is the most memorable?

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The 9 Best Scenes In Rocky IV

With Rocky IV set to return to theaters in November in a director’s cut of the film, the time is right to revisit this imperfect, yet underappreciated 1985 classic. The movie is best remembered for the iconic big name appearance of Dolph Lundgren as the towering Ivan Drago, a Soviet boxer who fights and kills longtime Rocky character Apollo Creed during an exhibition match.

Though the film was criticized for stepping away from its roots and commercializing the franchise, Rocky IV is still a solid entry in the series, and one packed with a ton of memorable moments. It remains to be seen how these standout moments hold up against the upcoming director’s cut.

9 Drago Shows Off

The 9 Best Scenes In Rocky IV

When Ivan Drago came to America from the Soviet Union, his handlers knew they had to make a big impression in order to one-up the competition. Their first order of business was to generate enough media buzz to get the country talking, which paved the way for a demonstration of Drago’s training and power.

It was foreshadowing of darker things to come, especially when Drago managed to clock his punches at 1850 psi, a monumental jump from the 700 psi of an average heavyweight fighter. Clearly, this was a mountain of muscle that was going to do Rocky some serious damage when the fists started to fly. It was also a scene that helped establish Dolph Lundgren’s powerful on-screen presence, which he’d later demonstrate as He-Man in the live-action Masters of the Universe adaptation.

8 The Press Conference

The 9 Best Scenes In Rocky IV

A stubborn Apollo Creed was eager to get back into the ring and show the world that he still had what it took to be number one. After a tense exchange with Rocky, the two agreed to work together to take on Drago in the ring, despite the fact that it was an exhibition match. It certainly didn’t play out like one, even from the start.

A press conference between both sides soon erupted into a near brawl when Apollo and Nicoli Koloff began insulting each other. The scene is notable not just for the animosity between both fighters, but the greater tensions between America and the Soviet Union up to that point.

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7 The Big Reveal

The 9 Best Scenes In Rocky IV

The exhibition match between Ivan Drago and Apollo Creed was supposed to be just that, but it quickly devolved into an overly corporatized and mainstreamed spectacle. Creed’s people pulled out all the stops to make sure the event would portray him in the most glamorous light possible, all to set up his future as a boxer.

No expense was spared, including a full dance troupe performing to none other than the Godfather of Soul himself, James Brown. As his popular hit “Living in America” boomed from one end of the arena to the other, Apollo Creed danced his way to the mat in an attempt to demoralize Ivan Drago with sheer scale and spectacle.

6 The First Fight

The 9 Best Scenes In Rocky IV

Creed’s pomp and arrogance did little to help him in the ring, and signs of trouble popped up early on. He attempted to intimidate Drago by knocking gloves, which backfired and drove down his confidence. Then, he began losing his footing in the ring, a symptom of how unprepared he was for the fight.

When the punches began flying, Creed was beaten very badly in the first round. Before the bell tolled on the second, he had gone down, succumbing to his injuries and dying shortly after. For fans who were secretly rooting for Apollo throughout the previous three films, this one was a tough pill to swallow.

5 Adrian Inspires Rocky, Again

The 9 Best Scenes In Rocky IV

At every turn, Rocky’s beloved wife Adrian was there to lend support. She started off as a timid and quiet woman and eventually became a devoted wife and an excellent mother, who found her own inner strength while helping Rocky find his. The two of them were inseparable, even when things got rough.

After watching Creed die in the ring, Adrian was terrified that Rocky’s fight with Drago would end the same way. She initially told him he couldn’t win and stayed behind while Rocky went to Russia to train. Realizing her error, she had a change of heart and went there to inspire him throughout a grueling, punishing training regimen.

4 Rocky Trains

The 9 Best Scenes In Rocky IV

Rocky knew that in order to beat Drago, he would have to condition himself in a way he had never done before. In many ways, it was a flip of the script from Rocky III, when his somewhat complacent training regimen ended up costing him dearly against Clubber Lang. He wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice.

In the remote Russian wilderness, Rocky went back to basics, utilizing the environment, and anything he could get his hands on to improve his physical strength, making an animal out of a man. It was a reversal of Drago’s training schedule, which undoubtedly had become predictable at this point.

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3 Paulie Shows A Soft Side

The 9 Best Scenes In Rocky IV

The events of the film were hard on everyone, including the audience. To the characters, the death of Apollo Creed was one of the most tragic events of Rocky’s storied career. He knew he would be going into the ring to face an opponent who literally beat one of his best friends to death, and everyone else realizes it as well.

While heading to the ring, Paulie took a moment to stop Rocky and pour his heart out to a guy he must have viewed as a brother, at that point in time. With tears in his eyes, he told Rocky that if he could ever be someone else, just for a moment, it would be him. It was probably the most heartfelt thing he ever said.

2 Drago Gets Cut

The 9 Best Scenes In Rocky IV

Throughout the entire film, Ivan Drago had been the dominant force in the ring. He easily beat Apollo Creed without batting so much as an eyelash, and it seemed like he would bring the same kind of pain and torment to Rocky when they first squared off. That’s exactly how it began.

Audiences clung to the edge of their seats as Rocky spent the first round being relentlessly tossed about the ring. That is, until the second round when he hauled off with a punch so hard, it caused Drago to bleed below his eye. It was a dynamite hit that made everyone take notice, and something Duke capitalized on when he screamed “You see? He’s not a machine! He’s a man!” In the opposite corner, Drago solemnly revealed “He’s not human. He is like a piece of iron.”

1 The Round Montage

After getting the initial pleasantries out of the way, the fight between Rocky and Drago was on. What was thought to be a match only a few rounds long soon ended up going the entire distance as both fighters refused to back down, or fall. The film depicts their fight in an electrifying montage of hits, reactions, and camera zooms, cut to the sound of 80s heavyweight composer Vince Dicola’s time-locked tunes.

It ends in spectacular fashion, with Rocky giving Drago a final hit that sends him spiraling into the mat. It may not be as exciting as past Rocky fight scenes, but it’s definitely got the heart to go the distance, especially given everything that came before.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/rocky-iv-best-storylines-memorable-scenes/

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