Rocky Balboa

there was a time, twenty or so years ago, when the world by and large believed in America. we believed in dreams being fulfilled, we dreamed in anything being possible, or at least nothing being impossible. then that all went away, for reasons that could fill one thousand websites with theories and debates as to why.

Rocky Balboa, wide open to a whole range of lazy, cynical reviews, is a friendly reminder of when we thought America was the only place to be in the world.

The plot more or less takes the form of an ingenious remake of the first, superb Rocky. No need to rehash it here, then. Performance-wise, all the lead actors do the job assigned - Stallone clearly respects Balboa and this is conveyed in the performance, and extra applause must go to the actor playing Balboa jnr - a fine job well done.



a striking feature of the film is how well in captures the sorry state of world heavyweight boxing in the modern day. it used to be glitzy, glamorous and prestigious. now it seems to be all but a minor sport these days, bereft of characters and general interest. boxing to some may be barbaric, primordal and whatnot, but one cannot argue with the headline status it used to have. that's all gone now, it seems, as we all seem to have stopped paying attention to the simple, fun things in life.

if you loved the character, drama-driven nature of the first two Rocky films like i did, then this is the film for you. not that it is bereft of boxing action, of course - but do not expect some mental Clubber Lang type beltings!!

going on what Stallone has done with revising the Rocky Balboa character, Rambo returning to the screens in the next year or so is all of a sudden a promising prospect.......


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!