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Rocky V (1990)

This was an alright movie. Rocky gets bankrupted and takes over Mickey's gym. He moves back to the streets were he meets Tommy Gun, and trains Tommy to become the champ.

This was a good movie, but not as good as the other four.

Highly under rated

I felt the need to write something about this movie seeing the constant bashing it is taking, i'm a huge Stallone fan and an even bigger Rocky fan, People are rating this movie really bad, and i'm thinking are they getting the point? For me 3+4 were the most shallow movies if the series, don't get me wrong they are awesome films but they portray a more action oriented film, where as the first 2 were a good mix of drama and action, getting back to this movie, i feel this takes us back to roots of Rocky nice and dramatic with not so much commercialness in it as the previous 2, i love to see the old neighbourhood from the first 2 movies and how he fits back in with it, this film is about his struggle to deal with bankruptcy family issues and who he is. I think Stallone did a stellar job with this movie, the ending is superb and the soundtrack is nice and upbeat with the old classics in there too, Elton Johns "Measure of a Man" at the end for me really sums up Rocky's life and i love the captures playing through the end titles with it, as for the fight scene, classic in my eyes, through all the Rocky movies we here him coming from a street fighters background but we never see it until now.....the way he stares at Tommy and tells him to step outside really shows the animalistic streetfighter side of Rocky up until now we only heard about. I'm sorry if people don't agree with me but i think this film deserves much more praise than it receives, Hail Stallone Hail Rocky!

about the flashback scene...

Even though I shelled out big money for the first DVD box set that was released for Rocky years ago and I almost bought the second set for better transfers, I'm really excited about getting the latest set that will be coming out in a few months. Finally many deleted scenes will be included, and one in particular will show the great talent of Burgess Meredith. If you've seen part 5, you think that Stallone waited until 'the end' of the series to explain the significance of his cuff link necklace charm. As good as an idea that it was, (especially to see Rocky and Mickey together one last time) that scene was actually taken from a previous Rocky. The flashback footage from Rocky V was shot verbatim from a deleted scene of part 2. Stallone had intentions from the beginning of explaining how and why that charm was significant to his character. But what's the best part of this deleted scene being shown? Burgess Meredith is! Since they obviously didn't use the same footage and re-filmed the scene many years later, what strikes me is how perfect of an actor Burgess Meredith really was. He did not miss a beat at all. If you compare the two scenes you'll see that he did it almost perfectly even mispronouncing 'motivation' and doing that cough, smirk and smile just when he was talking. Its things like that, that show how some actors really become the characters that they portray.

baddddd! end the series sly

OK first off, rocky 1 2 3 and 4 i loved especially rocky 2, but why did sly do this movie? he brought his son in the movie which actually the son did OK and as usual talia shire was great...she is a very underrated actress by the way...but rocky training some redneck and then being betrayed by him by a big time boxing promoter is that a great story?? not to mention there was no passion in the story, then rocky gets brain damage again?? i was so disappointed if your a true rocky fan you will not like this film trust me...and i heard stallone is making a rocky 6?? wow what a travesty that will be, sometimes directors have to know when to stop!! this saga will turn into another police academy joke of a series....i loved rocky 1 through 4 but 5 should not have been made sorry sly i love ya though! (:

Not Bad, but Not as Good as VIII

Rocky V was okay. However, Rocky XVIII was definitely superior. Sly in his walker whupping bedfast Apollo was a classic Hollywood confrontation along the lines of Grumpiest Old Men.Can't wait till we break into the XX series. Speaking of that, how about Super Bowl XXIV? Wasn't that a great one?Tongue-in-cheekingly yours--bbbaldie

Great in its own way

While I'm not sure this was the closing Rocky film, I believe it should be. And that said, I must point out that this is not intended to be like the other Rocky films. This was a movie about real life; a movie about our relationships with the people who have surrounded us all of our lives - and this film does a great job of making us think about such things.

After Rocky returns from Russia, and his kid has aged like five years in a month, he learns that his attorney has stolen all of his money...drats, it's back to the hood for the now brain-damaged boxer (imagine that). Rocky's only possession is Mick's old gym, and it is outside that gym that Rocky meets Tommy Gunn (Tommy Morrison - I think is his real name). Rocky trains him and gets him some big name fights, but has trouble moving fast enough for the immature Tommy Gunn, who decides to hook up with a Don King-like promoter.

I'm not telling you anymore...you have to buy the film!

Sorry.
See ya next review.

www.therunninggirl.com

Brilliant

After his last fight against Drago, Rocky realises it is probably time to retire. This makes Rocky come to terms with his life and what is really important in his life. Whether his success as a boxer is most important to him or whether his family and happiness is. He tries to train a new boxer to try and recapture his old glory but it just bites back in his face. Which is a metaphor i think for the way recapturing old glory just makes people feel worse about themselves when they inevitably fail. Sylvester Stallone acts brilliantly as Rocky in this film with raw emotions such as anger and sadness. He is completely believable as Rocky from start to finish and not one scene is badly written. Some fans think the film is not part of the storyline (canon) but I think it makes perfect sense. The fans were angered that the last film has Rocky not glorious, just carrying on with a normal life. All boxers eventually end their careers with no glory. they are not the champions they once were. George Foreman is just a priest and family man now, and Frank Bruno is not what he used to be. So Rocky V was a fitting end to the Rocky series. His glory behind him but still better things to come as he looks after his wife and son. The press gave it bad reviews probably because it was a long drawn out saga and they were probably angered about Stallone's not being able to write new material. RockyV also shows the bad side of boxing with George Washington Duke (played brilliantly by Richard Gant) representing Don King. Duke tries to lure Rocky back to the ring even though it may cause brain damage. He does it for his own personal gain. Rocky V shows what happens towards the end of a boxer's career and what can happen if people like Don King ruin and disgrace such a noble sport for their own profit. The fight at the end is brilliant with wonderful drama, emotion and adrenaline with Rocky triumphing against the odds to deliver another awe-inspiring victory making this film the best in the series.

A great ending to an inspiring series

This film is different from the other sequels, which makes it one of the best in the series. Directed by the director of the original Rocky, ROCKY V goes back to its oscar-winning roots. It takes place right after the fight with Drago where Rocky comes home not feeling quite right after the bout. At the airport, he's confronted by a Don King-type person who continuously wants to see him fight. Later, it seemed that Paulie (Burt Young) had screwed up some papers with the Balboa's accountant thereby bankrupting them. And Rocky finds out he suffered severe brain trauma and is unable to fight. Rocky and his family are forced to live back in Philadelphia. There Rocky meets Tommy Gunn, and up and coming boxer who he agrees to manage only so he can get the thrill he had before he was forced to retire. Tommy Gunn later gets corrupted by that Don King type and ditches Rocky. In the midst of all this, Rocky starts to lose his family, especially his son(Sage Stallone, his real-life son) After Gunn gets the heavyweight title, he is bitterly hated for abandoning Rocky and not truly getting the title from Rocky. So he confronts Rocky in a blind rage and ends up fighting him in a street fight. Guess who wins? It is a great end to the series with strong performances by Stallone, Shire, Morrisson, and even Stallone's son a little bit. The score by Conti is mediocore with rap ensembles and some familar Rocky tunes. The ending street fight has a remix theme of several memorable themes throughout the series. But in the end, the Elton John song "Measure of a Man" makes this movie what it is. It is played over the credits and black and white photos throughout the series, ending in the final shot of the Rocky statue at the top of those famous stairs. It's very conclusive. Speaking of shots, the choreography itself is done spectacularly, especially in the street fight when a whole bunch of images flash before Rocky's eyes that motivate him to fight Tommy Gunn. A great movie that is much better than a lot of people say it is.

Sly, Dali, Olsens Oh My!

I figured it out! There is only one way this movie could have possibly made. Here's the scenario, Sly Stallone is sitting on Pee-Wee's gigantic talking chair snorting coke off of a Salvador Dali painting. He starts thinking to himself: "That arm wrestling drama I did back in 1987 was pretty bad. But I think I could top that." That's when Lawrence Fishburn busts down the door and said "Dude it was pretty bad, but there is no way in hell any movie you make can be worse then that pile of crap called "Manos: Hands of Fate" The bar was set, and in just a few days Stallone had a group of Community College actors together to work on the next installment in the Rocky series. The result of this all is on par with a Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen flick, minus the girls. Instead, just add a couple beefed up guys in really short shorts and a really awful Don King impersonator. This, like the Olsen flicks has a few minutes of crappy dialogue followed up by a music and flashes of sweaty men swinging at each other.I also know why this movie has managed to squeeze out a four on the ratings. It is the result of a quantity of disillusioned 40 year old Rocky fans who are sitting in their mother's basement with his high school letter jacket on his shoulders and a Keystone Light in his hands. Without these sad folks, Future War would be pushed aside and would be clasped to a ball and chain in order to roll out the red carpet for the single worst sequel of all time, Rocky V.

Why oh why!?!?

It's just heartbreaking to see Rocky go poor and stay that way. But maybe this is what the director wanted to accomplish. At least he's happy. And yes, it would have been too depressing to see Rocky die. I'm glad they decided not to kill him. I wouldn't mind a Rocky VI, to see him get rich. None of the Rockies were too bad, so the next sequel wouldn't disappoint, at least the investors.

A lot of people felt that Sly Stallone took Rocky in the wrong direction with "Rocky V." :(

"Rocky I, II, III, IV" I remember watching just these 4 Rocky films from 1985-1990. It was part of a Thanksgiving Day tradition, playing these 4 films as "part of an American tradition" during the holidays. As far as the Rocky mythos was concerned, it was over when Rocky raised the American flag over his body at the end of "Rocky IV." He was rich. He went the distance (and then some). He was the embodiment of the American success story. The End....then, 5 looooooong years later, and unexpectedly Sly Stallone resurrected Rocky with an unnecessary fifth installment by throwing away everything he built in the entire franchise to going back to NOTHING. Rocky goes back to his roots in "Rocky V," and that's fine and everything, but to add insult to injury, Sly reverts Rocky into a dummy. If there ever was such a thing as a "tacked-on sequel" this was it.You have to understand that for some people, like myself, I got into Sly Stallone due to his phenomenal success in "Rambo: First Blood, Part II" and "Rocky IV." The image of Rocky going from rags to riches was the ultimate Horatio Alger myth of the 1980's! The "Eye of the Tiger" Rocky with the red, white, and blue trunks is the image of Rocky that was all over the media and marketed all throughout the 1980's. It essentially replaced the original Rocky image like the way the red bandana wearing musclebound Rambo replaced the image of the rag wearing Rambo from "First Blood." Thankfully, Sly came to his senses and pressed to get "Rocky Balboa" made. He didn't even beat around the bush. He readily admitted that "Rocky V" sucks. It sucks with a capital "S." That's not even an opinion in my book. That's a fact. Turning Rocky into a dingbat and bringing on that loudmouth George Washington Duke. Rocky losing all his fortune through plot contrivance. And that Tommy Gunn, that pussy got what he deserved at the end: He got schooled by Rocky!Admittedly, the sole good scene in "Rocky V" was the cufflink flashback between Rocky and his deceased trainer Mickey Goldmill (Burgess Meredith). But not even the ghost of Mickey could save this one. This turkey was actually worse than the one Paulie threw out the window in the first film! While the jury is still out on "Rocky V" being a good end to the series, I am going to watch "Rocky Balboa." And when the film comes out on DVD next year, I'll be viewing the "Anthology" set and "Rocky Balboa" together in a 1 month marathon viewing. Then, only then we'll see how "Rocky V" fits into the rest of the 30 year Rocky Saga...

the weakest of the series(but still watchable)

i haven't seen the new Rocky movie,Rocky Balboa,so i can't comment on that.but of the first 5 movies,this is the weakest.they should have stopped at 4.the movie is watchable,it's just not up to par with its prequels.it is definitely smaller scale all around.this is obviously deliberate and it certainly sets a different tone for the film.there are some interesting things in this movie.one is who Rocky fights and why.the other is how and where.*mild spoiler ahead*.there is also a sub-plot involving Rocky's son.besides these things,however,it just fails to impress.there really wasn't any need for a 5th movie in the Rocky saga,but they made 1 anyway.so,is this movie worth watching?of course.it is entertaining.just don't expect anything mind blowing. 6/10

Yo, this one stinks.

`Touch me and I'll sue,' says a boxing promoter to Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) towards the end of `Rocky V.' Rocky hesitates, then reconsiders, clenches his fist and knocks the guy out. `Sue me for what?' he says, and walks away rather happily with his wife (Talia Shire) and son (Sage Stallone) treating him like a god.Well, how about assault? Yep, Rocky's brain ain't A-okay in `Rocky V' – his beating in the ring at the end of `Rocky IV' has gone to his head (literally) and now he can't fight again or he'll risk being the next Muhammad Ali. (Not that Rocky necessarily had any brains to begin with.)Most people complain that the `Rocky' sequels are repetitive. They forget `Rocky V': This one, rumored to be the final installment (but Sly wants to do yet another!), is totally different from all the rest. (Which is surprising, since John G. Avildsen – director of `Rocky' – returned only for this one.) I give kudos to Sly for going somewhere new with this film.Example? Unlike the predecessors, `Rocky V' takes its character out of training, throws away his fortunes, implies permanent brain damage, and basically tells us that this movie isn't going to be about boxing. Instead, it'll be about Rocky trying to adjust back to the gritty side of life. (Which isn't the perfect closing to a series that is all about a nobody becoming somebody. It's the essence of the series.)Even the final fight in `Rocky V' is wholly different from the others – it takes place outside, `on the streets,' where Rocky has an unrestricted fight with a guy two times his size. (Guess who wins.)Unfortunately, the slight originality of `Rocky V' doesn't win it any points – it is a poor movie by all standards, featuring Sylvester Stallone's worst performance as the titular character. At first it was realistic, then it sort of became comedic; by `Rocky V,' it was downright ridiculous.The dialogue is stiff and wooden. The acting is worse. And the direction is messy -- more kudos to Sly for managing to write and direct all of the `Rocky' sequels (save `V') and maintain the focus of the first. Avildsen's return behind the camera harms the movie. Why? On the Special Edition DVD of `Rocky,' Avildsen explains that he told the cinematographer to mimic the style of the first film. `But that looked like a documentary!' he was told.And so `Rocky V' looks less like a gritty, realistic documentary and more like an MTV video presentation – during the final fight, the handheld pushes in on the faces of anxious spectators, causing instant nausea. Back-and-forth it goes, again and again, rapidly moving to the beat of some ‘90s rock/rap song.The film chronicles Rocky's fall – Paulie (Burt Young) blows the family's fortunes, a new fighter becomes the Heavyweight Champion, and Rocky is left with the grim reality of…nothing.He takes a job at Mickey's (Burgess Meredith, who makes a flashback cameo) old gym as a trainer, which is where he coaches a new boxer, and ultimately finds a new villain to fight. The movie goes nowhere else – it isn't the bold character study that `Rocky' was, nor does it contain the uplifting, victorious underdog message.If nothing else, this proves that Rocky – the character and the films – doesn't translate well onto the screen nowadays. With firmer grasp of direction, perhaps it would – which is why, to be totally honest, I'm not so disappointed to hear that another `Rocky' could be coming along soon. I'm sure it will be a more fitting conclusion to the series than this.2/5

Rocky V

This was the movie that made you realize Rocky was still just a human again!!
Worth the Buy!!

Hey its Rocky

Hey not the greatest, but its rocky. Its the underdog who makes you cry when he wins, and loses, or when he says "adrian, I did It!!!" or something like that. This movie has the theme go for it well it brings it, i would have a vote would you rather see rocky all pampered, and rich or would you rather see him go back to his roots. Well my vote is 2 his roots, thats what made the 1st movie great, and thats what makes this one great. Also, tommy was an excellent villain, and duke, OOO all i have to say is the **** deserved to be punched, Best line in the movie was between duke and Rocky: touch me and i sue ya...(punch in the face) sue me for wat. I'll end it like this, the street fight rocked, but the sons fight kicked ass:GO FOR IT MOTHER******'s!!!!

It stinks!

I just wasted 2 hours. How, you say? I watched Stallone's bigger-than-life Balboa barely intelligible, surrounded by pancake characters. Even Paulie, whose antics provided much of the comic relief in the earlier films, is a caricature of himself.And while the idea, the kernel, of the movie has merit, it could have been so much more. Sure, Tommy Davidson is a terrible actor, but the script is just as much to blame for the emptiness of Tommy Gunn's character. He's certainly no Apollo Creed, and, what's worse, he's no Mr. T either.In short, I hated this movie.

A classic saga ends on a good note

I've heard a lot of rumors about Rocky V. Mostly they all have the same message, the film is bad! Well I recently saw Rocky V and I must say I enjoyed it greatly.Sly returns as the boxer Rocky who retires from the ring after his victory match against Drago from Part 4. But when he returns he learns he has brain damage. Sadly for him, the mortgage takes back all his fortunes including his house, car, money, etc. because of Uncle Pauly.The Balboa family is sent back to Philadolphea to live in the slums like Rocky did in the beginning of the original Rocky. There Rocky's son must adjust to rough gangs beating on him but can't do anything because his dad is training a amateur boxer by the name of Tommy Gunn. Rocky Jr. joins a gang and Gunn leaves Rocky for a flashy Don King Promoter by the name of George Washington Duke. Rocky has to get use to the stab in his back as he is called out by Gunn for a life threatening street fight outside a bar. There Rocky must choose between fighting or running.Much of the cast returns including the great Burgess Meredith as Micky.The film is the weakest in the Rocky series but it is not as bad as people say it is. I think this film ended a good saga of boxing. If you enjoyed the other installments of the Rocky series, don't listen to the bad reviews. Check the movie out and enjoy.

Please don't put us through de mille again!

The first in the series of these films was a cinematic blockbuster; but unfortunately, it was all downhill after that. This film is undoubtedly the worst of the set in all aspects. A poor screenplay along with atrocious acting debuts from sportswriters and television personalities from the local Philadelphia area would make just about anyone request a refund for this video. I find it hard to believe that a Rocky VI is actually in production right now!

Back to his roots, and back on form.

In this fifth installment of the Rocky franchise our hero is out of luck. Brain damaged from the epic encounter with Drago in Rocky Four, he is unable to fight and in danger of going bankrupt, he moves back to his old neighborhood and begins training up and coming fighter tommy "the machine" gunn. For those of you who have heard the general conscientious that Rocky V is not worth watching I strongly advise you to give it a go, the criticism of this film is something that has never really made sense to me. It moves away from the traditional format, (which by the fourth installment had become a series of consecutive montages with badly dated music) and sees Rocky go truly back to his roots even wearing the hat again, add that to a return for Burgess Meredith in some bitter sweet flashback scenes along with a simple but decent storyline and you get a vastly underrated film. Rocky is persuaded by a young contender Tommy Gunn to step back into the world of boxing as a manager and coach. The pair of them get carried away with Tommy's success, Rocky begins to neglect his son and Gunn becomes lured by the riches promised to him by Richard Gant's George Washington Duke, an obvious ringer for Don King. Rocky V takes the franchise full circle and makes note of the obvious changes that have taken place in the world of boxing, and come to think of it, most sports around the globe. It brings a clash of the two types of sportsmen, the old fashioned and the new. The difference in Rocky 5 being that the new uses his skills seeking fame and fortune and forgets what truly matters, a mistake Rocky himself makes in the third film. The main difference however is that Tommy lacks one special ingredient that Balboa has, something that made Rocky endearing to us all in the first place, Rocky has got heart and so has this film. It's also worth pointing out that it hasn't dated nearly as badly as the third and fourth installments and aside from some dodgy late eighties-early nineties rap music it doesn't have much else that ages it. At the premier of the recent Rocky Balboa film I saw an interview with Sylvester Stallone he referred to Rocky V as a "bad film" and he also noted that when he bought the anthology he "threw the fifth one out." Now i'm not going to kid myself and think that the great man is going to ever read this review but ill take the tiny chance that he might one day glance at it to say:- Sly, give this one another go its not bad, not bad at all. Rocky V is certainly not deserving of being chucked out of the anthology, in fact it deserves its place in there, it deserves to share a box with the rest, more so that Rocky Four anyway. While this film may not have the emotional punch of Rocky Balboa it certainly isn't worth disregarding. If your one of the many that skipped this one, go on, give it a go, you might be pleasantly surprised.

yea

alright, this movie is without a doubt a good movie. maybe not as grade a as the others but a good movie. it actually involves his family and heart and not JUST boxing. It shows that hes a human and not just some fighting machine, he can live like a normal person unlike a superstar as he always has. I actually like this movie the best except for rocky 4 .. that movie was the best one out of the rocky series, but anyone who says that this movie is bad then they're definitely lying because this movies is one of the best Sylvester Stallone movie hes ever made. so keep the bad comments to yourself because they're not wanted here. and in conclusion THIS MOVIE IS GREAT!!!!