LeoGlossary: Rocky V (Film)
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In Rocky V, Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) is forced to retire from boxing after a brutal fight with Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) left him with brain damage. Rocky is now bankrupt after his accountant embezzled his money. He is forced to sell his mansion and move back to his old neighborhood in Philadelphia.
Rocky opens a small gym in Mickey Goldmill's old boxing gym. He meets a young and talented boxer named Tommy Gunn (Tommy Morrison). Rocky agrees to train Tommy, and he quickly becomes a rising star.
However, Tommy's success begins to go to his head. He becomes arrogant and disrespectful, and he turns against Rocky. Tommy challenges Rocky to a fight, and Rocky turns him down.
The fight scene in this film is a street brawl. Gunn hunts Rocky down to pressure him to get into the ring. After Gunn takes a shot at Paulie, Rocky gets into it. Rocky end up knocking Gunn out in the fight.
Rocky V is a story about the importance of family and the dangers of fame. It is a classic film that has inspired people around the world.
The film also explores the themes of aging, retirement, and the importance of finding a new purpose in life. Rocky is forced to come to terms with the fact that he is no longer the fighter he once was. He must find a new way to contribute to the world.
Cast
- Sylvester Stallone as Robert "Rocky" Balboa, "The Italian Stallion": Heavyweight Champion of the World, who suffers from brain damage caused by the head-trauma he received at the hands of Ivan Drago in the previous film. Because of his injuries, Rocky is forced to officially retire from boxing. After moving back to Philadelphia, Rocky trains and manages underdog boxer Tommy Gunn and helps him to rise to fame.
- Talia Shire as Adrian Balboa: Rocky's wife and support throughout his life and his boxing career.
- Burt Young as Paulie Pennino: Rocky's friend, and brother-in-law.
- Sage Stallone as Robert "Rocky" Balboa Jr.: Rocky and Adrian's only son, who gets involved with the wrong crowds during his father's absence, throughout the training and mentoring of Tommy Gunn.
- Tommy Morrison as Tommy "The Machine" Gunn: Underdog boxer, who rises to fame under Rocky's training. Throughout his career he is called Rocky's "shadow", and angrily seeks out another manager. After his achievements as Heavyweight Champion, and the public's continued dis-appreciation for him, he fights Rocky in an unofficial street fight, and loses.
- Burgess Meredith as Mickey Goldmill: Rocky's deceased friend, manager and trainer, a former bantamweight fighter from the 1920s and the owner of the local boxing gym. Burgess appears in new footage, filmed as a flashback to before Rocky's second fight with Apollo.
- Richard Gant as George Washington Duke: Loud and obnoxious boxing promoter, who repeatedly tries to convince Rocky to re-enter the ring. He becomes Tommy Gunn's manager during his shot at the Heavyweight Champion title.
- Tony Burton as Tony "Duke" Evers: Rocky's friend, and former trainer and manager of Apollo Creed.
- Michael Williams as Union Cane: Reigning Heavyweight Champion of the World who wants to fight legendary Rocky, and eventually fights Tommy Gunn. Williams was also a real-life boxer. He and Morrison were to have an actual match about a month after Rocky V was released, but it was canceled when Williams was hurt. The match was being hyped as "The Real Cane vs. Gunn Match."
The film has cameos by sportswriters and boxing analysts, including Al Bernstein, Stan Hochman and Al Meltzer, and sportscaster Stu Nahan, who was the ringside announcer in every Rocky movie except the sixth. Dolph Lundgren and Carl Weathers appear as Ivan Drago and Apollo Creed in archival footage, uncredited. Mr. T appears as his *Rocky III character Clubber Lang in archival footage, uncredited. Hulk Hogan, from his Rocky III) role as Thunderlips, appears in a still shot during the film's end credits sequence taken from the staredown the two engaged in during said film, also uncredited.
Jodi Letizia, who played street kid Marie in the original Rocky (1976), was supposed to reprise her role. Her character was shown to have ended up as Rocky predicted she would: a prostitute, but the scene ended up on the cutting room floor. She can briefly be seen during the street fight at the end. The character reappears in Rocky Balboa (2006) as a bartender and confidante to the aging Rocky. Actress Geraldine Hughes took over the role.
Kevin Connolly, who gained success as Eric Murphy on HBO's Entourage, was in his first acting role as neighborhood bully Chickie.
Director: John G. Avildsen
Writers: Sylvester Stallone
Box Office Gross: $119,946,358
Distributor: United Artists
Release Date: November 16, 1990
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