Rocky IV is a 1985 American sports drama film written, directed by, and starring Sylvester Stallone.[4] The film is the sequel to Rocky III (1982) and the fourth installment in the Rocky film series. It also stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Brigitte Nielsen, and Dolph Lundgren. In the film, Rocky Balboa (Stallone) confronts Ivan Drago (Lundgren), a Soviet boxer responsible for another personal tragedy in Balboa's life.
Development for a fourth Rocky film began soon after the success of Rocky III, which faced controversy after it was subject to a copyright lawsuit. Principal photography began in 1984, with filming locations including Philadelphia, Wyoming, and Vancouver. Rocky IV was Lundgren's American film debut, and Stallone's last directorial effort until 2006; they engaged in authentic punching in their fight scenes, which led to Stallone being admitted to intensive care. Filming also featured new special effects and bona fide and groundbreaking sport methods and equipment, some of which were years removed from public use. Rocky IV is known for its strong Cold War themes, as well as its successful theme songs "Burning Heart" and "Living in America".
Rocky IV premiered in Los Angeles on November 21, 1985, and was theatrically released in the United States by MGM/UA on November 27.[5] The film received mixed reviews, with criticism for its predictable screenplay and praise for Drago's credibility as a villain. Scholars note that Drago's ultimate defeat and the Soviet crowd's embrace of Rocky represented the dissolution of the Soviet Union, while others criticized the film as propaganda through its Cold War themes and negative portrayals of Russians.[6][7][8][9]
The film was a box office success, grossing $300 million worldwide, becoming the highest grossing film in the franchise and the third highest-grossing film of 1985 domestically and the second highest grossing film worldwide. Critical reception of the film became more favorable in the years later, with praise for the training montages.[10] The film has been considered an icon of 1980s pop culture. In 2021, a director's cut was released with the title Rocky IV: Rocky vs Drago, receiving positive reviews from critics. The sequel, Rocky V, was released in 1990.
^Harmetz, Aljean (November 29, 1985). "At the Movies". The New York Times. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
^Box Office Information for Rocky IV Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
^"Rocky IV". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
^Cite error: The named reference Rollin was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Strada & Troper 1997, p. 158.
^Rushing, J. H.; Frentz, T. S. (1989). "The Frankenstein myth in contemporary cinema". Critical Studies in Media. 6 (1): 61–80. doi:10.1080/15295038909366731.
^Smith, Edison (July 10, 2018). "Burning Hearts and Iron Curtains: Rocky IV & Cold War Propaganda". Retrieved April 26, 2022.
^"Rocky Movies". Box Office Mojo. Box Office Mojo, LLC. Archived from the original on June 7, 2007. Retrieved September 17, 2007.
RockyIV is a 1985 American sports drama film written, directed by, and starring Sylvester Stallone. The film is the sequel to Rocky III (1982) and the...
starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the sequel to Rocky IV (1985) and the fifth installment in the Rocky film series. It also stars Talia Shire, Burt Young...
characters from the Rocky film series, consisting of Rocky (1976), Rocky II (1979), Rocky III (1982), RockyIV (1985), Rocky V (1990), Rocky Balboa (2006),...
The sequel, RockyIV, was released in 1985. In 1981, five years after winning the world heavyweight championship against Apollo Creed, Rocky Balboa has...
eight sequels, beginning with Rocky II in 1979. Followed by Rocky III in 1982, RockyIV in 1985, Rocky V in 1990, Rocky Balboa in 2006, Creed in 2015...
who became responsible for the death of Adonis' father Apollo Creed in RockyIV (1985). A Creed sequel was confirmed in January 2016, but was delayed because...
Robert "Rocky" Balboa (born June 6, 1945) (also known by his ring name the Italian Stallion) is a fictional character and the titular protagonist of the...
regretted. In 1985, Stallone continued his success with the Rocky and Rambo franchises with RockyIV and Rambo: First Blood Part II. Stallone has portrayed...
Rocky II, and one of the protagonists in Rocky III and RockyIV. Sylvester Stallone, the writer and star of Rocky, said "[Jack] Johnson served as the inspiration...
villain as an imposing Soviet boxer named Ivan Drago in Sylvester Stallone's RockyIV. Lundgren went on to play lead roles in over 80 action-oriented films including...
She subsequently acted in the 1985 films Red Sonja and RockyIV, later returning to the Rocky series in Creed II (2018). Nielsen married Sylvester Stallone...
character from the Rocky film series. He first appears in the 1985 film RockyIV, in which he is the main antagonist and rival of Rocky Balboa and is also...
role of Apollo Creed in the next three Rocky films: Rocky II (1979), Rocky III (1982), and RockyIV (1985). Weathers briefly appears as an Army MP in one...
martial artist. Lundgren's breakthrough came in 1985, when he starred in RockyIV as the imposing Soviet boxer Ivan Drago. Since then, he has starred in...
1985 Rambo: First Blood Part II John J. Rambo Also writer 1985 RockyIV Robert "Rocky" Balboa Also director, writer and boxing choreographer 1986 Cobra...
Out" (Robert Tepper song), from the 1985 motion picture soundtrack album RockyIV "No Easy Way Out", a song by Ozzy Osbourne from Down to Earth Lucian Bute...
to offer in 1985. Though Rambo: First Blood Part II won Worst Picture, RockyIV (also starring Sylvester Stallone) received the greatest number of nominations...
Young, was an American actor. He played Rocky Balboa's brother-in-law and best friend Paulie Pennino in the Rocky film series, his performance in the first...
from 1984 to 1989, performing the songs "Burning Heart" from the film RockyIV, "The Moment of Truth" from The Karate Kid, along with other top-20 Survivor...
trilogy and Adrianna Pennino Balboa in the Rocky series. For her work in The Godfather Part II and Rocky, Shire was nominated for Academy Awards for...
Favorite Movie Actor Rocky Nominated 1978 F.I.S.T. and Paradise Alley Nominated 1979 Rocky II Nominated 1985 Rambo: First Blood Part II and RockyIV Won...
Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985), and many others. He also appeared in RockyIV (1985), as Nicoli Koloff, the sports administrator for Ivan Drago and had...
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