Filmed at the height of US-Soviet tensions in 1985, this was Stallone’s year, thanks also to the huge blockbuster success of his Vietnam sequel, RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II during the Summer.
In ROCKY IV, Rocky has semi-retired from fighting and is good friends with Apollo, who reminisce about their own fighting days. However, Russia is about to throw its’ hat into the boxing ring, with the arrival of amateur boxing champion Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) aka The Siberian Express.
His management are keen to have a fight with Rocky, but Apollo (Carl Weathers) is determined to have first crack. However, at the bout in Vegas, Apollo is fatally injured, prompting Rocky to question his own beliefs and fighting desires, leading to a potential fight with Drago beyond the Iron Curtain.
Probably the most recyclable of the ROCKY sequels (lots of stock footage from the previous films), the film still packs a punch, thanks to some addictive training montages, punctuated with a great synth-based score by Vince Di-Cola, taking over from Bill Conti in the composing stakes.