Rocky III

Director: Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Stallone

Overview

"Sylvester Stallone returns to the character which made him famous in this wildly successful sequel. Rocky III starts with the Italian Stallion so famous that his likeness is everywhere, including pinball machines. Fame and complacency soon cause Balboa to lose his title to young thug Clubber Lang (Mr. T), who inadvertently causes the death of Rocky's beloved trainer, Mickey (Burgess Meredith), before their first championship bout. After sinking into a depression, Balboa must regain the love and support of his family, as well as the elusive ""eye of the tiger,"" the hungry need to beat the opponent which former foe Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) teaches him during this film's de rigueur training sequence. In the end, Balboa faces off against Lang for a second time. ""Eye of the Tiger,"" the theme song Stallone commissioned from the band Survivor, became a huge hit single."

Product Details

Release Date:	02/08/2005
UPC:	0027616915160
Original Release:	1982
Rating:	PG
Source:	Mgm (Video & Dvd)
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Full Frame, Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:40:00
Sales rank:	35,598

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Sylvester Stallone	Rocky,Opponent/Singer
Mr. T	Clubber Lang
Talia Shire	Adrian
Burt Young	Paulie
Carl Weathers	Apollo Creed
Burgess Meredith	Mickey
Ian Fried	Rocky Jr.
Hulk Hogan	Thunderlips
Tony Burton	Duke
Al Silvani	Al
Wally Taylor	Clubber's Manager
Jim Hill	Sportscaster
Don Sherman	Andy
Leslie Morris	Actor,Actor
Dennis James	Wrestling Commentator
Jim Healy	Wrestling Commentator
Ray Gideon	Actor
LeRoy Neiman	Actor
Russell Forte	Actor
Stu Nahan	Title Rematch Commentator
Bill Baldwin	Actor
Marty Denkin	Title Referee
Mario Machado	Interviewer
Lou Filippo	Rematch Referee
Jeff Temkin	Rematch Ring Announcer
Bill Medley	Actor
Jeff Bannister	Actor
Tony Hernandez	Actor
Fred Roggin	Actor
Chad Cooperman	Actor
Leif Erickson	Actor
Ray Gedeon	Wrestling Referee
Jimmy Lennon	Title Announcer
Big Yank	Sparring Partner
Eddie Smith	Clubber's Cornerman,Opponent
Don McGovern	Stunt Double
Chino Williams	Derelict
Bob Minor	Challenger
Julius LeFlore	Challenger
Tony Brubaker	Challenger
Rex Pierson	Challenger
Carey Lindley	Challenger
Jophery Brown	Challenger,Opponent
David Cadiente	Opponent
Melvin Jones	Opponent
David Ellis	Opponent
George O'Mara	Opponent
Clarke Coleman	Police
Hank Hooker	Police
Mickey Gilbert	Police
James Halty	Police
Gilbert Combs	Challenger
Mister T	Actor
Bill Conti	Composer

Technical Credits

Sylvester Stallone

Sylvester Stallone	Director,Screenwriter
Robert Chartoff	Producer
Herbert S. Nanas	Executive Producer
Irwin Winkler	Producer
Arthur Chobanian	Producer

Editorial Reviews

Rocky has changed. Not just the character, but also the series. The difference can be found in the theme songs. "Gonna Fly Now" (arguably the most famous piece of movie music not written by John Williams or Bernard Herrmann) was a stirring piece of music that communicated the early Rocky's desire to be the best that he could be. "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor is about the need to be the toughest, the meanest, and the best. Stallone was not interested in making the best film he could, he wanted to be the heavyweight champion of Hollywood. There is a warmth and humor in the first half-hour of Rocky III. At this point in the series, these characters are like favorite shoes, and the audience slips into them with comfort and gratitude. The sequence where Rocky "fights" professional wrestler Thunderlips (Hulk Hogan) has more laughs in it than Stop! or My Mom Will Shoot and Rhinestone combined. Stallone proves in this film that he can force the public to cheer for him, ratcheting up the emotional level of the film to near operatic levels. This film works, but it works like storm troopers marching through your emotional village, forcing you to care about Rocky even if you are unable to see many of the traits that made him appealing in the first place.