Creed [Blu-ray]

Director: Ryan Coogler Ryan Coogler

Overview

Adonis Johnson Creed (Michael B. Jordan), the son of former heavyweight champion Apollo Creed, attempts to follow in his father's footsteps and become a boxing legend in his own right. Apollo died in the ring in the 1980s at the hand of Russian pugilist Ivan Drago, forcing Adonis to grow up without his dad in his life. The young man travels to Philadelphia to find his late father's nemesis-turned-best friend, Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), in order to recruit him as a trainer. Balboa soon takes the young Creed under his wing and helps him get in shape for a shot at the title. Ryan Coogler directs this spin-off of the hugely successful Rocky franchise.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/01/2016
UPC:	0883929484256
Original Release:	2015
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	New Line Home Video
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:13:00

Special Features

Know the past, own the future - ; cast and crew talk about the challenges of building on the Rocky series; Becoming Adonis - ; see how star Michael B. Jordan prepared for the hardcore training sequences and fights; Deleted scenes

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Michael B. Jordan	Adonis Johnson
Sylvester Stallone	Rocky Balboa
Tessa Thompson	Bianca
Phylicia Rashad	Mary Anne Creed
Anthony Bellew	"Pretty" Ricky Conlan
Graham McTavish	Tommy Holiday
Mark Rhino Smith	Kolega Conlana
Juan Pablo Veiza	Nate
Hans Marrero	Flores
Brian Anthony Wilson	James,City Jail Cop
Andre Ward	Danny "Stuntman" Wheeler,Concert Security
Jacob "Stitch" Duran	Stitch
Malik Bazille	Amir
Ricardo "Padman" McGill	Padman
Gabriel Rosado	Leo "The Lion" Sporino
Wood Harris	Tony "Little Duke" Burton,Security Guard
Buddy Osborn	Opatruj¿cy rany Conlana
Rupal Pujara	Dr Kathari
Joey Eye	Opatruj¿cy rany Sporina
Johanna Tolentino	Policjantka
Tony Brice	Tone Trump
Kash Goins	Larry
Michael Barker	Reporter #1
Clare O'Malley	Reporter #2
Kevin King Templeton	Press Conference Moderator
Mauricio Ovalle	Flores' Trainer
Josue Rivera	Tijuana Fight Promoter
Derrick Webster	Kev
Manny Ayala	Welterweight #1
Anthony Martins	Welterweight #2
Ricky Vera	Referee #1 (Tijuana)
Shawn Clark	Referee #2 (Blue Horizon)
Christian D. Ellison	Referee #3 (Liverpool)
Frank Pesce	Mickey's Gym Doorman
Robert Sale	Leo Trainer #2
Richard Lyntton	Ringside Doctor
Kathleen M. Deegan	Nurse Kathy
Marquise Noel	Young Dirt Bike Rider
Elvis Grant	Elvis Grant
Max Kellerman	Max Kellerman
Jim Lampley	Jim Lampley
Michael Buffer	Michael Buffer
Michael Wilbon	Michael Wilbon
Tony Kornheiser	Anthony Kornheiser
Hannah Storm	Hannah Storm
Alex Henderson	Young Adonis
Khareem Hinton	Thomas
Noah Coogler	Staff Member #1
Nelson Bonilla	Staff Member #2
Troy Faruk	Staff Member #3
Angela Davis	Staff Member #4,Boxer Fan
Deborah Ingersoll	Max's Cashier
Robbie Washington	Max's Cook
Troy K. Weston	Max's Cook
Ludwig Göransson	Bianca's Band,Composer
Moses Sumney	Bianca's Band
Kenneth Martin	Dirt Bike Rider
Jermaine T. Holt	Dirt Bike Rider
Horace Knight	Dirt Bike Rider
Sli Lewis	Dirt Bike Rider
Brionna Maria Lynch	Dirt Bike Rider,Dirt Bike Rider
Chris Gombos	Security Guard
Terry Lee Fields	Fire Breather
Stephanie Damiano	Ring Girl
Ritchie Coster	Pete Sporino
Elisha van Rensburg	Fan
Claire Bronson	Social Worker
Will Blagrove	James
Chandra Anderson	Ring Girl
Deborah DeStefano	Ringside Boxer Fan
Mark Falvo	Fight Spectator
Melissa Merry	Press
Shawn Contois	Boxing Fan
Jon Douglas Rainey	Fight Promoter
Tony Devon	Boxing Commisioner
Liev Schreiber	HBO 24 / 7 Narrator
Kevin King	Press Conference Moderator
Robert Douglas	Max's Cooks

Technical Credits

Ryan Coogler

Aaron Covington

Ryan Coogler	Director,Screenwriter
Robert Chartoff	Producer,Producer
Irwin Winkler	Producer,Producer,Producer
Aaron Covington	Screenwriter
Nicholas Stern	Executive Producer,Executive Producer,Producer
Damian Canelos	Sound Effects
David Rainey	Sound Effects
Steve Boeddeker	Sound Effects,Sound/Sound Designer
Benjamin A. Burtt	Sound Effects
Kevin King Templeton	Producer
Stephen Imhoff	Special Effects
Manny Ayala	Stunts
Troy Faruk	Stunts
Khalid Ghajji	Stunts
Christopher Jon Gombos	Stunts
Zedric Harris	Stunts
Sli Lewis	Stunts
Sylvester Stallone	Producer
Kevin King	Producer
Francine Maisler	Casting
Jason Loftus	Casting
Diane Heery	Casting
Kathleen Driscoll-Mohler	Casting
George Pierre	Casting
Aron Siegel	Sound Mixer
Chris Lane	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) never knew his biological father, famed boxer Apollo Creed, who died in the ring before his birth. He's the illegitimate child of the former heavyweight champ, and spent his early life in juvenile detention and floating between group homes in Los Angeles, until Apollo's widow Mary Anne (Phylicia Rashad) tracked him down and adopted him. Flash-forward to 2015: Adonis fights (and dominates) in unlicensed matches in Tijuana at night, then returns to a promising office job in L.A. the following morning. He resents his father's legacy and is desperate to make his own name in the ring, but wants to do so without relying on the fanfare of his bloodline. Against the wishes of his adoptive mother, Adonis quits his job and heads to Philadelphia, where he seeks out the only man who stood toe-to-toe with his father in his prime: Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone). Adonis is a self-taught boxer with a raw style, and he asks Rocky to train him to become a serious contender. The aging fighter begrudgingly accepts after much pestering, and Balboa takes young Adonis under his wing. The public quickly become aware of Adonis' heritage, and after knocking out a celebrated young fighter, he's catapulted into the spotlight and arranged to face reigning champ "Pretty" Ricky Conlan (Anthony Bellew). Meanwhile, Rocky's health suffers as the title fight nears, testing the fortitude of both men as the seventh installment of the Rocky franchise reaches its final act. The 28-year-old Jordan breathes remarkable life into the title role, balancing the cocksure, boastful attitude of his character's late father with his own sense of exuberance and loyalty. In addition, his scenes with love interest Bianca (Tessa Thompson) are tender and candid. Jordan escaped the tire fire that was The Fantastic Four relatively unscathed, and here he reminds us that he's a tremendous talent. Likewise, Stallone is a treasure as the aging Balboa, who's been beaten down physically and mentally from a hard life. As his health deteriorates over the course of the film, it's shocking to see him look so withered while steadfastly training the young Adonis. Sly is able to distill the most vulnerable and amiable elements of Balboa, which have persisted throughout the franchise, into an earnest, emotional performance. Sure, there are rehashed plot points from earlier Rocky flicks; the underdog-boxer tale only has a finite number of routes it can take. But director Ryan Coogler (who previously teamed with Jordan for 2013's fantastic Fruitvale Station) forgoes scenes of drinking raw eggs and meat-locker boxing, instead helming the movie like any true prodigy would -- by making Creed distinctly his own. He taps into the heart of Philadelphia the same way Stallone and John G. Avildsen did in 1976, even if Rocky's home looks vastly different nearly 40 years later. Coogler and cinematographer Maryse Alberti use the gritty cityscape as a backdrop for Adonis' transformation: While the young man grew up fighting all the time in group homes, he was able to live a life of luxury after Mary Anne found him. Thus, his move to Philadelphia signals a shift in his character, and the city represents the type of the fighter he wants to become under Balboa's tutelage. And just as previous Rocky films focused on Italian neighborhoods in the blue-collar city, Coogler takes Creed into historically African-American pockets of Philadelphia, where Meek Mill blares on gym stereos and wheelie-popping dirt bikes are heard outside. Despite hailing from Oakland, CA, Coogler (who also co-wrote Creed with Aaron Covington) manages to bring this milieu to life without it feeling forced or disingenuous. Creed is as artfully crafted as any pugilist flick in recent memory. Adonis' fight scenes are choreographed with both technical fluidity and a palpable intensity: Heads don't dramatically snap back like they did when the Italian Stallion fought Drago in Rocky IV -- instead, the blows land with a realistic force. With all the potential pitfalls that could have stunted Creed before its opening bell rang, it's no minor achievement that the pieces come together into such a bold, funny, and satisfying whole. Big-budget, studio-produced franchise films don't get any better than this.