I’m not going to bother going through the history of the ROCKY movies, or ranking them in order of which is best, worst, etc., or giving you my personal connection to the franchise that has stretched across 40 years and six previous films. And the reason I’m not going to do any of that is because none of it is necessary to fully enjoy the latest, perhaps most unexpected chapter of the Rocky Balboa story, CREED, the brainchild of FRUITVALE STATION writer-director Ryan Coogler (who co-wrote this screenplay with Aaron Covington), who takes small portions of the previous films, and rather than simply retreading familiar ground, uses them as building blocks and touchstone to build an original story about a young, wayward man seeking to build a family around him after feeling alone and isolated for his entire life. Wait, did I say this was an original story?
When we meet young Adonis Johnson, he’s still a kid, getting thrown into juvenile detention and getting bailed out by Apollo Creed’s widow, Mary Anne (Phylicia Rashad). Turns out Adonis is the illegitimate son of Apollo, who slept with Adonis’s mother and died in the ring before he was born. Desperate to have a part of Apollo still living and breathing in her life, Mary Anne adopts Adonis and sets his life on the straight and narrow, making sure he gets a good education and job near her home in Los Angeles. Turns out working in the financial sector isn’t enough for grown Adonis (played by Coogler’s FRUITVALE partner Michael B. Jordan), and he spends his weekends secretly boxing semi-professionally in Mexico, where he is apparently kicking ass.
Hungry for more than a desk job could ever given him, Adonis (frequently referred to as Donny) decides he wants to pursue boxing as a career, and presumably having learned all he can from his adoptive mother about Apollo as a man, he heads to Philadelphia to learn what he can about him as a boxer from the man who knew him best in that arena. Donny first meeting with Rocky (an older and wiser Sylvester Stallone) is a quiet one, in Rocky’s restaurant, talking about old times. At first, Rocky doesn’t know who this young man with all the questions is, but once it’s revealed, it’s a warm exchange, ending with Donny asking Rocky to train him.
It’s an interesting request for Rocky and the audience, since the previous film, ROCKY BALBOA, was about hanging up the gloves, both for the Stallone and the character. But what’s wonderful about CREED is that it doesn’t violate the emotional pact that Stallone made when retiring Rocky. This isn’t about the Italian Stallion making a comeback. When he finally, begrudgingly agrees to help Donny out, he stays very much outside the ring, working with other trainers, and coming up with a regimen for Donny that will prepare him mentally and physically for his first fight. Cue the training montage.
And while Donny works his ass off at the gym, he begins to open up to the company of others at his rundown apartment, especially Bianca (Tessa Thompson from DEAR WHITE PEOPLE and SELMA), a lovely musician living below him who seems captivated by his drive and put off when Donny’s hair-trigger temper rises to the surface with even the slightest perception of his honor being insulted. The CREED love story could have a major distraction in an already lengthy film, but Coogler has dared to insert a relationship of substance in this film that has nothing to do with physical accomplishments. Rocky is constantly drilling into Donny’s head the idea that the toughest opponent he will ever face is the guy staring back at him in the mirror. Mental strength is just as important, if not more so, as physical prowess, and it’s clear that Bianca is good for his mind (and maybe his body, a little bit). What’s even more enjoyable and unexpected is the way Rocky, Donny and Bianca come together as a family. They each see that together they make each other stronger, and some of the film’s best scenes involve simple sit-down meals at Rocky’s place and a few laughs among new friends.
In many ways, the boxing in CREED is less important than the character building, and not just for Donny. After winning his first professional fight in the United States quite decisively, the curious press finds out that Donny is actually Apollo’s blood (he’s been fighting and living using the Johnson name). As a result of this reveal, Donny is called upon to fight the current Light Heavyweight Champion “Pretty” Ricky Conlan, a nasty piece of Liverpool-born fighter (played by real-life boxer Tony “Bomber” Bellew), just before he goes to jail for many years. Conlan is looking for once last massive payday to help take care of his family before he heads to prison, and when his original opponent is injured (at Conlan’s hands) during a pre-fight press conference, the promoter thinks having the Creed name in the ring and Balboa in the corner will help boost ticket sales and viewership.
In an unexpected turn, Coogler requires Rocky to fight one last time, not in the ring, but for his life. In a turn that will have men and women reaching for the Kleenex, Rocky is diagnosed with cancer, something which terrifies him so much (his wife Adrian died of cancer as well) that he refuses to get treatment because he associates Adrian’s treatment with hastening her passing. But when Donny pushes Balboa to take on the cancer—in the same way he is taking on Conlan—the film transforms into a story of survival for both men, in and out of the ring. I was genuinely stunned how old, sickly and decrepit Stallone allows himself to get in this portion of the film. His chemotherapy results in all the side effects you’d expect it to, and before long Rocky’s gone totally grey and his hair begins to fall out. As I mentioned, the best parts of CREED are not in the ring, but are in the performances of Stallone and Jordan, as they struggle with their individual demons, which are actually quite similar.
Which is not to say that Coogler doesn’t give us some truly exceptional fighting sequences. Donny’s first fight is an incredible sequence, done is a single take—from the locker room to the knock out. I’ve never seen anything like it, and I would plead with the director to include some kind of Making Of extra on the blu-ray of just that sequence. The artistry is beyond stunning. The second, much longer conflict is shot more conventionally, but it remains a brutal exchange between two very different fighters, who are still quite evenly matched. Coogler is smart to show us just how their unique fighting styles lead to an extended conflict, with each man refusing to stay down. It’s an exhausting, bloody battle that will feel occasionally familiar to fans of the first ROCKY film.
Coogler drops in fun and touching references and homages to the earlier films, but he never lingers and relies on them to tell his story. Particular locations will be familiar, a joke Rocky makes about the way Donny does push-ups is very funny, a trip to the cemetery to visit Adrian and late best friend (and brother-in-law) Paulie is a nice callback, and even Donny’s swollen-shut eye in the final fight strikes a chord. But it’s a slow and wobbly climb up the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum with the subtle piano version of the original Rocky theme song that got me right in the gut and gave me chills. It’s a rare moment of pure beauty in this otherwise fairly gritty film, and the words that Rocky says to Adonis/Donny once they make it to the top sum up the series with an abundance of grace.
I’ve made it through the entire review and barely mentioned Jordan’s acting, which is not surprisingly great. Jordan has nothing to prove with this film, which almost makes his commitment to the physical, as well as emotional, components all the more impressive. Donny is a character that most embody the best and worst parts of Apollo Creed without becoming him entirely. He also much embrace the Zen-like demeanor of his trainer, while exhibiting the fortitude of a boxer that can both go the distance and embrace the idea that there’s always room for improvement. That’s a big part of what the ROCKY films have been about. This was never a series about who was tougher. Rocky was a man who wanted a full life, and was willing to take a few punches if it meant having that. In the end, Rocky isn’t teaching Creed’s son how to box; he’s teaching him how to live. That’s a message I’d like to leave every film embracing.
