Rocky III (1982)

Preceded by: Rocky II (1979)
Succeeded by: Rocky IV (1985)

	Director: Sylvester Stallone	COUNTRY USA GENRE Drama/Sports NORWEGIAN TITLE Rocky III RUNNING TIME 100 minutes
	Producer: Irwin Winkler Robert Chartoff
	Screenwriter: Sylvester Stallone

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Rocky Balboa	Sylvester Stallone	½
Adrian	Talia Shire
Paulie	Burt Young	½
Apollo Creed	Carl Weathers	½
Mickey	Burgess Meredith	½
James "Clubber" Lang	Mr. T	½

Review

Rocky Balboa's third rise from outcast to champion presents a slightly more refined and thought-out premise than its predecessor Rocky II. After a couple of years of defending his heavyweight title, Rocky comes up against the brash, up-and-coming brawler Clubber Lang (Mr. T). Will our hero be able to muster the necessary hunger and 'Eye of the Tiger' to defeat him? Even though Rocky III treads familiar waters and lacks real nerve, it has a fair amount of heart and charm – not least thanks to the developing friendship between Rocky and Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). Weathers gets more material to work with here, and he rises to the challenge. So does Talia Shire, whose Adrian character is given more weight and significance than in II. To the film's detriment, the Clubber Lang character is a stereotypical antagonist, portrayed without subtlety by newcomer Mr. T. And the fighting sequences lack finesse, even if the final match offers a little more in terms of the footwork and tactics of boxing. Around the halfway mark, there is a hilarious/preposterous showdown between Rocky and a professional wrestler played by Hulk Hogan, which feels just as gimmicky for the film as it's supposed to be for the character. Survivor's theme song "Eye of the Tiger" became a big hit and won a number of awards, including Best Original Song at the Academy Awards.