Rocky IV
Rocky IV by Sylvester Stallone is a movie that argues that revenge can be the key to success. Throughout Rocky IV, Stallone or Rocky tries to get revenge on Russian boxer Ivan Drago after he killed his best friend Apollo Creed. However, his wife Adrian tried to talk him out of it because she did not want him to end up like Apollo Creed in which that is dead. Sylvester Stallone uses his character Rocky to persuade the audience that you can get revenge if you feel that you lost or failed at something that you are real good at. He also, used the scenes, music, and specific settings to onset the audience into understanding the reasons why sometimes revenge can be a good thing. The main argument of Rocky IV is revenge can sometimes be necessary: Rocky and Apollo’s friendship started when Apollo told this guy that he wanted to give a young contender from Philadelphia a shot at the world heavyweight championship. Rocky then got word that he would be boxing Apollo Creed for the title. After fifteen rounds, Rocky and Apollo’s fight was a draw. Apollo then told Rocky would give him a rematch. In the second fight between the two once again went to fifteen rounds. Rocky and Apollo were beating each other finding out who wanted it more. Rocky then punched Apollo then both of them fell to the mat. The referee started the ten count after the referee counted up to nine Rocky started reaching for the top rope and Apollo tried to reach for the top as well but he fell back down. Meanwhile, Rocky got up just when the referee counted to ten to win the title. In the third Rocky movie, after Rocky lost his manager Mickey and losing his title to Clubber Lang a so-called “wrecking machine” from Chicago. After that, Rocky went back to the gym where surprisingly Apollo shows up. He told Rocky that when he beat him he heard it all over world. Apollo then told Rocky when they fought he had the eye of the tiger and the edge. Apollo after that told Rocky in order him to get the “eye of the tiger” back he had to go back to where he started from. So basically, Apollo told Rocky that he was going to take him to where he started that is in Los Angeles to train him. At first Rocky did not want to train for the fight because the first time they fought Clubber Lang beat Rocky in just two rounds. After the fight Rocky went inside his dressing room to see his ailing manager. Mickey (Rocky’s trainer) told him that he did everything right and he loved him. After that, Mickey died right in front of him. That led to Apollo bringing Rocky back to reality and training him for the biggest fight possibly ever. After a great training session, Rocky was ready for the big rematch with Clubber Lang. In the first part of the match, Rocky came out swinging at the champ. Clubber Lang did not know what was happening to him. In the second round the champ Clubber Lang fought back and took back control of the fight. In the third round, Clubber Lang started swinging at Rocky but he fought back to the point where he knocked down Clubber Lang. After Rocky knocked the champ down the referee counted out Clubber Lang to win back the championship. In the first half of the movie Rocky got a call from Apollo Creed about them meeting at Rocky’s house. Apollo told Rocky that he was going to challenge Ivan Drago to an exhibition fight. However, Rocky’s wife Adrian told Apollo that “It was wrong. Why in this point in your life worth getting hurt for?” Apollo replied that,“ It couldn’t be more right.” What started it was Ivan Drago and his Russian comrades came over to the United States to try to take over professional boxing on an amateur standpoint. The reason why this took place was because Apollo thought that by Ivan Drago coming to the U.S. as an outsider that he will try to make the boxer from the U.S. look miserable. Meanwhile, Rocky and Apollo sat in the living watching their second against each other, and Rocky started to ask him a question about the fight he was going into against Ivan Drago. He asked him that “Is it like you against you?” Apollo said, “You really are brain-damaged that’s what I think stallion.” Rocky then, told him “I’m telling the truth.” Apollo then said, “That’s easy for you to say you’re still on top, then if you’re not on top then what, because you’re sure as hell can’t be born again.” After Apollo told him that him and Rocky were the warriors he then asked him to stand by his side for the last time. Rocky then accepted that part of the deal from Apollo. The fight however, was not what people envisioned. After the first Ivan Drago punished Apollo to the point where Rocky him that he was going to tell the referee to stop the fight. However, Apollo told him that “Promise me you are not going to stop this fight.” As expected the fight went on, and it didn’t fair much better for Apollo. As a matter of fact, it got a lot worse for him. Ivan Drago continued to punish him to the point where Apollo was knocked unconscious. After a few moments, Apollo died right there in the ring.
The director uses revenge for the main argument is because he wants to convince the audience that if they get in this situation that he got in, then you need to get some kind of revenge or to avenge your friends death. This movie can the audience get a better understanding on why Apollo wanted to get revenge on why Ivan Drago’s trainer told him that he was to old to beat him and wanted to prove him wrong. It is like a person trying to get payback for some comment made about that person that he/she will never beat nobody because you are to old, you’re to young, or you have no experience against this person. After Apollo’s death, Rocky told reporters during the press conference that he was going to fight Ivan Drago in Russia instead of fighting him in the United States. The main intention, was Drago’s trainer wanted to fight him in the U.S. but Rocky wanted to fight Drago in his home country. When Rocky came home Adrian found out through reporters or the media that he was going to Russia. She tried to talk him out of fighting Drago because she realized that it would not take him long and make an attempt to beat him the same way Drago beat Apollo then eventually killed him. During the conversation, Adrian told Rocky that “You can’t win.” After a hard training for this fight, Rocky finally took on Ivan Drago in Russia. During the fight, people suspected and even me included thought that Rocky was going lose this fight because Drago was beating him just he was beating Apollo. However, later in the fight Rocky started showing some heart and fighting against the huge Russian trying to chop him down. In the last round of the fight, Rocky and Drago battled it out punch after punch to see who was going to take this fight. In the end, Rocky came out on top and defeated the big Russian to avenge Apollo’s death.
The music portrayed in Rocky IV has also had in influence on the movie: The songs that were in the movie were: “No Easy Way Out” by Robert Tepper, “Hearts on Fire” by John Cafferty, “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor, “Living in America” by James Brown, “Training Montage” by Vince DiCola, “Burning Heart” by Survivor. These songs can teach audience or people that are diehard Rocky fans to avenge something that you lost or to get payback for something/someone that meant a great deal/inspired you throughout your life. These songs took place like during Rocky’s training or memories of Rocky’s boxing career.
The music can help the audience if you heard the lyrics on each of these songs and sometimes it can help motivate them through some though times like losing a world heavyweight championship belt that you worked so hard to get. Music helped the movie develop a way that revenge can sometimes need to take place. Technically, eye of the tiger can help you develop like this mentality when are in a boxing match. It can help develop the eye of the tiger to somewhat intimate your opponent.
In conclusion, revenge can be a good and it is sometimes necessary because we can’t let people that took something away from you get away with it. Rocky had to get revenge because Ivan Drago killed his best friend Apollo and he wasn’t going to let him get away with it despite Adrian trying to talk him out of it like she tried to do Apollo. The music also helped the movie because everything that was in the movie had revenge in it. Revenge can also sometimes be necessary because it can help get rid of some of your awful memories that you had in the past.