Most critics seem to be in agreement that Rocky is and always will be the best movie in the history of the long-running franchise, but in terms of sheer spectacle and enjoyment, a huge number of fans would instantly name the fourth installment as their favorite.
As well as introducing iconic nemesis Ivan Drago into the mix and giving Dolph Lundgren one hell of a platform on which to launch his career, there’s a whole lot to love about Rocky IV. For one thing, it fully embraces the sillier aspects of the series with Paulie’s robotic butler, while still delivering what’s arguably the greatest in-ring action to be found in any of the eight movies.
Then there’s the pure showmanship of Drago’s fight with Apollo Creed that unfolds to the sounds of James Brown’s classic “Living in America,” and that’s without even mentioning the cheesiest and therefore finest montage Rocky Balboa ever found himself a part of, ending with the Italian Stallion screaming his rival’s name from the mountaintops.
Rocky IV has a cult favorite status that none of the other entries in the franchise could hope to match, so it unsurprisingly went down very well when Sylvester Stallone revealed that he was working on a Director’s Cut of the movie. While there’s no word yet of when the new and hopefully improved version will arrive, the 74 year-old took to social media recently and teased some never-before-seen footage, which you can check out below.
The Coronavirus pandemic has seen production on Stallone’s upcoming superhero movie Samaritan on hold since mid-March, but it looks like he’s making the most of his downtime by continuing to dive deep into the archives and find new footage to improve his Director’s Cut of Rocky IV. And frankly, we can’t wait to see it.