Rocky II (1979)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Sylvester Stallone

Writer:

Sylvester Stallone (written by)

Release Date:

15 June 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Sport

Tagline:

He was one punch away from the heavyweight championship of the world. Now he's one heartbeat away from losing the woman he loves.

Plot:

Rocky struggles in family life after his bout with Apollo Creed, while the embarrassed champ insistently goads him to accept a challenge for a rematch.

Plot Keywords:

Fight | Rematch | Boxer | Coma | Commercial

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Sylvester Stallone	...	Rocky Balboa
Talia Shire	...	Adrian
Burt Young	...	Paulie
Carl Weathers	...	Apollo Creed
Burgess Meredith	...	Mickey Goldmill
Tony Burton	...	Duke (Apollo's Trainer)
Joe Spinell	...	Tony Gazzo
Leonard Gaines	...	Agent
Sylvia Meals	...	Mary Anne Creed
Frank McRae	...	Meat Foreman
Al Silvani	...	Cutter
John Pleshette	...	Director
Stu Nahan	...	Announcer
Bill Baldwin	...	Commentator
Jerry Ziesmer	...	Salesman

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta) (re-rating) (1999) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Iceland:12 | Canada:14A (Ontario - 2006) | Mexico:A | South Korea:12 | Brazil:12 | Peru:14 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

1818 East Tusculum Street, Kensington, North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

Chartoff-Winkler Productions

Trivia:

As he had done with the original, Sylvester Stallone incorporated biographical elements from his own life into Rocky's story for this film. In particular, Stallone used as a central plot point the concept that yesterday's heroes are quickly forgotten. In the film, this manifests itself in terms of people quickly forgetting about Rocky's exploits in the title fight. In reality, Stallone experienced a similar sense of being quickly forgotten after his two post-Rocky (1976) movies, Paradise Alley (1978) (Stallone's directorial debut) and F.I.S.T (1978), both underperformed at the box office.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the 15th round, Rocky is punching Apollo in the red corner. The camera turns to Mickey for a period of two or three punches; it turns back and suddenly Rocky and Apollo are in the black corner.

Quotes:

Mickey: Why do you have to wear that stinkin' sweatsuit?
Rocky Balboa: It brings me luck, you know?
Mickey: Brings you luck. I'll tell you what it brings - it brings FLIES! Now here's what I want you to do - I want you to chase this little chicken.
Rocky Balboa: Hey yo, Mick, what do I got to chase a chicken for?
Mickey: First, because I said so. And second, is because chicken-chasing is how we used to train back in the old days. If you can catch this thing, you can catch greased lighting.
Rocky Balboa: Well, I'll do it if you say so, but it ain't very mature.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in Bigger Stronger Faster* (2008)

Soundtrack:

STREET SCAT

pretty good for a sequel

Imperfect, but highly entertaining sequel picks up right where the original left off. Having suffered heavy brain damage as a result of his brutal battle with the hard-hitting champion, Balboa decides to call it quits and dedicate his life to his newfound love Adrian (Shire). However the intense media hype, public mockery from the champion Creed, and a discovery that "normal" life isn't all that it's cracked up to be draw him back into the ring for a highly-publicized rematch. You have to be patient this time around as the film is slow going at first, and lacks the emotional punch of the original, but an exciting, edge of your seat climax makes it worth the wait. A good follow-up considering the impact of its predecessor. **½