Creed (2015)
Director: Ryan Coogler. (12a)
Synopsis
Former World Heavyweight boxing champ Rocky Balboa (Stallone) becomes the trainer and mentor to the illegitimate son (Johnson) of his former rival and latter friend Apollo Creed when Creed's widow (Rashad) finds out he is in prison.
Review, by Jason Day
Given that Star Wars has been rebooted with a few smart nods to the previous films of yore, it's perhaps fitting that another film franchise that originated in the 70's should be resuscitated at roughly the same time.
Rocky is that most quintessential of American heroes; a self-made man who punched above his weight to become a boxing champ and, later, a national hero.
This fact has never been lost on us 'little' Englanders', rendered in this continuation film even smaller here - 'Liverrrr-pool, Eng-er-land' the boxing MC announces when the highlight fight finally kicks off (hang in there folks, we have a few personal issues to wade through first).
This movie is a welcome (considering the persuasively smart dialogue and top notch performances) if rather familiar (with the pustular reminders of past characters and locales) return to career-best, sparring form.
Sylvester Stallone may never have had such winning dialogue. Whether he was fully aware of this is not readily apparent, but he grabs at any opportunity to wipe the boxing ring floor with his impressive pupil Michael B. Jordan with two greedy boxing gloves.
Whether he wins his Best Supporting Oscar nomination or not is largely irrelevant; despite a few misses on the part of his writer/director team, this is a slyly great, smoothly confident performance.
For the full review: http://ow.ly/Xf9vX
For listings of this and other films at Cineworld Milton Keynes: http://www1.cineworld.co.uk/cinemas/milton-keynes
Cast & credits
Producer: Robert Chartoff, William Chartoff, Sylvester Stallone, Kevin King-Templeton, Charles Winkler, David Winkler, Irwin Winkler. Writer: Ryan Coogler, Aaron Covington. Camera: Maryse Alberti. Music: Ludwig Göransson. Sets: Hannah Beachler.
Sylvester Stallone, Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Andre Ward, Tony Bellew, Ritchie Coster, Jacob 'Stitch' Duran.
