I couldn’t understand in introduction for what Sly Stallone entered rude cut of seven minutes from Rocky III on which I was wanting to quit and skip. I didn’t get transmitted effect by these scenes and fights with Clubber Lang. When Apollo says to Rocky about losing of eye of the tiger, he makes unintentional bingo to Sylvester Stallone who lost it as a director.
It pressed by watching footage of newly edited scenes and documentary Keep Punching the Present Meets the Past. I didn’t like director’s cut with a title. Stallone used forty minutes of alternative footage and reedited scenes and by them was made drastically another film. It was choosing from disposal. Centralization on drama where somewhere returns tone of first and second films were disastrously incorrect for screenplay of this film and as continuation of Rocky III. Press conference with Creed and Drago became an awkward comedy by that. Russian itself in that moment gave to understand in lost of mystery and fear. I didn’t see anymore a machine implements the Soviet Union, which presents all it’s evil. Ivan Drago has ceased to be perceived as a formidable opponent. He became clown in drought match with Apollo, which lost dynamic as any fight here and as the film at whole. I didn’t believe in his cruel beating of Apollo and bringing to death by them where failure also in new variation of clash. And it isn’t due to absence of sound of his punches, which is element underlines Drago’s monstrous power. I like that original theatrical release demonstrates expression of human side Drago as his dazing in seeing the United States and where song Living in America describes a country. It’s true that a man from the Soviet Russia most likely would experience this. But initial Ivan Drago saved in release of 1985.
Watch of unseen before scenes as meeting Rocky with federation or who were these men by listening from them a collection of raw dialogs get explanations why they weren’t in original flick. Stallone left in sloppiness a scene on a ladder where characters magically in one shot change and repeat expressions and movements on faces. Played there Bill Conti’s music from Rocky I and II corroborated it’s in a wrong movie.
Stallone ruins ideal. He moved known scenes without energy. Personages talk needless words. Drago kill effect in saying “If he dies, he dies”, “Kusok zheleza” and “Dlya sebya” in added to them words. His more unnecessary talking collapses a character. Director’s cut saved my likeable episode with Duke where he wins in chess what adds a lot of understanding to personage and it does without words. Rocky’s speech in which announcer didn’t say “dollars” about twenty million in this time what I don’t think was in needless for rid, because it makes natural when heroes do misspell, but a boxer doesn’t touch in saying as it was before. I more would like that Stallone change “раз” (ruz) on “раунд”.
A longer scene with a crowd is one what I would like in original version. Stallone gives to feel an outbound hate in walking to a ring. I applaud to Sly for everything about Russians. He perfectly showed them. A behavior is absolutely to that crowd and talks of Nicoli Coloff by brilliant Michael Pataki who makes to think that he is actual Russian as, by the way, Stallone thought in casting him. This film is interesting to watch today, because Russia stubbornly didn’t change. They still don’t like when you want “Dlya sebya”.
New editing of fight is Drago beats Rocky, which made unreasonable a place for disappointing by Politburo and impossible to turn Moscow in “pro-Rocky”. Inner monologue in Rocky Balboa is right to be there, but not in match with Ivan Drago. I always astonish when Rocky makes a bruise to Drago. A moment in which I want to cry from happiness that “he’s not a machine” as says Duke. Then it goes to equal fight between opponents while Stallone in Rocky IV: Rocky vs Drago brings to sympathy to Drago. It’s impossible for me to have it to a merciless man who hadn’t regret about killing of Apollo Creed, which shows him a precisely Russian.
Eye of the Tiger by Survivor in the end puts in misunderstanding for what Stallone used it. Maybe he wants to say that it was about return of eye of the tiger what is absolutely senseless.