Rocky 4 was the highest grossing film in the Rocky series, and while not my favourite of the films a lot of fans have a soft spot for that one. When Sylvester Stallone announced he was doing a directors cut of the film i was immediately interested to see what that would look like. Tonally Sly has gone for a more serious aspect, getting rid of all the robot scenes and building up Adrian's scenes more which actually works quite well. The scene of Apollo and Rocky in the mansion garden is also a good addition. Also extended is Apollo's funeral with Duke (Tony Burton) giving an impassioned speech. The boxing matches also feel more realistic with sound effects dampened down and Apollo putting up more of a fight. Rocky's final speech is also less cheesy than the original. All that being said this version doesn't flow as well as the original cut. We have too much of Rocky 3 at the beginning and some of the newer scenes are quite short and feel like they should have been prolonged but i guess the material wasn't there to do this. The original Rocky 4 was a real adrenaline shot of a film fuelled by montages for the MTV generation, the directors cut just doesn't have the same fire. In conclusion i am glad we have the directors cut of the film because if you are in a more "serious" Rocky mood this may be the cut you put on, but ultimately for me personally the original just tops this version.
Rocky IV: Rocky vs. Drago - The Ultimate Director's Cut
(2021 TV Special)
Rocky 4 The Serious Cut
17 September 2023
Warning: Spoilers