The true purpose of any directors cut is to improve upon the original version of the film, that might've been compromised in order to deliver a more commercialized version to audiences. In the case of Rocky IV, franchise star and director Sylvester Stallone takes the series most commercially successful entry which initially received a critical drubbing, and releases a new version that adds 40 minutes of additional footage, making it a superior cut to the one that came out c 37 years prior. Now titled Rocky VS. Drago, the newest cut takes what was essentially viewed as being an unnecessary entry in the series and turns it into one of the series best.
Rocky VS. Drago's plot has Rocky Balboa going up against the Soviet Union's 6ft Russian boxer named Ivan Drago, after witnessing his former rival turned friend Apollo Creed, killed in a previous boxing match with Drago. Feeling guilt for not intervening, Balboa decides to avenge his friends death by challenging Ivan to a boxing match in the Soviet Union. One of the theatrical cuts main issues despite being entertaining, always stemmed from the lack of emotion that it carried. Here, Stallone rectifies that problem with the directors cut having more of an emotional core to it. This time, the friendship between Rocky and Apollo is deepened along with his death being more impactful. Gone from this cut are the questionably cheesy elements like the subplot between Paulie and his robot, SICO. With the changes Stallone gives in the new version, the narrative feels more focused and the hits carry a deeper impact with the experience ultimately being a rewarding one.
One key area that improves over the theatrical version are the actors performances. Both Stallone and Carl Weathers are stronger here with the former portraying a more remorseful Balboa, who feels guilt for not throwing in the towel to prevent his friends death. The eliminating of old scenes and the adding of newer ones makes their friendship feel more genuine, almost on a brotherly level essentially. Talia Shire is solid as Adrian with Dolph Lundgren receiving more lines here as Drago, making him feel less like a Schwarzenegger type cyborg and more of a person whose a product of the system that bred him into a fighter encouraged to commit cold-blooded murder. Of all the actors that experienced changes in the newer cut, Burt Young does well as Paulie despite losing his arc with SICO, yet maintains his more serious moments including his heartfelt monologue to Rocky before his fight with Drago. Though he has less screentime this round, his character still remains effective nonetheless.
Stallone's directing remains identical to the theatrical cut despite minimal changes. One example is Rocky driving and having flashbacks to the previous Rocky films with the song No Easy Way Out playing in the background. Whereas the original version has the flashbacks in color, the newest one plays them in black-and-white which proves more effective. Another change that works here, is the switching of the opening scenes. Instead of the old version replaying Rocky defeating Clubber Lang and fulfilling Apollo's favor of a private rematch, the new opening shows Rocky losing to Lang the first match and feeling the defeat only to win the rematch with Apollo's help. Like the theatrical cut, both versions of Rocky IV remain fast-paced with the newest version clocking in at 94 minutes, compared to the originals 92 minutes. Stallone also incorporates some of the more quieter and emotional music from the previous Rocky films to further enhance the emotional scenes, while also adding in new shots during the boxing scenes, particularly Creed and Drago's that makes it feel more brutal this time around. With the directors cut, Stallone doesn't waste the opportunity issues that he had with the original cut while making good scenes stronger.
The writing for Rocky VS. Drago feels more straight-forward and connects with Creed ll in a more significant way than before. The audience better understands the sacrifice that Apollo and Rocky made in challenging Drago. The latter also has a stronger first presence in the film that gives him a Frankenstein-type vibe, while also playing into the dated 80's Cold-War image of the perfect super soldier. The newer cut definitely carries a heavier U.S.A VS. Russia political undertone with Creed first seeing the announcement of Drago wishing to seek the boxing championship title, and feeling obliged to challenge him in a fight. The little changes made between Rocky and Apollo's dynamic really go a long way of making Creed's death more impactful, along with the inclusion of Adrian encouraging Rocky to not back the fight with Creed also adding to the guilt that Balboa feels later in the series.
Given the recent tensions between the U.S. and Russia, one can see Stallone's reasoning behind revisiting this Rocky installment. The directors cut isn't without its flaws such as the editing feeling a bit choppy at times with key characters now receiving a shortage of screentime (Rocky's son and Paulie). How much one enjoys the newly improved version of the Rocky IV will depend on their liking of the previous one. If one found themselves enjoying the theatrical version despite its imperfections, then they'll be shocked to discover that the directors cut is even better. However, if one found Rocky IV to be a completely unnecessary sequel in the series that contributes to the franchises diminishing returns, then the their feelings will remain the same. It's clear upon watching this version that Stallone wasn't satisfied with the original cut, and sought to improve that as best as he could. He succeeds mostly in crafting a newer film that stands closer to the previous installments, while fixing the problem of the original cut being emotionally bankrupt. This time when Rocky defeats Drago and gives his big speech about people changing and walks off to Eye Of The Tiger playing in the background, it means something with the franchise ultimately being better for it.
Final Verdict: For both Rocky and Creed fans, Rocky VS. Drago is a must see experience that turns a flawed sequel into a good one.
Images Courtesy Of MGM
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