"One Step At A Time. One Punch A Time. One Round At A Time..."
If last year's Southpaw was an example of cinematic cliches at his finest when it comes to live-action takes on the world of boxing, then the return of Philadelphia's finest in Creed proves that the final nail in the coffin is not entirely sealed in place within both live-action takes on the sport itself and the everlasting Rocky series in which many thought had died all those years ago with the less-than impressive Rocky V. Then Rocky Balboa happened and everyone suddenly pricked up their ears again, wondering whether there was still life in the old dog yet. Now we have Creed, the second feature from director Ryan Coogler, the man behind the critically acclaimed Fruitvale Station and the upcoming Marvel addition, Black Panther, who, reunited with Michael B. Jordan, has succeeded in regaining popular interest within the land of The Italian Stallion through the age-old winner of adding deep substance over style, with Creed being a exciting and engaging sports drama which attempts to delve deeper into the characters rather than focus detrimentally on that of the sport and the twelve rounds that tend to follow.
Estranged from birth from his biological father Apollo Creed, Adonis "Donnie" Johnson (Jordan) is eager to follow in his deceased fathers' footsteps without the need to rely on his fathers' reputation to gain success and exposure. Travelling from Los Angeles to Philadelphia, Donnie locates the aged Rocky Balboa (Stallone) and asks to be trained and supervised under his arm. After success at a local fight, Donnie's hidden identity as a Creed is revealed, resulting in a chance to fight the fiery "Pretty" Ricky Conlan (Tony Bellew), the world light heavyweight champion, yet Donnie's initial enthusiasm slowly turns to reluctance in fear of damaging the reputation of his father as well as letting down the one man his father new best, Rocky Balboa. Where Creed ultimately succeeds is in its' similarity to the formula used to make Rocky II, which happens to be my own personal favourite in the entire Rocky canon, with the dramatic final fight being possibly the greatest to be seen throughout the series so far. Adding to the drama of the first sequel within the series is a deeper sense of characterisation and a tightly woven comedic element that was strangely absent from its' predecessor and it is these elements that Creed seems to abide by in its' many successes. Interesting characters with complex emotions, a desire to channel between the dark and light subject matters, and two fights that earn the right to be shown on the biggest screen possible. It's cinematic sport at its' peak.
Although fundamentally a Rocky flick, the films' core is with the rising star that is Michael B. Jordan, an actor who after tasting success with HBO's The Wire has gone on to much bigger things, although not always good, with last years' Fantastic Four being a triumphant disaster, yet his performance in Creed is that of a man who has taken his character to heart, using the big emotional speeches to enhance an understanding of a character who without a father figure in his life has attempted to form his own fate. Add into the mix Sly Stallone as the ever-aging Balboa, and the films' father figure is presented, with the relationship between the two being ultimately the cornerstone of the movie with arguably the sport coming second. Is Creed the best film in the Rocky canon? Arguably, with its' reliance on similarity, particularly in the fundamentally limited conclusions that can occur within a boxing match, being the one major criticism, as harsh as that ultimately sounds, yet that alone does not thwart the chance that Creed is perhaps the single greatest sports film of the last few years. Welcome back Italian Stallion.
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