Boxing is the business of a lifetime in «Creed II».»

Cinema Wednesdays - Loris S. Musumeci

«My son will break your foal.»

The light is light. The boxing gloves make a dry noise. The fight can begin. It's no longer the Soviet Drago fighting, but his son Viktor. It's no longer Rocky who steps into the ring, but the young Adonis Creed he's training. Thirty years earlier, Drago had killed Apollo Creed, Adonis' father, in a match. He was humiliated and unpopular as a result. Now he's come to reclaim his honor under the impressive build of his son Viktor, to face Adonis. Passions run high on both sides. But the fight must go ahead, to deal a final blow to the bitterness of each side's past. 

The latest instalment in the saga of the Rocky gives viewers, if not the emotion of the first film in the series, a humbly dignified conclusion to cinema's most legendary boxer. Creed II isn't a success in every respect, but it has character and, quite simply, it's gripping. As with the other seven films, the cinematography is very well done, though without achieving any particular feats. 

It's the lights in the ring and in the training rooms that have a stylish effect, hinting at the pain of those taking blows and the exhaustion of those inflicting them. Their contrast also makes for a fine on-screen spectacle, moving from the bluish glow of a locker room to near-exposure during the fight. The sound effects are a good complement to the mystery created by the image, sending out loud sounds when the gloves hit: the viewer is caught up in a noise that seems to surround him or her. 

The scenes in the ring are well done, and for this reason Creed II follows in the footsteps of its predecessors. Of course, critics will say that it's all getting a bit old, that the methods used to make combat more exciting are all too familiar. But so what? As long as the alternation between the speed of the blows and the slow motion of the falls works, why move on? I agree, it's not very original. In the meantime, the matches in the ring remain the highlight of the film. Another central point of the film's success is its all-American atmosphere, lulled by rap music and shots of Philadelphia or Los Angeles.

While it's true that the film struggles to get off the ground and loses its way a little in its speeches, becoming rather flat at times, the joy of reuniting with Sylvester Stallone overcomes everything. The other actors all do well, but he's mythical; each of his appearances in the film is expected as an assurance that this is going to be good. Drago's return is just as exciting: especially as we discover him in a different guise from that of the Russian villain. The man has lost everything, and delivers into the ring all that's left to him: his son Viktor, whose apparent bestiality rhymes with suffering and despair. Because boxing is the business of a lifetime.

«Now you know what you're fighting for.»

Write to the author: loris.musumeci@leregardlibre.com

Photo credit: © Warner Bros