#7 - Beyond the Ring: The Human Struggle in Rocky IV
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Beyond the Ring: The Human Struggle in Rocky IV
To watch Rocky IV, whose music playlist has fueled many of my workouts, is to engage with a multifaceted depiction of humanity’s eternal confrontation with adversity, identity, and purpose. What initially presents itself as a mere sports drama quickly transforms into a study of philosophical and emotional landscapes-despite it's lackluster rotten tomatoes score. It is a work that thrives not just in the sweat and fury of the boxing ring, but in its ability to reflect on the deeper questions: What does it mean to fight for more than oneself? To face a seemingly insurmountable force and still step forward? Stallone’s Rocky IV transcends its Cold War-era political backdrop to become a timeless meditation on the indomitable human spirit.
The Machine vs. the Man
Central to the narrative is the juxtaposition of two figures: Ivan Drago, a monument of Soviet mechanization, and Rocky Balboa, the underdog personification of grit and heart. Drago’s infamous declaration, “I must break you,” encapsulates the cryptic, deterministic ethos of a force designed purely for conquest. He is less a man than a symbol of the mechanical brute, lacking the nuance of individuality. Yet, within his expressionless façade lies a critique of systems that obliterate humanity in favor of efficiency and power.
Rocky, by contrast, is a man deeply entrenched in the vulnerabilities and contradictions of human nature. His training montage—arguably the beating heart of the film—is a visual essay on resilience. Where Drago trains in sterile, calculated conditions under the watchful eyes of scientists, Rocky grapples with the raw, untamed wilderness. Each pull of the sled, each climb through the snow-laden mountains, underscores the film’s assertion: to be human is to thrive not because of one's environment but often despite it. It is a metaphorical climb, an Odyssean journey to a higher state of being where the individual, through sheer will, defies the predestination of his circumstances.
Apollo’s Fall: Catalyst of the Human Spirit
The death of Apollo Creed, flamboyant and venerable, carries the gravity of classical tragedy. Creed, embodying the archetype of the fallen hero, is not simply defeated but annihilated by Drago in a way that feels less like a fight and more like a commentary on the fragility of humanity and masculine pride in the face of overwhelming force. His death is not merely an event; it is a call to action-an inflection point that echoes through Rocky’s psyche. Like me when I saw my Stat 3090 Exam 3 Grade.
In Apollo’s final moments, we see the human desire for agency even in the shadow of inevitability. “Don’t stop the fight,” he implores—a phrase that encapsulates the human refusal to retreat in the face of mortality. Creed dies not just as a man but as a representation of what it means to embrace the fight, knowing full well the cost. This moment propels Rocky into his own confrontation with mortality, destiny, and, ultimately, the question of what is worth fighting for.
The Political Tapestry
Though Rocky IV situates itself firmly in the throes of Cold War tension, its narrative transcends the era’s reductive dichotomy of East vs. West. The film presents nationalism and ideology not as endpoints but as forces that shape the motivations of its characters. The American Dream, for Rocky, is less about patriotism than it is about the perseverance of the individual spirit against collective oppression.
Drago, conversely, begins as a weapon of the Soviet state—stripped of autonomy and personhood, he is a pawn in a larger game. Yet, his quiet rebellion in the climactic fight, signified by his declaration, “I fight for me,” signals an awakening. Drago, despite his mechanized upbringing, experiences a human moment, breaking the chains of his puppet masters much like Plato’s cave dwellers stepping into the light.
Training Montage: A Visual Philosophy
The training montage is not mere cinematic spectacle; it is a didactic performance, an allegory for transformation. Through juxtaposition, it highlights the divergent paths of mechanization versus organic struggle. Where Drago embodies perfection of form but sterility of spirit, Rocky demonstrates the chaotic, unrefined power of resilience. The logs he lifts, the mountains he climbs, and the snow he plows are all reflections of humanity’s primal connection to the earth and the self.
In many ways, the montage mirrors Dante’s ascent out of Hell in The Inferno. Each exertion, each rep, is a step toward salvation—a reaffirmation of what it means to rise above brute instinct. The human experience, Stallone seems to argue, is not defined by perfection but by the messy, laborious process of self-actualization.
The Climactic Fight: Defying Determinism
The final bout is less about fists than it is about philosophies colliding. Drago, towering and almost otherworldly, stands as an embodiment of Nietzsche’s Übermensch—an ideal stripped of compassion and weakness. Rocky, bruised and battered, is the antithesis: an imperfect but unwavering force of will. The fight becomes a microcosm of human existence, where each punch is an act of defiance against a world that often feels immovable.
In a moment of profound cinematic irony, it is Drago, not Rocky, who delivers one of the film’s most human lines: “He’s not human; he’s like a piece of iron.” This inadvertent compliment reveals Drago’s dawning awareness of what truly defines strength—not the absence of weakness but the ability to endure in its presence.
Final Reflections: A Unified Humanity
The speech Rocky delivers after his victory encapsulates the thematic heart of the film. “If I can change, and you can change, everybody can change!” It is not a platitude but an assertion that growth, understanding, and reconciliation are universally attainable. The speech, often derided for its simplicity, is in fact a culmination of Rocky’s journey—his moment of refracting his light on the world, much like Oedipa Mass in The Crying of Lot 49.
The ending of Rocky IV reminds us that to be human is to strive for something greater, even when the odds are stacked against us. Whether we are pulling sleds through the snow, climbing mountains, or standing in the ring against giants, the journey to overcome—not others but ourselves—is what makes us truly alive.
In the shadow of Apollo’s fall, the wilderness of Rocky’s training, and the clash of philosophies in the ring, Rocky IV emerges as more than a sports film. It is a timeless narrative about the human spirit’s ability to transcend boundaries, break chains, and reach beyond its limits. It dares us, like Rocky, to face our own mountains, our own Dragos, and to keep fighting, not for victory, but for the journey itself.
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