Starring: Michael B Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Jonathan Majors, Wood Harris, Mila Davis-Kent, Phylicia Rashad
Runtime: 116 mins. Reviewed in Mar 2023
Reviewer: Fr Peter Malone msc
| 
| 
Ninth film in the Rocky tradition and the third in the Creed franchise. Donnie, world heavyweight champion, is challenged by a friend from a troubled past.
Creed III already. We now have a Creed franchise. And, of course, we remember that this is the continuation of the Rocky franchise (in fact, the ninth film). There is an acknowledgement of this in some remarks during this film about Rocky and the battle with Apollo Creed. And Sylvester Stallone himself receives credits, as a producer, and “based on characters created by”. We also remember that in the first Creed film, Rocky was Adonis Creed’s trainer.
With the background established, how does the present film go? A thumbnail review would read: what the audience expected, what the audience gets.
By now, Adonis (Donnie) Creed has established himself as world champion. As played by Jordan, Creed is a sympathetic character whom we have cheered on. Some years have passed, and Creed runs a gym, is successful – wealthy, living in a mansion, sponsored by big companies (a huge billboard with him wearing Ralph Lauren clothes – Ralph Lauren supplying his wardrobe for the film), happily living with his composer, music-producing wife, Bianca (Thompson) and their daughter, Amara. Amara is sweetness and light but also packs a heavy punch, definitely her father’s daughter. She is hearing-impaired so there is a lot of signing as parents communicate with her and she responds to them.
There is a flashback near the beginning, with 16-year-old Donnie getting out of his mother’s house at night, accompanying his friend Dame, to an underground boxing bout, and Dame winning the Golden Globes competition by knockout. But, before returning home, he is confronted by a figure from the past and punches him out. The sequence will be later explained and amplified with its consequences.
But, in the present, all is well except that his mother (TV veteran Rashad), has had a stroke and her health is precarious despite her determination.
Then, one day, Dame reappears after 18 years in prison, and Donnie not immediately recognising him. There are the tensions from the past, Dame in prison, Donnie escaping and despite Dame writing letters, no response from Donnie. So, some scenes of re-establishing contact, visits to his home, a social at a record label party…
But, Dame has not lost his ambitions, wanting a tilt at world heavyweight champion, challenging Felix, Hispanic boxer, urge upon by determined mother, who trains with Donnie and Duke (Harris). So, then we know where the film is going, what we expect and what we get.
Lots of collages of training after Dame wins the world title, confronting Donnie, and preparations for the final confrontation. And, since Donnie is in Los Angeles and not in Philadelphia like Rocky, he runs up the Hollywood Hills, above the Hollywood sign and bellows loudly.
Majors is Dame – coming just after his persuasive turn as Kang in Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
So, this is definitely a film for boxing fans, with some human interest throughout as well as the dramatic challenge. The climax, is again of course, the final confrontation, filmed realistically, sometimes surreally with the auditorium empty, the boxing ring seeming to float on clouds.
Where to? How can they invent Creed IV, after this episode ends with a humane touch and possible reconciliations.
12 Random Films…
