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MESSAGE IN THE MOVIES

It’s been over 45 years since heavyweight boxer Rocky Balboa went the distance against Apollo Creed. Although Rocky lost that fight, he eventually forged an alliance with Creed, and together the franchise has cranked out nine films. Apollo Creed lost his life in a brutal match against Russian fighter Ivan Drago in 1984’s Rocky IV, but the Creed name resurfaced in 2015 when we were introduced to Apollo’s son Adonis (“Donnie”). Each film in the series has had to come up with another reason to return to the ring for another major confrontation.

Creed III begins with a flashback depicting a youthful friendship between Donnie Creed (Thaddeus J. Mixson) and Damian (“Dame”) Anderson (Spence Moore II), buddies who share a love of boxing as well as a capacity to get into trouble with their fists. One night outside of a liquor store there is a violent confrontation with another person. The police are called to the scene. Adonis runs away to safety while Damian is arrested and sent to prison for 18 years.

Moving to the present day, Adonis Creed is retired from full-time boxing, enjoying a life of luxury running his Delphi Boxing Academy, while his wife Bianca (Tessa Thompson) is a famous singer, composer and record producer. Together they share in parenting their daughter Amara (Mila Davis-Kent).

Damian (Majors), newly released from prison, seeks out Adonis (Jordan) to help him restart the boxing career that was denied him while his friend rose to the heights of celebrity. Although Creed is blunt with Dame about the challenges of finding fame this late in life, he agrees to hook him up with a sparring partner in his gym to begin training.

The main plot of Creed III will reveal the secrets from the past that haunt both of these men and fuel their friendship and animosity. Eventually (through a series of far-fetched circumstances) Creed and Dame will be fighting each other for the World Heavyweight Boxing Championship in Dodger Stadium.

First-time director Jordan is able to elicit great performances from the entire cast and shoots the fight scenes in a way inspired from anime. However, the movie is poorly paced and the script does no one any favors, with Bianca’s career and Amara’s troubles in school (she gets into fights) highlighted only to be set aside. Creed III chooses to reveal the secrets of its backstory slowly over the course of the film, creating for me not only growing impatience but also eventual disinterest.

For a film that raises such themes as guilt and anger, Creed III bobs and weaves away from forgiveness and repentance as well as character development, becoming just one more entry in a franchise that has overstayed its welcome.

Halo and Pitchfork Rating:

Two halos: Marriage and family are positively represented in a film that otherwise shies away from moral clarity.
Three pitchforks: Brutal boxing violence; denial of sins of the past; some swearing in background music soundtrack.

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