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Rocky IV

year 1985decade 80sdirector Sylvester Stallonegenre Dramagenre Sports

91 minutes (theatrical cut)93 minutes (director's cut)

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Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Sylvester Stallone Robert "Rocky" Balboa
Talia Shire Adrian Pennino Balboa
Burt Young Paulie Pennino
Carl Weathers Apollo Creed
Brigitte Nielsen Ludmilla Vobet Drago
Dolph Lundgren Captain Ivan Drago
Tony Burton Tony "Duke" Evers
Michael Pataki Nicolai Koloff
Rocky Krakoff Rocky Balboa Jr.
David Lloyd Austin Mikhail Gorbachev

Rocky IV | The Rewatchables

host Bill Simmonshost Cousin Salhost Kyle Brandt
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Producer credits not yet identified.

Casting What-Ifs

No casting what-if was found; Peter Cetera’s rejected “Glory of Love” end-credit song was preserved as adjacent production history.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:09:49Read transcript
  • The hosts explicitly reported finding no casting alternatives.
  • “Glory of Love” was written for this ending before being rejected and used in The Karate Kid Part II.

Recasting Couch

A mid-1980s Arnold Schwarzenegger as Ivan Drago was proposed and rejected as too famous and too competitive with Stallone.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:13:44Read transcript
  • Arnold’s accent and star power made him an intriguing proposed Drago.
  • The Stallone–Arnold rivalry likely made the proposed casting impossible.

Half-Assed Internet Research

Research covered real punches and injuries, the Weathers–Lundgren dispute, Italian dubbing, shooting locations, and Tony Burton’s chess strength.

In the discussion (9)
Approx. transcript time · 01:14:19Read transcript
  • Stallone and Lundgren agreed to hit each other for real.
  • Lundgren’s chest punch caused Stallone’s heart to swell against his breastbone.
  • Stallone’s blood pressure exceeded 200 and he was airlifted from Canada to a Santa Monica hospital.
  • Carl Weathers nearly left after Lundgren threw him too hard.
  • Filming stopped for four days while Stallone brokered a reconciliation.
  • The Italian “I break you in two” translation became a common phrase.
  • The Russia training scenes were filmed in Wyoming.
  • The Moscow fight was filmed at Vancouver’s PNE Agrodome.
  • Tony Burton was a strong chess player who reportedly beat Stanley Kubrick on The Shining set.

Picking Nits

Possible charges for Drago, Paulie’s sobriety, Soviet eligibility, the deleted title-belt scene, broken chronology, and lack of ringside doctors were questioned.

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 01:25:07Read transcript
  • Whether Drago could face manslaughter charges for Apollo’s death was debated.
  • Paulie’s apparently improved control of his drinking was left unexplained.
  • A Soviet heavyweight would not have been allowed to box professionals during the Cold War.
  • The deleted boxing-board scene left Rocky’s title surrender unexplained.
  • Apollo’s stated five-year retirement conflicts with the timing of Rocky’s marriage and rematch.
  • Rocky Jr. ages implausibly across Rocky IV and Rocky V.
  • The exhibition inexplicably lacked a visible fight doctor.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Questions covered exhibition rules and betting lines, the mountain, Ludmilla’s swimming career, bromance history, an Adrian plane-crash rewrite, scorecards, and punch statistics.

In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 01:29:37Read transcript
  • How many rounds was the Creed–Drago exhibition supposed to last?
  • The hosts estimated betting lines for Creed–Drago, Rocky–Apollo, and Rocky–Drago.
  • How high was Rocky’s mountain and how would he return safely?
  • Was Ludmilla a steroid-using champion swimmer?
  • Was Rocky and Apollo’s relationship the original movie bromance?
  • Would the movie improve if the KGB shot down Adrian’s flight to Russia?
  • What was the score heading into round fifteen, given all the knockdowns?
  • Reported punch counts underscored how unrealistic the final fight was.

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