For the last half of the century, when it comes to hardcore, and sometimes, visceral action, the man that the industry turned towards was Sylvester Stallone, and rightfully so. Setting an example for Hollywood when it comes to action, the star made some of the most iconic action films known to mankind.
But somewhere along the way, the star also gave us some very emotional performances that made an impression on the audience. The best example of this is the story of Rocky V, where the narrative about the titular protagonist’s relationship with his son Richard reflected the star’s personal relationship with his real-life son Sage Stallone.
The Story Of Rocky V Was A Refection Of Sylvester Stallone’s Personal Life With His Son
Throughout his professional life, he was hailed as one of the biggest and best action stars Hollywood had ever seen, and Sylvester Stallone maintained that image all the way through his prime. But one thing that he couldn’t live up to was being a present father for his Late son Sage Stallone while he was growing up.
Thus, he tried to make good on his responsibility in the fifth installment of his iconic Rocky franchise as the story was inspired by his real-life father-son relationship.
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In his recently released documentary film titled Sly, Stallone recalled his underdog story from rags to riches, and also the creation of the Rocky and Rambo series, two of the most iconic franchises in action cinema today. He stated that while Rocky was somehow inspired by his life, the fifth film was a direct connection to his relationship with his son Sage Stallone, who also played Rocky Balboa Jr. in the aforementioned film.
He revealed that just like the film, he couldn’t provide all of his attention and care to his son’s growth due to his career, and the film was a way of bridging that distance between the two of them. He said:
“I try to take something that actually is what I wish I had done in real life, but I wasn’t able to do that in reality,”
The film was especially emotional for the Rambo star as in 2012, Stallone’s son died at the age of 36 due to coronary artery disease. Thus, we hope that they managed to bridge that gap.
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What Was The Story Of Rocky V?
The film was brutal for the character of Rocky Balboa, as this time, his opponent wasn’t another fighter, but life and hard times themselves.
After losing his wealth, the star returns to his roots, and decides to make a comeback as a trainer of the new and upcoming fighter Tommy Gunn. But training him isn’t easy, especially when his personal life is in disarray as his relationship with his son deteriorates because he isn’t able to give his attention and care to him, making Jr. go down the wrong path.
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Sly, streaming on Netflix.
