a review of 奎迪

I've been a boxing aficionado since I was a kid, waking up in the middle of the night in the Netherlands to watch live Cassius Clay matches with my dad, a former amateur boxer who taught me a few moves. In the 1980s I watched Rocky and Rambo movies in local theatres. Stallone was a childhood hero of mine. With that background, I hesitated for a while to watch Creed, afraid of disillusionment. But Creed turned out to be a very sympathetic film, with a palpable chemistry between the actors, especially between Michael B. Jordan and Stallone. It felt good to see my childhood hero back, and seeing him as a fragile old man struck a sensitive chord, as my own old man has grown fragile along with him. I enjoyed Creed, and I actually found the big boxing match the least interesting part of the story, although it was captured in an immersive way that really pulled you into the fight. But the build-up of human relationships is the strongest part of Creed, with Stallone proving once again that he can act, contrary to what critics have always claimed.