History Film / RockyIV

** TrainingMontage: Rocky and Drago have [[ContrastMontage parallel training montages]] as Rocky works out in the brutal Russian winter and Drago works out inside a state-of-the-art gymnasium while receiving steroids. Nevertheless, Rocky's success in climbing a mountain while Drago quits on a heavily inclined treadmill shows that Rocky ultimately has greater heart.

* TrainingMontage: Arguably the most famous example from the franchise, Rocky trains in the cold Russian winter contrasted to Drago training in a top gym, taking the trope [[ExaggeratedTrope up-to-eleven]], if that's possible for the franchise. The montage foregoes the iconic ''Gonna Fly Now'' music, for the new and unique ''Hearts on Fire''. The ending moments include Rocky scaling up a mountain, while Drago runs on the treadmill. In the last seconds, Drago quits, while Rocky reaches the top and [[ItsPersonal screams Drago's name]], proving that he has just a little bit more willpower than the Russian.

* TrainingMontage: Arguably the most famous example from the franchise, Rocky trains in the cold Russian winter contrasted to Drago trains in a top gym, taking the trope [[ExaggeratedTrope up-to-eleven]], if that's possible for the franchise. The montage foregoes the iconic ''Gonna Fly Now'' music, for the new and unique ''Hearts on Fire''. The ending moments include Rocky scaling up a mountain, while Drago runs on the treadmill. In the last seconds, Drago quits, while Rocky reaches the top and [[ItsPersonal screams Drago's name]], proving that he has just a little bit more willpower than the Russian.

Preceded by ''Film/RockyIII''. The film's success led to a fifth entry, ''Film/RockyV'', released in 1990. Stallone later made a [[ReCut Director's Cut]] of the film, titled ''Rocky IV: Rocky vs. Drago'', which was released in theaters on November 11, 2021 and on digital platforms the next day.

* MoodWhiplash: Drago and Creed's fight begins with a ''five minute long'', ridiculously over-patriotic song-and-dance James Brown performance, one so ludicrous that even [[TheStoic Ivan Drago]] looks utterly bewildered... and ends with him beating Apollo to death.

Also of note are the film's heavy UsefulNotes/ColdWar themes, with patriotism for their country being a driving force for the main boxers, such that the final fight could be summed up more aptly by saying "America vs. Russia" rather than "Rocky vs. Drago".

** Koloff, Drago's handler, says before the bout with Apollo that Apollo is too old and isn't in proper condition to beat someone of Drago's physique and single-minded determination, and Apollo is putting himself in danger attempting to fight Drago. It's hard to say that he's anything but right, especially when one thinks realistically about what a long career in boxing like Apollo's [[DentedIron tends to do to fighters]], not to mention that attempting to jump back into the ring to face a younger boxer who has a big size and strength advantage without taking more time to sharpen his skills is foolish on Apollo's part. (The information later retroactively revealed in ''Film/{{Creed}}'' about Apollo's mid-life crisis and the distractions caused by issues such as the extramarital affair that led to the birth of Adonis only add to Koloff's point.) Apollo insists on going through with the fight immediately when even Rocky says perhaps they should do more to prepare and scout the Russian first, and during the bout Apollo's stubborn refusal to give up or let Rocky throw in the towel gets him killed in the ring.

* AnAssKickingChristmas: Rocky and Drago fight on December 25th.

** In classic ''Rocky'' fashion, any and all rules and regulations of boxing take a vacation at the end so that Rocky and Drago can pummel each other with life-or-death stakes on the line. Like the fights between Rocky and Apollo, the referee doesn't stop the fight due to massive cuts above the eye, despite the fact that Rocky and Drago's brows are openly bleeding and likely impairing their eyesight; in general, the fight would never be allowed to continue to the point that they'd be as badly hurt (even their midriffs are raw and bloody from body blows) as they were during the fight. Rocky's knockdowns alone would almost certainly lead to a stoppage and TKO, as Drago knocks him to the canvas no less than ''8 times'', sometimes twice or thrice in a row within what seem to be a handful of seconds. (And Rocky not even trying to block or dodge blows in between these knockdowns would only give the ref more cause to stop the bout). It's heavily implied that the Russian officials want to see Drago beat Rocky utterly, and won't accept anything less than Drago [=KOing=] Rocky (preferably with Rocky being knocked out cold and lying at Drago's feet while the ref counts to 10), but one has to imagine that even the most hardened Soviet ref given such instructions by a government representative would likely start looking for an excuse to call the match for Ivan somewhere by the middle of the match. Remember, Drago is an enormous national/propaganda hero promoted by the Soviet government itself, and the last thing the ref would want is his country's star asset getting brain damage or an internal hemorrhage fighting the crazy American on his watch. If the ref did let the fight go on and Drago started developing, say, bleeding on the brain and collapsed an hour after the match, the Soviet government would be ''furious''... and the ref might well be blamed for letting the fight go on until it happened.

* DenserAndWackier: The previous ''Rocky'' movies were generally realistic, down-to-Earth sports films. This one has an inexplicable RobotBuddy, a steroid enhanced Soviet SuperSoldier, Music/JamesBrown flamboyantly opening for Apollo Creed in place of the National Anthem, and Rocky solving the Cold War with a dramatic speech that makes the Soviet Union instant buddies with the USA.

* MoodWhiplash: Drago and Creed's fight begins with a ''five minute long'', ridiculously over-patriotic song-and-dance James Brown performance, one so ludicrous that even [[TheStoic Ivan Drago]] looks utterly bewildered... and ends with him beating Apollo to death.

* PropagandaPiece: The film is a particularly well-known example of anti-Soviet Cold War propaganda.

* AcceptableBreaksFromReality: There is surprisingly little talk about Drago's conduct in the match with Apollo, including how he blatantly pushed the referee out of the way to continue beating a helpless Apollo. In real life one would imagine that a Soviet fighter killing a beloved athlete who is the equivalent of Muhammad Ali in a public bout would have sparked widespread calls for Drago's arrest, diplomatic negotiation between the US and the Soviets over the matter,[[note]]The US and USSR ''did'' have an extradition agreement in place and several criminals were exchanged between both countries during the UsefulNotes/ColdWar, either directly or via Interpol. A high-profile figure like Drago would, however, end up the subject of ''intense'' diplomatic wrangling. Drago would be more likely to die of old age than to ever set foot in a US courtroom over a death in the boxing ring of another boxer who fully understood the risks of the sport.[[/note]] further diplomatic wrangling over Rocky's trip to Russia, including guarantees about the conditions for the bout, Rocky's safety and living conditions in preparation before the match (if nothing else, just to make sure the Soviets didn't immediately take Rocky hostage and attempt to use his capture to embarrass or gain leverage in world affairs with the US) and so on and so forth. Rocky most certainly couldn't make a surprise announcement that he was going to Russia and would be staying there for months prior to the bout without representatives from the US government sitting him down for a chat, nor could Adrian casually join him halfway through the training camp because she changed her mind and decided she wanted to be by his side. However, all that is not the story that the film wants to tell and would get in the way of the action. About the only nod to any of this is the fact the Soviet government likely insisted that the Rocky-Drago match be held in Russia so there would be no chance of Drago being arrested by Americans.

* {{Irony}}: Apollo tells Rocky he feels "born again"..[[spoiler: minutes before he's killed in the ring by Drago]].

* AcceptableBreaksFromReality: Subverted. Ivan Drago blatantly pushed the referee away during the fight in which Apollo loses his life. He obviously should have been arrested and charged with manslaughter, at the least. However, being from the Soviet Union, the United States chose to let him walk free, rather than risk WorldWarIII and/or a Class 2 Main/ApocalypseHow over a boxer.[[note]]The prospect of WorldWarIII would have been unlikely in this case, as the US and USSR ''did'' have an extradition agreement in place and several criminals were exchanged between both countries during the UsefulNotes/ColdWar, either directly or via Interpol. A high-profile figure like Drago would, however, end up the subject of intense diplomatic wrangling. Drago would be more likely to die of old age than to ever set foot in a US courtroom over a death in the boxing ring of another boxer who fully understood the risks of the sport. He would, however, likely have been permanently banned from boxing anywhere within the influence of the USA, and might have to be worried about being forcibly arrested by American agents and taken to the United States for trial should he ever set foot outside the confines of the Soviet Union.[[/note]] Which explains why the Russians insisted that the match with Rocky take place in Russia.

** In classic ''Rocky'' fashion, any and all rules of regulation boxing take a vacation at the end so that Rocky and Drago can pummel each other with life-or-death stakes on the line. Like the fight against Apollo, the referee doesn't stop over cuts above the eye, despite the fact that Rocky and Drago's brows are openly bleeding and likely impairing their eyesight; in general, the fight would never be allowed to continue to the point that they'd be that hurt (with even their midriffs raw and bloody from body blows). Rocky's knockouts alone would lead to a stop and TKO, with Drago hurling him to the canvas no less than ''8 times'', sometimes twice or thrice in a row within what seem to be a handful of seconds (and with Rocky not even trying to block or dodge). It's implied that the Russian officials, wanting to see Drago beat Rocky utterly, won't accept anything less than a KO by loss of consciousness, but even the most hardened Soviet ref -- with his career and even well-being on the line -- would likely call for Ivan just so their star asset didn't get brain damage or an internal hemorrhage fighting the crazy American.

* BullyingTheDragon: When Drago starts losing to Rocky, his livid handler lays into him, even shoving him in the face. [[DeathGlare He gets about two seconds to]] [[OhCrap realise what a big mistake this was]] before getting thrown across the stadium by the neck.
* CasualtyInTheRing: [[spoiler:Rocky returns to the fold to avenge Apollo Creed, after Ivan Drago kills Apollo in the ring.]]

* DeadlySparring: What starts as a simple exhibition match between Apollo Creed and [[ColdWar Soviet]] boxer Ivan Drago gets serious when Drago starts [[CurbStompBattle really laying into him]]. Despite this, Creed [[HonorBeforeReason refuses to throw in the towel,]] [[spoiler:leading to [[CasualtyInTheRing his death]].]]
* DeathGlare: Rocky gives one to Drago after Drago kills Apollo. Drago gives one back at their rematch.

* DenserAndWackier: The previous ''Rocky'' movies were generally realistic, down-to-Earth sports films. This one has an inexplicable RobotBuddy, a genetically-engineered Soviet SuperSoldier, Music/JamesBrown flamboyantly opening for Apollo Creed in place of the National Anthem, and Rocky solving the Cold War with a dramatic speech that makes the Soviet Union instant buddies with the USA.

* KickTheDog: Drago shows no remorse for killing Apollo, what prevented him from crossing the MoralEventHorizon is that he's doing it all for his country and that he shows respect to Rocky in the end of the fight.

* MoodWhiplash: Drago and Creed's fight begins with a ''five minute long'', ridiculously over-patriotic song-and-dance James Brown performance, one so ludicrous that even [[TheStoic Ivan Drago]] looks utterly bewildered...and ends with him beating Apollo to death.

** Subverted and played straight in a single scene where Rocky helps a peasant farmer whose sleigh is stuck in the snow. The man shows gratitude and they seem to bond slightly in a help a stranger in need scenario. However the government officials watching the whole thing make no effort to assist in any way.

** Apollo's showboating and attempted intimidation of Drago by exposing him to a ridiculously overblown introduction -- complete with Music/JamesBrown -- arguably results in the Russians intimidating Rocky during the match in Russia, with the incredibly dramatic Soviet anthem and portrait of Drago being unveiled.

** A subtle one right before Apollo fights Drago, where he tries to intimidate him by slamming down on his fists from above and Drago's hands ''don't move a millimetre.''
*** Apollo's reaction shows that he is suddenly aware that he's in some trouble.

** When Drago's promoter tears into him mid-match, Drago towers over him lividly, giving him just enough time to realise he's made a ''big'' mistake before getting grappled by the throat.

* ProductPlacement: Everyone (including the Soviets!) wears Adidas sportswear.

* SilentSnarker: During the prefight trash talk with Creed, Drago's the only one to catch on that the argument between his handler and Creed is simple TrashTalk to psych each other out and simply pushes Creed as his own way of snarking back.

* TrainingFromHell: Both Ivan and Drago go through one for the final bout, pushing themselves to their absolute limits. Ivan at one point is nearly in tears due to the stress and collapses at the end.

** As the Soviets themselves mention, Apollo isn't in proper condition to beat someone of Drago's physique and single-minded determination, and that he could learn a painful lesson attempting to fight Drago, between a lengthy absence from the ring and the fact that (as retroactively revealed in ''Film/{{Creed}}'') he's been going through a mid-life crisis, which has resulted in him conceiving Adonis through an extramarital affair. [[spoiler:Apollo's stubborn refusal to give up or let Rocky throw in the towel gets him killed in the ring.]]
*** During the same interview, Apollo and his friends make several jokes at Drago's expense. When Drago's wife says that Drago didn't come here to lose, the lighthearted atmosphere immediately becomes more tense and Ludmilla accuses Apollo of being hostile and aggressive. The problem is that she's right. The moment she says that Drago will win, Apollo immediately becomes more hostile, which in turn causes the Russian party to become more hostile.
** Regarding the Apollo-Drago bout, Ludmilla shames the Americans for trying to turn the match into a [[InternationalShowdownByProxy personal/political matter]], which is accurate. When Drago, the neutral (if self-assured) party, is raised into the ring, he gets mercilessly booed as if he's a ForeignWrestlingHeel, whereas [[PatrioticFervor Apollo enters on a giant bull sculpture to deafening cheers and James Brown himself singing "Living in America"]]. [[spoiler:After Apollo's death, she hints that they've been receiving hate mail and death threats, undoubtedly stoked by the way the American media covered the story and Apollo and company hyped it.]]
* VoiceForTheVoiceless: [[SubvertedTrope Not that Ivan never speaks]], but Ludmilla speaks for him when she needs to, mostly when in front of the press.

-->'''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyWx1CkMTtI Phillip Wismer (historian)]]:''' Creed is clearly exhausted by the dance number he did with James Brown five minutes earlier, and before the second round is over...''[shrugs]'' [[CasualtyInTheRing that’s it]].

--> '''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyWx1CkMTtI Phillip Wismer, political historian]]''': "And who could have predicted that this relatively inarticulate rambling at the end of a boxing match would go down as one of the most important speeches of the 20th century?"

[[JustForFun/TheOneWith The one where]] Rocky wins the Cold War.

[[JustForFun/TheOneWith The one where]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyWx1CkMTtI Rocky wins the Cold War.]]

** The only ''Rocky'' movie composed by Vince [=DiCola=]. As such, the song "Gonna Fly Now" isn't heard.