Creed III
The “Rocky” and “Creed” movies have always excelled when the characters are front and center. With the first two “Creed” films, we got a great arc about legacy and forgiveness as we followed Adonis Creed, the illegitimate son of Apollo Creed, to the heights of the boxing world. At the same time, however, Rocky Balboa was always just right of frame, haunting over the story. Now, Adonis is on his own, fighting his own past when he’s on top of the world. As he steps into the spotlight of the story, Michael B. Jordan also takes his cues from Sylvester Stallone, directing this new story of Adonis Creed, and he knocks it out.
“Creed III” begins in 2002, with a young Adonis sneaking out to go to a Golden Glove boxing match with his best friend, Damian Anderson. After Damian is victorious, they stop to get something to eat and drink, and Adonis recognizes a man from his and Damian’s past. He starts to fight the man, and it’s not long before the cops come, and Damian is in jail. Damian had dreams of being the best boxer in the world, which Adonis has achieved for himself. Eighteen years later, Adonis (Jordan) has retired after a title match in Africa to be with his wife, Bianca (Tessa Thompson), and their daughter, Amara (Mila Davis-Kent, who is a scene-stealer and a firecracker). As Adonis is settling into retirement, Damian (Jonathan Majors) gets out of jail with a massive chip on his shoulder. Adonis wants to help Damian, but it’s not long before he realizes that that might not have been the best thing to do.
Even with a different protagonist, there’s a formula to these movies that is hard to get away from. The screenplay by Keenan Coogler and Zach Baylin understands the formula innately and leans into the elements that have always been effective in it- the training montage, the fights, the emphasis on underdogs- but it also gives room for these characters to grow. If the film just focused on the dynamic between Adonis and Damian, that would be enough, but I love the way Bianca and Amara are part of the film’s larger narrative about Adonis feeling the need to keep himself closed off, and how being behind the scenes impacts both people. After he retires, Adonis looks to mentor the new generation, and becomes a promoter; meanwhile, Bianca has become a producer, giving up the limelight of performing to preserve what she can of her hearing to be with her family. This is not the same thing as Rocky and Adrien; if anything, it’s deeper, because these two have been evolving throughout this series. Jordan and Thompson are absolutely wonderful together, and with Bianca pushing Adonis to open up, and Adonis supporting Bianca, being comfortable being married to a successful woman, happy in her success. Add to that some very moving moments for Phylicia Rashad and the emotional core of Adonis’s arc is well-balanced.
I saw someone say that they didn’t get the appeal of Jonathan Majors online recently, and while I disagree completely, I also kind of get it. He’s got a swagger to him that is just fascinating, and doesn’t really allow for much vulnerability to go on display unless it’s calculated. But that’s what makes the best moments of emotion he has in this or “The Harder They Fall” or “Devotion” or “The Last Black Man in San Francisco” land the way they do. By the trailers, we know that Damian is going to be the antagonist, but we understand why Adonis is drawn into wanting to help him anyway. That’s where Major’s swagger is so dangerous. When he turns heel, it can be cartoonish to a degree, but watching he and Jordan go at it is a matchup you don’t want to miss.
As a director, Jordan excels at the visual aspects of this story- especially in the ring- and leans a lot on his actors and their natural abilities in the quieter moments. In the ring, we get dynamic fight scenes that feel inspired by everything from the earlier films in this franchise to “Raging Bull” to Guy Ritchie’s “Sherlock Holmes.” The final fight is one for the record books in how he uses it to get to the emotions that drive these characters. I feel like Adonis’s story is done here, but I hope Jordan’s career behind the camera is just getting started.
