Film Buffa: 'Creed III' provides an authentic boxing experience

A confident directorial debut from Michael B. Jordan, as he takes over the reigns from Ryan Coogler and Sylvester Stallone.

Some stories get old, even in the movies. You begin to see repetition instead of inspiration, and the great moments start to look like relics. But nine movies in, the Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed story continues to evolve.

You can’t really discuss one without the other, flawed pugilist rivals-turned-best friends, both so brilliantly portrayed by Sylvester Stallone and Carl Weathers, respectively. The poignant stroke of genius first pushed forward by Ryan Coogler back in 2015 wryly transferred the focus from Balboa to Creed with the introduction of Adonis Creed.

Passionately portrayed by Michael B. Jordan, he teamed up with Stallone-who gave an Oscar-nominated performance in Coogler’s Creed-for one excellent movie and a decent if serviceable sequel a few years later.

Creed III returns the franchise to greatness with a confident and highly entertaining film, directed by Jordan. The story takes a dive into Adonis’ past, one that was heavily connected at one time to his best friend, Damian (Jonathan Majors). Teenage Adonis and Damian have an unfortunate incident, and their lives are changed forever.

Adonis eventually found his grandmother, Balboa, the love of his life, and massive success. Damian’s life went the other way, starting with 15 years in prison. That last part severely hampered his once-promising boxing career--a path that found Adonis instead.

That simmering rage turns to physicality when Damian gets out of jail and reenters his former ride-or-die’s life. He’s a speeding car plowing into the lives of Adonis, as well as his music producer wife (the sharp Tessa Thompson) and their daughter, Amara (Miles Davis-Kent).

Majors is so good, finding a smooth showcase lane in Jordan’s directing view. He’s a born movie star and superb actor rolled into one gorgeously talented specimen. Watching him and Jordan will make everybody think about getting a life in, or doing about 2,000 crunches.

Jordan and Majors are true heavyweights in their respective roles. Finding out about some nefarious activity in the rags-to-riches tale of Adonis allows the Fruitvale Station and Black Panther star to find a different speed in his protagonist. Majors makes the audience feel for him in certain parts of the film.

Keenan Coogler and Zach Baylin’s script doesn’t reinvent the sports movie sequel wheel by any means, but it does provide the gem that is Wood Harris a chance to knock a few lines out of the park. If I find myself in a tight spot or need inspiration, I’ll just think about Duke Burton telling Adonis, “You need to walk out of the what was and into the what is.” You’ll feel like running through a fucking wall after hearing that.

The movie finds authentic ground in its depiction of boxing fights. Instead of just a few views or angles of the action, Jordan and cinematographer Kramer Morgenthau deliver dozens of looks at the punch drunk exchange. Remember the slow motion wizardry in Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes movies-the times where Robert Downey Jr. described the action in slow motion before reality struck?

Jordan and Morgenthau introduce that here, but take it a few levels upstairs in the precision department. In one amazing sequence, the crowd at a big fight goes missing, being replaced by a post-apocalyptic ghost land with only the two fighters’ grunts supplying the sound. The camera often whips around the fight as a big exchange is unfolding.

The dedication of the actors and the crew in producing this riveting action reminds me of what Tom Cruise and company did with the Top Gun sequel last year. It shows so much more of the aggression and emotional release that takes place in a boxing match, what Jim Lampley once accurately stated is the most relatable of sports to life.

As Thompson’s Bianca tells her husband near the end of the movie, sometimes blows are the only way to go. The poster says you can’t run from your past; Creed III informs us that you can indeed knock the shit out of it. It goes against genre formula in the construction of its key element: the fights. The story goes down the middle; the acting gives it a solid push. Jordan, Majors, Thompson, and Harris help make a genre film not seem like one.

Nine movies in, thanks to some deft casting choices and the assured landing of Michael B. Jordan, the Balboa and Creed saga still has some juice left in its knees.