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Rocky IV poster

Movies that feel likeRocky IV (1985)

Rocky Balboa holds the world heavyweight championship, but a new challenger has stepped forward: Drago, a six-foot-four, 261-pound fighter who has the backing of the Soviet Union. This time, Rocky's training regimen takes him to Siberia, where he prepares for a globally televised match in the heart of Moscow. But nothing can truly prepare him for what he's about to face – a fight to the finish, in which he must defend not only himself, but also the honor of his country!

If you loved Rocky IV, the closest films we have are Girl, Interrupted (1999), Battle Royale (2000) and Million Dollar Baby (2004). All three share Rocky IV's contemplative and melancholy feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Places in the Heart (1984).

πŸ… 38% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 6.9 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Sylvester Stallonecontemplativekineticmelancholywarm
10 of 12 streaming nowNetflix Β· HBO Max Β· Amazon Prime Video

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If Rocky IV hit the spot, these will too

Looking for the series itself? Also in this series: Rocky (1976) Β· Rocky II (1979) Β· Rocky III (1982) Β· Rocky V (1990) Β· Rocky Balboa (2006)

Girl, Interrupted poster
Girl, Interrupted
1999 Β· dir. James Mangold
πŸ… 53%β˜… 7.3drama

The same mix in both: stillness, then melancholy

The difference: Takes it somewhere less kinetic than Rocky IV does

Set in the changing world of the late 1960s, Susanna Kaysen's prescribed "short rest" from a psychiatrist she had met only once becomes a strange, unknown journey into Alice's Wonderland, where she struggles with the thin line between normal and crazy. Susanna soon realizes how hard it is to get out once she has been committed, and she ultimately has to choose between the world of people who belong inside or the difficult world of reality outside.

Battle Royale poster
Battle Royale
2000 Β· dir. Kinji Fukasaku
πŸ… 90%β˜… 7.5drama Β· thriller Β· actionPrime Video

The same preoccupation in both: friendship

The difference: Critics rated this one higher still

In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill each other under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.

Million Dollar Baby poster
Million Dollar Baby
2004 Β· dir. Clint Eastwood
πŸ… 90%β˜… 8.1dramaParamount+

Both are working the same pair: mortality, transporter

Despondent over a painful estrangement from his daughter, trainer Frankie Dunn isn't prepared for boxer Maggie Fitzgerald to enter his life. But Maggie's determined to go pro and to convince Dunn and his cohort to help her.

Places in the Heart poster
Places in the Heart
1984 Β· dir. Robert Benton
πŸ… 90%β˜… 7.4drama

One thread runs through both: grief

In 1935 rural Texas, recently widowed Edna Spaulding struggles to survive with two small children, a farm to run, and very little money in the bank - not to mention a deadly tornado and the unwelcome presence of the Ku Klux Klan. Edna is aided by her beautician sister, Margaret; a blind boarder, Mr. Will; and a would-be thief, Moze, who decides to teach Edna how to plant and harvest cotton.

Sholay poster
Sholay
1975 Β· dir. Ramesh Sippy
πŸ… 95%β˜… 8.1action

Kinetic where it counts, warm underneath

After his family is slain by notorious bandit Gabbar Singh, former Inspector Thakur Baldev Singh enlists low-level outlaws Jai and Veeru to capture Gabbar and seek revenge.

Three Colors: Blue poster
Three Colors: Blue
1993 Β· dir. Krzysztof KieΕ›lowski
πŸ… 98%β˜… 7.8dramaMax

Both keep coming back to the same thing: grief

The wife of a famous composer survives a car accident that kills her husband and daughter. Now alone, she shakes off her old identity and explores her newfound freedom but finds that she is unbreakably bound to other humans, including her husband’s mistress, whose existence she never suspected.

Magnolia poster
Magnolia
1999 Β· dir. Paul Thomas Anderson
πŸ… 82%β˜… 8dramaMax

Both are built on the same subject: mortality

On one random day in the San Fernando Valley, a dying father, a young wife, a male caretaker, a famous lost son, a police officer in love, a boy genius, an ex-boy genius, a game show host and an estranged daughter will each become part of a dazzling multiplicity of plots, but one story.

City of Men poster
City of Men
2007 Β· dir. Paulo Morelli
πŸ… 74%β˜… 7.2dramaParamount+

Both lean on stillness more than on drama

The difference: Made in the 2000s, in a different era of the craft

Best buddies Acerola and Laranjinha, about to turn 18, discover things about their missing fathers' pasts which will shatter their solid friendship, in the middle of a war between rival drug gangs from Rio's favelas.

Autumn Sonata poster
Autumn Sonata
1978 Β· dir. Ingmar Bergman
πŸ… 85%β˜… 8.1dramaMax

Action built on melancholy, twice over

After a seven-year absence, Charlotte Andergast travels to Sweden to reunite with her daughter Eva. The pair have a troubled relationship: Charlotte sacrificed the responsibilities of motherhood for a career as a classical pianist. Over an emotional night, the pair reopen the wounds of the past. Charlotte gets another shock when she finds out that her mentally impaired daughter, Helena, is out of the asylum and living with Eva.

Rain Man poster
Rain Man
1988 Β· dir. Barry Levinson
πŸ… 88%β˜… 8dramaPrime VideoMax

Drama with a pulse of stillness, in both cases

When car dealer Charlie Babbitt learns that his estranged father has died, he returns home to Cincinnati, where he discovers that he has a savant older brother named Raymond and that his father's $3 million fortune is being left to the mental institution in which Raymond lives. Motivated by his father's money, Charlie checks Raymond out of the facility in order to return with him to Los Angeles. The brothers' cross-country trip ends up changing both their lives.

Hero poster
Hero
2002 Β· dir. Zhang Yimou
β˜… 7.9drama Β· adventure Β· action

Kinetic action in both cases

The difference: Sits closer to adventure than Rocky IV does

During China's Warring States period, a district prefect arrives at the palace of Qin Shi Huang, claiming to have killed the three assassins who had made an attempt on the king's life three years ago.

The Karate Kid poster
The Karate Kid
1984 Β· dir. John G. Avildsen
πŸ… 81%β˜… 7.3action Β· drama Β· familyNetflix

Common ground: friendship

New Jersey teen Daniel LaRusso moves to Los Angeles with his mother, and soon strikes up a relationship with Ali. He quickly finds himself the target of bullying by a group of thugs, led by Ali's ex-boyfriend Johnny, who study karate at the Cobra Kai dojo under ruthless sensei John Kreese. Fortunately, Daniel befriends Mr. Miyagi, an unassuming repairman who just happens to be a martial arts master himself. Miyagi takes Daniel under his wing, training him in a more compassionate form of karate for self-defense and, later, preparing him to compete against the brutal Cobra Kai.

In the mood for more contemplative?

all contemplative movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share Rocky IV’s defining feeling.