Directed by Ryan Coogler and starring Michael B Jordan and Sylvester Stallone, ‘Creed’ easily makes my list of the top five movies released over the past decade.

The film revolves around Adonis Johnson – the illegitimate son of Apollo Creed – who decides to follow his dream to become a professional boxer. His journey takes him from Los Angeles to Philadelphia, where he seeks out his father’s best friend Rocky Balboa to guide him.

I won’t go into great detail about the story, because I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who has not yet seen this film. However, what I can reveal is that this movie is a masterpiece and Coogler is a director at the top of his game. How ‘Creed’ was not nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars is beyond me, and how Sylvester Stallone did not win the Academy Award for his performance as an elderly Rocky Balboa is even more baffling.

Supporting Stallone and Jordan is a solid cast, with Tessa Thompson as Adonis’ love interest Bianca, Phylicia Rashad as Mary-Anne Creed, and Graham McTavish as Tommy Holiday – trainer/manager of the film’s antagonist Ricky Conlan.

There are a couple of real-life boxers appearing in the film, most notably British fighter Tony Bellew who does a great job playing the nasty and arrogant world title holder ‘Pretty’ Ricky Conlan. Former super-middleweight world champion Andre Ward also appears in a smaller role as Danny ‘Stuntman’ Wheeler.

The fight scenes in this movie are incredible, especially the Creed v Sporino bout that takes place in the middle of the film. What is amazing about this sequence is that it is filmed in one continuous shot – or at least appears to be – and the way the audio switches about depending on where the boxers are standing is pure genius.

It wouldn’t be a Rocky movie without a training montage, and this one is pretty good: – gritty, emotional, and powerful. Bill Conti’s famous ‘Gonna Fly Now’ theme is infused into the musical crescendo as the action transforms into an awe-inspiring slow motion sequence that tugs at the heartstrings. Truly incredible and must be seen to be believed.

Here’s some trivia about ‘Creed’ that you may not know: – Sylvester Stallone made a surprise appearance on the big screen at Goodison Park during the halftime break of an Everton game and asked the crowd to chant and cheer while a film crew recorded them. These sounds were later incorporated into the final act of the movie; during the intense ring walks and also throughout the Conlan v Creed title fight.

One does not have to be a boxing fan – nor someone who enjoyed the Rocky series back in the day – to really appreciate this movie. It is brilliantly written, masterfully directed, and the performances from the entire cast are powerful and convincing.

Almost a decade on, this movie has lost none of its original punch and has actually aged quite well. ‘Creed’ has since spawned two sequels that are quite appealing in themselves, but neither live up to the raw power and emotion of the first film.

It’s a perfect five out of five from me!

If you are still not convinced, below is a link to the training montage I mentioned earlier, courtesy of the Crucifixus YouTube channel. Although it works better when watching the film in its entirety, it remains quite powerful as a standalone scene.

Screenshots courtesy of MGM and New Line Cinema.