creed 3: how a boxing film reimagined Black masculinity.
The focus of brotherhood and the importance of Black male mental health.
Upon the release of the highly anticipated Creed III, my social media timeline has been flooded with conversations about the emasculation of the Black man, mainly represented through magazine covers: Rihanna’s British Vogue cover with A$AP Rocky, and main antagonist in Creed III, Jonathan Majors on Ebony. The internet has critiqued these covers endlessly, focusing on the kiss A$AP Rocky places on his son’s forehead and the fluffy pink coat Majors has adorned on his back modeled after a villain in anime.
Majors and his co-star Michael B. Jordan also became a topic of discussion when photos of their friendship trended online. One photo featured Majors touching the back of Jordan’s head.
With critiques circling about how Black men express vulnerability and what Black brotherhood looks like, it seems to me that Creed III has arrived at the right time to discuss these very topics that center around Black brotherhood and Black mental health.
Creed III breaks the mold of the franchise (and other sport films) in many ways. Jordan officially took the leap from in front of the camera to also work behind the scenes in the first sports film with IMAX cameras, which in my opinion, created a dynamic experience for the viewer when watching the boxing scenes. This is also the first Rocky franchise film that coincidentally doesn’t include Rocky. This film focuses on Adonis (Jordan) and his pursuit to forgive himself of his past that resurfaces when his friend Dame (Majors) emerges from a prison cell that Adonis has spent years trying to forget.
(Poster from Creed III)
Before seeing the film, I questioned what would make this film special. The storyline seemed predictable. I’ve seen the trope of the successful man reuniting with someone from prison. I’ve seen the person from prison expecting some kind of special treatment because if it wasn't for the actions of the successful man, their life may have had a different result. With such a foreseeable plot, I expected that the film would have to offer more to keep the audience intrigued.
My suspicions were correct, because Creed III is not a boxing film, and not like the previous films in the trilogy. The special ingredient to this film is the emotion conveyed by each character, and the relationships that these characters cultivate.
In the theater, the tension was palpable as Adonis and Dame sat in a diner to reconnect for the first time in 18 years. You could feel Dame’s urgency to become the fighter he always wanted to be before protecting Adonis by bearing a firearm became his fate. In those years of incarceration, he watched as Adonis officially accepted the Creed name, enduring pain from heavyweight champions to soon earn the title. From a cell, Adonis’ fame seems easy to Dame, so he asks Adonis to help him get a shot at the title, and Adonis’ guilt paves the way for Dame.
The film grapples between Dame’s unmet expectations and Adonis’ shame that manifests as Adonis’ sense of responsibility and Dame’s rage. The mere presence of Dame in his life makes Adonis contemplate his success and lament over his past, bringing up emotions and events that he hasn’t even told his wife Bianca. She notices that his demeanor has changed, and she struggles to penetrate the rough exterior Adonis builds to protect himself from his past. Dame’s heartbrokenness manifests as entitlement, and the belief that Adonis owes him because he would never be the champion that he is now without Dame’s tutelage.
Both men cope with the loss of their brotherhood uniquely, which doesn’t involve being forthcoming about how they feel or talking through their emotions. They were not upfront about how they truly felt or those inner emotions at work behind what’s happening in the exterior, which isn’t new especially in the Black community.
Society forces Black men to suppress and burdens Black women with strength, and with all we endure as Black people, why do we have to be either? Why can’t we be vulnerable when we’re enduring racism on a daily basis? Why can’t we kiss our children when it’s not promised that we’ll see them grow up due to police brutality?
Adonis and Dame mourn the demise of their friendship. Bianca mourns the loss of her singing dream now that she has to protect her hearing. Even Adonis’ and Bianca’s daughter Amara is grappling with her emotions with a school bully. The idea that Black people should always be stoic denies the reality of our humanity, and this film does a great job of showing Black vulnerability when discussing the emotions that each character has to face.
Instead of discussing their emotions, Adonis and Dame decide to fight for the heavyweight championship. The fight scene is incredibly dynamic, and soon the massive crowd disappears until it is only the two men battling each other, or rather, the two men fighting their own demons. The ropes of the ring transform into a jail cell, and finally Adonis lands a winning punch, conquering the opponent of his past. Afterward, the men come together to discuss how they feel, and the audience is left with the hope that somehow this friendship can be salvaged.
As a movie purist, I would have loved Rocky in this film. If Rocky was present for Amara’s birth, I would assume that Rocky would be present for the death of Adonis’ mother (Apollo Creed’s wife). The movie can stand alone as a boxing film without the context of the previous Rocky or Creed films. I do wonder what a future Creed 4 would focus on. Possibly Amara Creed follows in the footsteps of Adonis, or maybe Michael B. Jordan makes an anime version of Creed based on anime references within this film. Furthermore, while the acting was spectacular, I wanted a little more plot wise and the climactic fight scene seemed shorter than the usual Creed films. Those critiques aside, I would give this film an 8/10. Michael B. Jordan should be proud of such a strong directorial debut.
One of the scenes I loved was after Mama Creed’s funeral when Adonis and Bianca finally discuss the specifics of Dame going to prison. They both cry as they discuss the past and how it affects the future. In this moment, there is strength and beauty in Adonis sharing his story. That is masculinity.
What I’m listening to:
Listen to my discussion of Creed III on the Sheer Creativity podcast.
What I’m watching:
NPR Podcasts: Jonathan Majors on Masculinity