Movie Review: Heavyweight Performance From Jonathan Majors Powers ‘Creed III

For "Creed" star Michael B. Jordan behind the camera for his directorial debut in "Creed III" follows in the footsteps of acclaimed original series star Sylvester Stallone. Following the critical success of Rocky, which he wrote, Stallone took over directorial duties from John G. Jordan. Hopefully Jordan will follow the same path with Creed III, a solid directorial debut with a knockout performance by Jonathan Majors.

The screenplay by Keenan Coogler and Zach Baylin has a meta element in Jordan's work behind the camera, which is simulated in Adonis Creed's Journey. Adonis aka Donnie (Jordan) hangs up his gloves and becomes a promoter, supports the aspirations of champion Felix Chavez (played by professional boxer Jose Benavidez) and spends time with his family, wife Bianca (Tessa Thompson) and daughter Bitter. (Milla Davis Kent).

The domestic matters — finding his purpose outside the ring, understanding the history of his relationship with his adoptive mother (Phylicia Rashad), learning how to express himself to his wife — are pretty mundane and not terribly exciting. They brought the actor into the role. Where Creed III really lives is the introduction of Jonathan Majors as a character from Donnie's dark and violent childhood.

Damien, also known as Dame (Major), is something of Donnie's older brother and a rising boxing star, but when the fight in the shop gets out of control, Donnie escapes and the lady goes to jail. Now, 18 years later, he's masked and looked squeamish after being behind bars, but he's still chasing his chance to cut his belt. Donny is reluctant to support him, but feels more guilty that his friend's pending dream has come true than his wildest dreams.

Creed III makes good use of each protagonist's inherent qualities: Jordan's personality has something sweet, innocent, and noble, which is used when Donnie is struggling to do the right thing, and the Major always seems to be. He has the weight of the world on his shoulders. There's something inherently sad about Majors' face, and as a woman she exudes the kind of anger that makes her want to hurt someone rather than "canned" with care and control.

If 'Creed III' tells us anything, it's that Majors is Marlon Brando's heir, especially when you consider that she's the hot-tempered, chip-on-the-shoulder villain, Brando's direct descendant of Terry Malloy Beach. Major fully embodies the woman with her Southern Central accent, edgy pace and kooky attitude as she slowly evolves as she becomes more confident and stronger thanks to her own wiles and Donnie's guilt.

But while Dame is a far more interesting character, Donnie is our hero, and the film continues in that vein, with montages of fencing training and snow-white boxer shorts replacing the hero's white cowboy hat. Coogler and Baylin's scripts aren't particularly innovative with the sports film formula and unfortunately tend to rely on characters bluntly expressing their inner monologues rather than leaving them to subtext.

But Jordan's direction elevates the material and keeps the emotional tone and substance strong. Cinematographer Kramer Morgenthau (who also directed Stephen Capel's "Creed II") uses fluid camera movements and practical lighting to give the film movement and texture. Jordan's direction was consistent, but during the title's heyday he made big creative swings and experimented with self-imagining sequences. It doesn't exactly pay off, but it's fun to watch her go off the lines with risky maneuvers.

But what Jordan did best as a star, director and producer was mark Mayor's performance in the heavyweight division and establish himself as one of our brightest stars. Taking on a behind-the-scenes role is part of Rocky's legacy and Jordan took the reins with ease, defending Major and marking an exciting new chapter in his post-Creed career.