'Creed III' review: Boxing drama almost goes the distance

Depending on how you count, “Creed III” is either the third movie in a franchise starring Michael B. Jordan as heavyweight boxer Adonis Creed, or the ninth movie in the “Rocky” franchise created by Sylvester Stallone. Maybe this will settle the question: “Creed III” doesn’t feature Stallone except as a producer, and it marks the directorial debut of its 36-year-old star, Jordan. Clearly, a torch has been passed.

And not just one. Jordan, who played the complicated villain Erik Killmonger in “Black Panther,” knows what a good actor can do with a meaty role — and in “Creed III,” he casts another rising star, Jonathan Majors (currently on a hot streak following “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania”) as the heavy. Throughout the movie, you can practically hear Jordan encouraging Majors to walk away with every scene — and he does.

Majors plays Damian “Dame” Anderson, a pal from Creed’s hard-knock childhood. In flashbacks, we learn that Dame was a Golden Gloves phenom until he helped Creed out of a scrape — and wound up serving 18 years in prison. Freshly sprung, he finds Creed retired, running a gym and raising a deaf daughter (Amara, played by Mila Davis-Kent) with his wife, Bianca (Tessa Thompson). A guilt-stricken Creed agrees to help Dame get back in the ring, only to find that he now fights by prison rules; one opponent takes an elbow to the face. “Maybe I didn’t make myself clear,” Dame tells Creed over tumblers of Hennessy. “I want a title shot.”

The Rocky/Creed movies aren’t exactly known for nuanced characters — think Clubber Lang or the father-son Dragos — but Dame is a different story. Here’s a promising boxer who spent his prime in prison (Majors is slightly younger than Jordan but plays Dame as much older) while his buddy got the fame and fortune. If Dame shares Killmonger’s sympathetic DNA, that’s no accident: “Creed III” is based on a story by “Black Panther” writer-director Ryan Coogler and written by his brother, Keenan Coogler, with Zach Baylin.

Unfortunately, the screenplay doesn’t adequately explain why the two boxers must clash in the ring. “I want it all,” Dame bellows — but since Creed is retired, why stand in the guy’s way? What’s more, Jordan’s mostly solid direction goes all wobbly during the climactic fight sequence, leaning on dream imagery and too-literal metaphor: First the ring drifts off into fog, then it turns into a prison cell. The final-round disappointment makes “Creed III” less than a winner. Thanks to Majors, though, it’s at least a contender.

By Rafer Guzmán

rafer.guzman@newsday.com