Once again, it's a weekend battle of head-to-head stars. In this corner, we have the champ, the living legend, and the greatest boxer to ever live: Rocky Balboa. And in this corner we have the meanest, most destructive, most undeniably unstoppable war machine ever built by Col. Trautman: John Rambo. This one's gonna be a fight to the finish. You know the rules. Let's drop the cage. Two men enter! One man leaves!

In the arena of opening weekend box office: Winner = Rocky
I could be wrong here; in fact, I hope I am. But Rambo just doesn't seem to have the big multi-generational draw that Rocky Balboa did. And with a mega hit like Cloverfield positioned for a second week of record-breaking box office, I can't imagine this making its way to the top of the charts. However, there is always the outside chance that the strength of Stallone's previous outing could build a strong audience for this one. Add to it the total lack of any real competition outside of Cloverfield and you end up with a possible upset. But I'm not convinced.

In the critical arena: Winner = Rocky
He was always the critical favorite (and Oscar winner) and that ain't gonna stop now. Balboa took us back to the original in the best way possible. It was fun and sent you out happy. Rambo is a much darker and bloodier film, and many critics won't find themselves convinced. I loved it, but then again, I have a deep love for the originals. I think overall Rocky takes this prize too.

In their careers: Winner = Rocky
Big house, title belt, hot wife, kid... versus what? A shack on some Southeast Asian river, a commuted prison sentence and a list of kills that would shatter any previous serial or spree killing record on the books? Rocky.

In a fight: Winner = That depends
Unarmed? Rocky all the way. Street rules? Rambo would gut Rocky like a fish and leave him hanging from a tree. Rambo.

Winner - Rocky. Look, I love Rambo, and the movie is a lot of fun. But up against Rocky? Come on. There's no contest.

Email C. Robert Cargill

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