De Niro, 70, apparently serving as Stallone's straight man this afternoon, shrugs his shoulders in the manner we've seen in countless movies. "Sly was the only person I felt this would work with. The two of us."
The story takes place 30 years after Stallone's character abruptly retired from boxing on the eve of a deciding match.
Directed by Peter Segal (50 First Dates, Get Smart), Grudge Match serves up plenty of predictable jokes concerning these men who are clearly past their prime, and the ways in which they grapple with ageism, new technology and reality television.
However, the film is not without laughs and pathos, helped along by its supporting cast, including Alan Arkin, Kevin Hart and Kim Basinger.
How do these guys fare with the challenges of ageing?
"Well, you don't have much choice in the matter when it comes to getting older so you might as well enjoy it and make it work for you," says De Niro. "I'm very active; I don't think of myself as the age that I am. I'm very lucky."
Adds Stallone, "For me, I find that there are some elephants in the room. For example, I'm not going to be asked to do a love story." De Niro nods in agreement. Stallone continues, "But as far as modern technology is concerned, I am definitely on board. I'm not bad. I tweet but I don't hold conversations on it. I've got in trouble with that." He smiles, glancing at his friend and colleague. "But I'm ahead of most of my friends, who are really in the dark ages."
Naturally, it wouldn't be a boxing movie without fight scenes, for which De Niro whipped himself into impressive shape.
"Getting back into the ring was okay. I trained a lot for Raging Bull and I found that some of it came back. But Sly is great with the choreography; he's been doing the moves and has so much more experience than me. So, on this film I learned a bunch of things. I'm a great appreciator of the craft of boxing. I'm not really a follower but it's a great sport if you can do it well."
Stallone retains the kind of action hero physique of men many years his junior, "I do weights and stretching. I don't run, running is for the young or for bank robbers. But I also box a lot in private. And I box enough to know that I made the right career decision."
Grudge Match marks the second time the actors have worked together, following Cop Land, in 1997. "We didn't spend that much time together on that movie, although we've known each other our whole careers. We were never competitors the way Arnold (Schwarzenegger) and I were, because he and I were in the same genre. But working with Bobby, it's great to have someone who brings out the best in you."
Hypothetically, if Rocky and Jake LaMotta had met in the ring during their prime, who would have won?
Stallone is quick to reply. "I am going to have to say Rocky Balboa, and here's why: Jake is a better fighter, a tougher fighter, but Rocky is 200 pounds [90kg], Jake is slim, 149. There's no competition."
De Niro relents, "Yeah, maybe. Well, it's fictional."
Who: Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone
What: Grudge Match
When: At cinemas from today.
- TimeOut
