Sylvester Stalloneis one of the biggest action movie stars on the planet and has an astounding career playing brave heroes, skilled assassins, and even traumatized veterans. While Stallone gained his breakout role as the underdog fighter Rocky Balboa in his famous sports franchise, following this success, he carved out another career as a true action movie star chasing bad guys and bringing crooks to justice. Spurred by hislongstanding rivalry with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Stallone has continually pushed himself toward more over-the-top, chaotic, and wildly entertaining action movie releases.
Many ofStallone’s best filmswere in the action movie genre, as he excelled intheRambofranchiseand portrayed countless heroes across prison movies, thrillers, sci-fi films, and more. With an often underappreciated skill for portraying tough guy characters as well as layered and noble lawmen, Stallone has proved his skills by acting opposite everyone from Antonio Banderas to Robert De Niro. WhileStallone’s action star heyday may have been in the 1980s, he continued to excel right through the 21st century.
Assassins
Cast
Assassins (1995) is a thriller directed by Richard Donner, starring Sylvester Stallone and Antonio Banderas. Stallone plays Robert Rath, a professional hitman aiming to retire while Banderas portrays Miguel Bain, a younger assassin challenging Rath’s status. As they face off in a deadly game, Rath protects a target, played by Julianne Moore, from both Bain and his own dark past in a high-stakes battle of wits and survival.
One highly underrated Sylvester Stallone action movie wasAssassins, which told of a clever game of cat and mouse between the nearly retired assassin Robert Rath (Stallone) and the man who killed his mentor Miguel Bain (Antonio Banderas.) With a script originally written by the Wachowskis, the futureMatrixcreators were unhappy with the changes made to it and tried to have their names removed after it was rewritten by Brian Helgeland (viaCollider.) While viewers never got to see the Wachowskis’ original vision, the result was an action-packed Stallone vehicle that represented some of his best work in the 1990s.
With Stallone as the cool and calculated career assassin and Banderas as the sweaty, stressed wild man, this was an excellent release fromLethal Weapondirector Richard Donner. Elevated by strong supporting performances from the likes of the love interest Julianne Moore,Assassinswas a star-studded action movie with plenty of high-stakes energy. Although things may sometimes feel a little too convoluted for their own good,Assassinsworked well as a fun-filled action film.
Lock Up
Lock Up stars Sylvester Stallone as Frank Leone, a convict nearing the end of his sentence in a minimum-security prison. He is unexpectedly transferred to a maximum-security facility by a vengeful warden who harbors a personal grudge against him. Directed by John Flynn, the film explores themes of resilience and justice as Leone navigates brutal challenges to regain his freedom.
It must be admitted that Sylvester Stallone’s prison action movieLock Upwas a mixed bag that even the actor himself said wasn’t made “with enough maturity to really make a significant impact on the audience” (viaEW.) However, despite a haphazard production that meant filming started before the script was even finished, the result was a highly entertaining Stallone film. Telling the story of Frank Leone, a convict nearing the end of his sentence, his path to freedom gets seriously delayed when a ruthless prison warden with a grudge gets him transferred into a maximum security facility.
With his sentence extended by five years,Leone must deal with the sadistic nature of Warden Drumgoole, who was expertly portrayed by Donald Sutherland. This sinister energy of Drumgoole made him one of the most compelling villains in a Stallone movie, and the film built toward its epic climactic conclusion in the electric chair. While it’s true thatLock Upwas a strange mix between a lighthearted prison drama and an intense action movie, the parts that worked were wildly entertaining.
Cliffhanger
Cliffhanger, directed by Renny Harlin, follows former ranger Gabe Walker as he confronts his past on a treacherous peak. Initially returning to aid stranded climbers, Walker discovers they are hijackers searching for lost money, complicating an already perilous rescue mission.
The early 1990s were tough for Sylvester Stallone. He had three consecutive failures,Rocky V,Oscar, andStop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, all of which received negative critical and audience responses. In dire need of a hit, Stallone’s next movie was withDie Hard 2director Renny Harlin, andhe went back firmly into action hero mode forCliffhanger. This mountaineering heist story was a hit with viewers, and although critics weren’t as pleased, it proved Stallone was still a major box office draw.
Looking back onCliffhanger, this was one of Stallone’s most underrated releases. The sheer ridiculousness of its Rocky Mountain setting and over-the-top gadgetry made it a fun, action-packed thriller. Stallone may be overacting, but that’s also part of its appeal, as he faced off against John Lithgow, who played a psychotic British intelligence agent robbing $100 million from the U.S. Treasury. As pure action movie fun,Cliffhangerfully delivered on its outrageous mountain-setting premise.
Tango & Cash
Two rival Los Angeles cops are forced to team up when a drug lord implicates them in a crime they didn’t commit. They end up in jail and their only option is to escape in order to bring the real culprit to justice.
As the 1980s came to an end, Sylvester Stallone finished the decade by teaming up with Kurt Russell for the cult buddy cop classicTango & Cash. With a classic premise of mismatched cops being framed and sent to jail by their arch-nemesis, it was thrilling to watch Stallone as the straight-faced detective Ray Tango wisecracking alongside the trigger-happy cowboy Gabe Cash. While critics did not take to the duo upon release, in hindsight, it’s clear that the satirical stylings ofTango & Cashweren’t appreciated in their own time.
Part of the appeal of revisiting Stallone inTango & Cashwas that the film was so full of tropes and clichés that it was tough to decipher if it was a truly by-the-numbers movie or a clever satire on action movies of this time. Either way,Tango & Cashwas made for fun viewingthat didn’t take itself too seriously and was elevated by the talents of two action movie greats coming together. While the poor reception sadly meant a sequel was never made, Stallone enthusiasts fondly look back on the film.
Cobra
In Cobra, a genius mathematician turns vigilante and uses his intellect to execute intricate crimes while police attempt to apprehend him. As the story progresses, layers of mystery unravel, leading to a gripping narrative filled with suspense and intellectual duels.
Cobrawas the logical conclusion of the type of no-nonsense action hero that Sylvester Stallone had come to be known for in movies like theRambofranchise. By taking the violent nature of 1980s action movies and turning the dial up even further, the guns-blazing heroics of Stallone as Lieutenant Cobra made for nail-biting viewing. With sunglasses, a toothpick in his mouth, and dressed in darkly clad clothing,Stallone never looked cooler than he did inCobra.
From the over-the-top violence of its opening supermarket hostage scene to the thrilling countdown to catching a deranged serial killer,Cobrastars a hero who disregarded the letter of the law to achieve his aims. Sadly, the thing that broughtCobradown from truly achieving greatness within Stallone’s filmography was that its best moments came in the opening scene, and it never really reached the same momentum again.
Demolition Man
In the 1993 action movie Demolition Man, Sylvester Stallone stars as time-displaced police officer John Spartan, who struggles to adapt to the year 2032 after being cryogenically frozen for messing up a job. However, his old-school skills come in handy for innocent cop Lenina Huxley (Sandra Bullock) and the futuristic city of San Angeles when the criminal Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes) is thawed and the complacent authorities don’t know how to react.
It’s interesting to note that Sylvester Stallone’sDemolition Manhas only become more relevant in the years since its release. Set in the then far-flung future of 2023, the world ofDemolition Manwas one categorized by virtual meetings, self-driving cars, and non-contact social greetings. Stallone played Sergeant John Spartan, a no-nonsense cop from the 1990s who, along with his arch enemy Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes), were awoken from their cryogenically frozen state into a world they no longer understood.
Snipes was fantastic as the deranged crime lord using the weaknesses of a crime-free utopian society against itself, while Stallone’s old-world attitude was the only thing that could bring him down.Demolition Manwas a creative and fun-filled action moviethat was truly ahead of its time in the way it eerily accurately predicted many aspects of the imagined future it depicted.Demolition Manwas one of Stallone’s funniest films of the 1990s and was bolstered by his terrific onscreen chemistry with newcomer Sandra Bullock.
First Blood (1982)
While the early part of Sylvester Stallone’s career was overshadowed by the astounding success of theRockyfranchise, in 1982 a new action series came along that could at last rival Stallone’s most famous creation.First Bloodintroduced the PTSD-suffering Vietnam veteran John J. Rambo in an intense action movie set in the wilderness of a small Wisconsin town. As a former special ops agent, Rambo’s wartime trauma erupted into a massive manhunt as he had to use his survival skills to evade police in a gigantic search.
First Bloodwas an edge-of-the-seat action movie grounded in real drama, as the psychological issues of veterans remain an essential topic. While the series later devolved into pure action movie carnage, this first entry maintained the humanity at the heart of Rambo’s character and was one of Stallone’s most interesting roles. As an actor perfectly matched to the part he was playing,Stallone truly brought the character from David Morrell’s original novel to life on the big screen.
The Expendables
The Expendables is the first film in the action franchise that follows the exploits of a close team of mercenaries that complete dangerous jobs worldwide. Hired by a covert operator, the Expendables are tasked with heading to South America to deal with a dangerous dictator and liberate a country from his oppressive rule. However, they soon learn that the dictator is a front, leaving them caught in a dangerous mission with a threat higher up the chain than they could have imagined.
With a long career behind him full of action movie heroism, it was thrilling to see Sylvester Stallone return with a brand new action franchise withThe Expendables. The first installment of this ongoing series starredStallone as Barney Ross, the leader of an elite group of mercenaries tasked with overthrowing a Latin American dictator. As a film packed with action movie stars of past and present, such as Jason Statham, Jet Li, and Dolph Lundgren,The Expendablestruly was a who’s who of action movie history.
While later installments would bring in Stallone’s old rival, Arnold Schwarzenegger, it’s impossible to beat the exciting power of the original, which proved Stallone still had it after all these years. With intense action sequences and some hilarious tongue-in-cheek dialogue,The Expendablesticked all the right boxes for everything an action movie lover would want. WithThe Expendables,Stallone could add Barney Ross right alongside Rocky and Rambo to his list of iconic movie heroes.
Rambo: First Blood Part II
Rambo: First Blood Part II follows John Rambo, played by Sylvester Stallone, as he is released from prison for a government-sanctioned covert mission back to the hostile jungles of Vietnam. Tasked with gathering intelligence on American prisoners of war, he faces formidable challenges in this high-stakes operation.
The success of Sylvester Stallone’s portrayal of John J. Rambo inFirst Bloodshowcased the character’s potential to lead a new action franchise, and the sequel,Rambo: First Blood Part II, was released three years later. This follow-up may have lacked the emotional resonance of the original, but it was more than made up for that with pure action movie carnage. By bringing Rambo back to Vietnam as he sought to rescue captured POWs who had been left behind,First Blood Part IImay not have been historically accurate, but it was certainly a lot of fun.
First Blood Part IIwas the perfect sweet spot for the character of Rambo, as his action hero stylings were in full gear, and he hadn’t yet turned into the one-dimensional superhero-style character he turned into in subsequent sequels. As a major box office hit worldwide,First Blood Part IIwas one of the great rock-em-sock-em action films ever produced. This installment transformedSylvester Stalloneinto one of cinema’s major action heroes.
While Sylvester Stallone’s acting credentials often get a bad rap as he’s become associated with over-the-top action movie spectacle performances, those who deride his acting skills need to checkCop Landto be proven wrong. This action crime drama featured Stallone in a more reserved and realistic role as he portrayed small-town Sheriff Freddy Heflin uncovering corruption within his police force. With acting legends Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, and Harvey Keitel among its cast, it was a testament to Stallone’s talent that he more than held his own among such esteemed company.
Cop Landwas a thrilling tale of corruption and deceit filled with fantastic performances and plenty of heart-pumping suspense. Stallone shed his action-hero persona to portray a much more grounded character who, without superstrength and out-of-this-world combat skills, still did what was right to stand up against the bad guys. As a nuanced and layered portrait of crime and conflict in small-town New Jersey,Cop Landwas Stallone’s finest achievement as an actor.
