“Let me tell you something you already know. The world isn’t all sunshine and rainbows,” Sylvester Stallone once said. After years of struggling as an actor arriving in New York City in 1969 and later Hollywood in 1974, “Sly” Stallone finally received critical acclaim as an actor for his co-starring role in The Lords of Flatbush. Stallone went on to achieve his greatest critical and commercial success as an actor and screenwriter, beginning in 1976 with his role as boxer Rocky Balboa, in the first film in the successful rocky series (1976-present), for which he also wrote the screenplays.
In 1977, Stallone became the third actor in cinema to be nominated for two Academy Awards, for Best Original Screenplay and Best Actor. From the mid-1980s through the late 1990s, he would go on to become one of Hollywood’s highest-paid actors of the time by starring in a slew of commercially successful action films – despite being generally panned by critics.
However, Stallone saw his popularity wane in the early 2000s, but returned to fame with extra rocky and Rambo terms. And then of course there were The expendables movies, with a fourth coming soon. Stallone is the only actor in the history of American cinema to have starred in a box office number one film for six consecutive decades. As we count down the days until Creed III and The consumables 4let’s take a look at Sylvester Stallonethe best movies to date.
Updated: September 2022, To keep the article fresh and relevant by adding more information and Stallone movies to the list, this article has been updated by Olly Dyche.
7/7 Cliffhanger (1993)
If there’s one ’90s action star who could have made a great action movie about a mountaineer interesting and exciting, it’s Sylvester Stallone. Be warned, if you suffer from vertigo, we strongly advise you to stay away from this movie. The There was no shortage of spectacular action movies in the 90sincluding Terminator 2, The Matrix, and even Stallone’s Demolition man. These led unfortunately cliff hanger falling behind the greats, but that’s not to say the thrills, thrilling action, and great 90s action movie cheese don’t take away from the movie. May we consider the tragic and intense scene of Sarah’s death, which has been parodied many times, most infamously by Jim Carrey in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls. cliff hanger was an expedition into what made ’90s action movies so iconic, and ranks among Stallone’s best of that decade.
6/7 The Consumables (2010)
Sure, this action-packed epic, filled with some of the best action movie stars in cinema history, may not be quite groundbreaking, or as well-written and directed as Stallone’s earlier films, but The expendables is an exciting thrill ride. If anything, this movie is a brilliant homage and the culmination of many great action movies before it. Full of cheap one-liners, over-the-top action and a brilliant cast, The expendables is an incredibly fun thrill ride. The biggest draw is the phenomenal cast, which includes Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, as well as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis, just to name a few. Seeing all these incredible action stars sharing the screen together is a dream come true for many action movie fans.
5/7 Demolition Man (1993)
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Before they teamed up for The Expendables 3Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes first played in demolition man, which also features a young Sandra Bullock. Stallone plays John Spartan, a risk-taking cop with a reputation for wreaking havoc on his job. After a failed attempt to rescue hostages from evil crime boss Simon Phoenix (Snipes), they are both sentenced to be cryogenically frozen in 1996. Phoenix is thawed for a hearing in 2032, but escapes. Society has changed and all crime has seemingly been eliminated.
Stallone has always been a fan of demolition man. While critical reactions were a bit mixed when the sci-fi action movie was released in 1993, demolition man has maintained a cult following over the years and is fondly regarded by many of Stallone’s fans as one of his best films. On Instagram, Stallone recently shared an image describing: demolition man. The caption on the photo reads: “In 1993, most critics dismissed a unique film as a silent action film with ‘excessive explosions’. In addition to cleverly predicting and making jokes about political correctness, toxic masculinity, racial prejudice, the hysteria surrounding cancel culture and even more. By now it’s clear that the film was brilliant. But it still doesn’t get enough credit.”
4/7 Police Country (1997)
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In Police country, the sheriff of a suburban New Jersey community populated by New York City police officers slowly discovers that the city is a cover for mafia connections and corruption. James Mangold’s 1997 American neo-noir crime drama features an all-star cast including Sylvester Stallone, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Peter Berg, Robert Patrick and Michael Rapaport. Stallone portrays the sheriff who comes into conflict with the corrupt NYC officers. It’s an understated, quietly heroic performance of Sly, not to be missed. It’s no surprise, then, that the film grossed over $63 million on a budget of just $15 million.
3/7 First Blood (1982)
Until 1982, Sylvester Stallone’s films weren’t big blockbusters unless they were rocky sequels, and none received the critical acclaim of the first rocky. This changed with the successful action movie first blood, in which he portrayed PTSD-plagued soldier John Rambo. Originally an adaptation of David Morell’s novel of the same name, first blood‘s script was significantly modified by Stallone during the film’s production. Stallone would play the role in a total of five Rambo movies (1982-2019). In the first film, Rambo must rely on his combat and survival skills when a series of vicious events lead him to survive a massive manhunt by police and government forces near the small town of Hope, Washington.
Initial reviews were mixed, but the film was a box office success, grossing $156 million at the box office. In 1985, it also became the first Hollywood blockbuster to be released in China, holding the record for the most tickets sold for an American film until 2018.
In addition to the handful of sequels, first bloodThe company’s success led to a franchise that also included an animated TV series, comic book series, novel series, several video games, and even a bollywood remake.
2/7 Creed (2015)
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Beliefs was directed by Ryan Coogler (Black Panther) from a screenplay written by Coogler, Aaron Covington and Sylvester Stallone himself – who wrote all the scenes and dialogue with his character in the film. Both a sequel and spin-off of the rocky franchise, Michael B. Jordan stars as Adonis “Donnie” Johnson Creed, the son of Apollo Creed, with Stallone in the role of Rocky Balboa and Tessa Thompson in the lead role as Creed’s love interest. The film reunites Jordan with Coogler after the success of 2013 Fruitvale Station.
Beliefs was released on the 40th anniversary of the opening scene in 1976 rocky. The film received critical acclaim, with praise directed at the performances (particularly those of Jordan and Stallone). For his performance, Stallone rightly brought home the Golden Globe that year, as well as his first Academy Award nomination since the original film. Creed II was released in November 2018 to critical and commercial success. And we can’t wait for Creed IIIwhich has unfortunately been postponed and will be released on March 3. Creed III it’s also said to be a completely different story, what this means, we’ll just have to wait to find out.
1/7 Rocky (1976)
And then there’s the original Philly boxer himself. rocky tells the rags-to-riches American dream story of Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), an uneducated, good-hearted, working-class, Italian-American, small-club fighter who, while working as a debt collector for a loan shark in the Philadelphia slums, has a chance at the world heavyweight championship. The film also stars Talia Shire as Rocky’s love interest “Adrian!”, Burt Young as Adrian’s brother Paulie, Burgess Meredith as Rocky’s trainer Mickey, and Carl Weathers as reigning champion Apollo Creed.
Made on a budget of just under $1 million, rocky turned out to be a resounding success, earning $225 million in worldwide box office receipts and becoming the highest-grossing film of 1976. The film was critically acclaimed and cemented Stallone’s career, making him known as a major movie star. Critics consider: rocky one of the greatest sports films ever made, and the American Film Institute named it the second best in the genre, after raging bull, in 2008. The film spawned eight sequels, with more to come!