Action Hero: Sylvester Stallone

In the same vein as 2010's Predators, Sylvester Stallone's ambition with The Expendables was to transport modern audiences back to the action cinema zenith of the 1980s, when enormous muscle-bound stars utilised equally enormous firearms and slaughtered thousands of bad guys with ease. After resurrecting the '80s aesthetic with 2008's Rambo, Stallone has given the ailing style a new life to deliver an old-school, action-packed wallop of a cinematic experience. Armed with the most charismatic ensemble of badasses to grace cinema screens since 1987's Predator, along with enough testosterone and manliness to make your spleen explode, The Expendables is a blast; a fucking epic old-fashioned manly movie with infinite replay value.

More than anything else, The Expendables benefits from a fast and furious pace. The film is a taut, fast-moving actioner that never lulls. While the film is probably 30 or 40% action, the areas of exposition between the loud 'splosions and blood-letting are filled with something: interesting plot development, engaging tough-guy banter, one-liners and nail-biting sections of anticipation. It sustains momentum in the lead-up to the final half hour, when the film truly takes off in exhilarating ways.

Stallone's interest in gory combat scenarios and penchant for amazing, visceral action is retained in The Expendables with a climax capable of shaking the theatre walls via the rollicking sound mix and Brian Tyler's epic score. There's carnage aplenty throughout the action scenes; men are blown to pieces, men are sliced to pieces, necks are broken, bones are shattered, and there are massive explosions. Once the bone-crunching climax draws to a close, you'll be left wanting more. You'll also be left wondering what exactly Stallone is smoking and why more Hollywood filmmakers aren't smoking the same thing.

In addition to the action, there's a great deal of heart. Mickey Rourke's character of Tool shows up on a few occasions to deliver poignant stories of past missions. With his inclusion, there's a human element to the action that's lacking in traditional blockbusters (even the much-acclaimed Inception was marred by boring characters and a lack of humanity). The film underscores that these tough guy mercenaries are people, not automatons without a conscience, and this accentuates the dramatic intensity when the team march off to battle.

Yes, The Expendables is dumb at times, as it features enemies who are slow to respond and can't shoot straight. Yes, The Expendables is clichéd and largely predictable, too, but the movie should not have been any other way.

Full review here

For 2008's Rambo (a.k.a. Rambo IV), Sylvester Stallone (who co-wrote and directed in addition to starring) returned the titular character to his roots; emulating the tone and emotion of First Blood in order to craft a gritty, poignant war picture that doesn't skimp on the action. What's truly daring about Rambo - and what a lot of critics have missed - was Stallone's decision to resurrect the ironic warrior to lament his soul rather than celebrate his strength.

You attend Rambo movies to watch the titular badass laying waste to hundreds of bad guys, and this fourth instalment offers exactly that. In prior Rambo sequels, Rambo was dropped in some hellhole to rescue a bunch of people before he breaks them out, kills the bad guys and escapes. Rambo '08 stays true to the formula, except there's a lot more grit. Stallone is never shirtless at any point, and the cheesy music was replaced with Brian Tyler's harrowing, exceptional score. Rambo even works as a member of a team, as opposed to taking down hundreds of soldiers single-handedly. Up until Rambo, Sly had never directed an action film, but his excellent handling of the material here belies his inexperience. Sly may have utilised a shaky-cam approach, yet the style benefits the picture and is at no point distracting. And my word, the picture delivers in terms of action - the final battle is a celluloid tribute to the blood-soaked mayhem of the '80s. For all the criticisms Rambo endured, the violence is deserved: it characterises the villains, and provides the audience with a sweet sense of vengeance.

Infused with a poignant social commentary to provide sufficient context for the action, Rambo exists to call attention to the atrocities in Burma in addition to providing a fitting end for John J. Rambo. In First Blood, Rambo's breakdown in the film's final minutes left us with the sense that he wanted to discover who he is and put the past behind him. This theme was never brought full circle in the following two sequels, but Rambo '08 does exactly that: providing the ending that fans have yearned for since the commencement of the franchise.

Full review here

Due to the decline in quality across the Rocky series, in addition to the lengthy period of time since Rocky V, the notion of sixth Rocky movie seemed scoff-worthy. Yet, against all odds, 2006's Rocky Balboa proved the naysayers wrong, as Sylvester Stallone (serving as writer, director and star) managed to deliver a heartfelt and entertaining conclusion to the long-running Rocky series.

Following about an hour of well-paced character development and dramatic growth, the strains of Bill Conti's exceptional Gonna Fly Now begin to blare. I defy any audience member to not cheer or find their senses roaring to life as they watch Rocky jog up the front steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art once again. And, of course, the climactic fight still stirs the soul. In fact, the final bout could be the greatest in the series; evincing a more refined, mature sense of realism and emotion than prior Rocky films. Perhaps the biggest reason for this is that, for the first time, just about every punch you see is real.

While Rocky Balboa is formula with a capital F, this works in the film's favour. After all, it would be silly to try and improve or update the formula (Rocky V tried and failed). Fans of the series wanted to see Rocky being put through the motions one last time, proving that heart, sweat and decency will forever trump ego and fancy workout equipment. The Rocky series has always been about the power of the human spirit as embodied in the title character, and Rocky Balboa continues this tradition.

Rocky Balboa is not a gimmick, nor is it a last-ditch attempt to capitalise on the profitable series and earn a few bucks. Instead, it's an excellent, warm, engaging film, and far better than it ought to be. Stallone couldn't do much with Rocky except take him to the same places we've seen before with predominantly the same results. Yet, the film has heart, and the character has finally returned to his affable self once again. Rocky Balboa is as strong as the original film, and a fitting requiem for one of cinema's most popular heavyweights.

Full review here

"I believe there's a possible exception to every rule in a book."



Plot: A woman (Madeleine Stowe) who has just discovered she is the daughter of a murdered Mafia chieftain (Anthony Quinn) seeks revenge, with the aide of her Father's faithful bodyguard (Sylvester Stallone).

"Anything scares you... kill it."



Plot: Stallone plays a cop who comes undone after witnessing a brutal scene on the job. He checks into a rehab clinic that specializes in treating law enforcement officials. Soon, he finds that his fellow patients are being murdered one by one.

"I got will and I got faith. I believe you can will yourself in anything and do anything. And faith, that is like believing in something, man that's like having a good disease. It's contagious, if you hang around with people who have it you're gonna catch it, and its gonna change your attitude."



Plot: A young hot shot driver is in the middle of a championship season and is coming apart at the seams. A former CART champion is called in to give him guidance.

"My name is Jack Carter, and you don't want to know me."



Plot: Jack Carter, a mob enforcer living in Las Vegas, travels back to his hometown of Seattle for his brother's funeral. During this visit, Carter realizes that the death of his brother was not accidental, but a murder. With this knowledge, Carter sets out to kill all those responsible.

"Do you have any idea how much trouble you can get in for talking about for even talkin' about impersonation' a soldier? You can get in trouble just for listening to someone talkin' about impersonatin' a soldier."



Plot: A rather neurotic ant tries to break from his totalitarian society while trying to win the affection of the princess he loves.

"I look at this town, and I don't like what I see."



Plot: The sheriff of a suburban New Jersey community populated by New York City policeman slowly discovers the town is a front for mob connections and corruption.

"Keep trying you piece of shit. Keep trying. You've killed everybody else. You know what, you haven't killed me."



Plot: Disaster in a New York tunnel as explosions collapse both ends of it. One hero tries to help the people inside find their way to safety.

During the early 1990s, Stallone's attempts to branch out into other genres miserably failed both financially and artistically (Stop! Or My Mum Will Shoot, anyone?), so he opted to buff up and star in 1993's Cliffhanger, which was helmed by Renny Harlin. Fortunately, Cliffhanger is one of the few Die Hard copycat movies that - in terms of direction, visual style and level of action - can confidently stand alongside John McTiernan's 1988 action opus (this film is certainly superior to the fourth Die Hard instalment). It doesn't matter about the pasting it endured from the critics or how predictable it is, as Cliffhanger is primo entertainment. Produced in the heyday of hard-R action shenanigans, this is one of the most solid, enjoyable action movies of the '90s.

Considering the high replay value of Cliffhanger, in addition to the sense of adventure, the sinister villains, the breathtaking visuals, the sparkling one-liners and the endearing protagonist, there's no mistaking this for one of Renny Harlin's finest forays into the action genre. It's a standout which proudly stands alongside other classic '90s action productions (such as Speed, Face/Off, Con Air, etc) for its relentless sense of danger and tension, and its incredibly high entertainment value.

Following a perilous tone-setter of an opening sequence, the movie's adrenaline levels are set in motion and barely relent until the party is over. The 110-minute running time (rather lengthy for an actioner) flies by unbelievably quickly. More than that, while a suspension of disbelief is called for from time to time, the movie is at no point ridiculously over-the-top or cartoonish. In fact, Sly himself demanded for a stunt to be altered in post-production after a test screening audience laughed out loud at said stunt's impossibility.

Definitely a career high point for both Renny Harlin and Sylvester Stallone, Cliffhanger is all about grand-scale action set-pieces, violence and one-liners. It's predictable at times, sure, but like most actioners it's all about the journey as opposed to the destination, and this journey is one hell of an adrenaline rush. The film is a riveting old-school popcorn action film first and foremost, and thus the entertainment value consistently remains high and the film never takes itself too seriously.

Full review here

1982's First Blood was an excellent action-drama that emphasised the pain of Vietnam veterans in a compelling, stirring and exciting way. The sequel, 1985's Rambo: First Blood Part II, however, degenerated into an over-the-top action show-reel which bore little resemblance to its predecessor. 1988's Rambo III continued the tradition of its immediate forerunner; taking us even farther from the character as originally conceived. With any semblance of heart having vanished from the series, Rambo became a larger-than-life, prototypical American action hero.

There's absolutely nothing in this third Rambo adventure that has not been previously seen - it's full of violent action, minimalistic dialogue and more explosions than the mind can fathom. On the other hand, it's still a lot of fun, and it succeeds as a brainless action ride.

With director Peter MacDonald (who replaced Russell Mulcahy not long into filming) having been given a tremendous budget to play with, Rambo III is certainly the most epic of the franchise, and the money shows. Exotic locations are visited, and there are lots of guns, fiery explosions, big action sequences, and helicopters. As per the typical action films of the '80s, there are also cheesy one-liners, villainous villains, and a "no mercy" troop slaughter. And, of course, the film is often badass. While the dialogue is at times utterly risible, there are some notable interactions that are sure to provoke big dumb grins.

All things considered, Rambo III is a perfectly adequate way to pass 90 minutes of your life. This is definitely the weakest in the Rambo canon, but it's certainly entertaining, and fans will get what they yearn for in terms of explosions, stunts, high body counts and memorable kills. Unless you're a die-hard action nut, though, there is absolutely nothing in this outing that will appeal to you.

Full review here