Sylvester Stallone’s upcoming thriller Armor could finally break a bad cinematic habit the actor has stuck to for 46 years. Following the shock success of Rocky in 1976, Stallone was touted as the successor to actors like Marlon Brando. Unfortunately, many of his non-Rocky follow-ups were duds, and the success of First Blood saw the star become typecast in the action genre. Decades later, Sylvester Stallone’s action movies are a subgenre onto themselves, with recent examples including 2023’s The Expendables 4.
It doesn’t appear that the screen legend will be abandoning the genre in the near future. Some upcoming projects include the thriller Alarum alongside Reacher star Willa Fitzgerald and Armor. The trailer for Armor sees Stallone lead a band of thieves robbing an armored truck, only to find themselves in a tense standoff with the guards trapped inside. The movie looks like a tight little thriller – even if the premise sounds basically identical to the underrated 2009 thriller Armored.
Armor Could Break Sylvester Stallone’s No Death Rule After 46 Years
Stallone hasn’t died onscreen since 1978
Armor’s trailer makes it appear that Stallone is playing a full-on villain and one who fully intends to kill the guards inside the truck (played by Jason Patric and Josh Wiggins) when he breaks into it. The film marks a rare antagonist role for the star, and unless his character Rook is given some heroic redemption, Armor could contain Stallone’s first death scene since 1978’s F.I.S.T. The latter cast Stallone as a Jimmy Hoffa-style figure who is gunned down in the movie’s closing moments.
Stallone disagreed with this choice, however, and none of his characters have died in the decades since. Of course, that tradition could be maintained with Armor too. There are many potential outcomes for Stallone’s Rook, including getting arrested or having a change of heart and saving the day. Still, it would be cool if Armor subverted Stallone’s screen image in a major way, letting him play a truly irredeemable character who gets his just deserts in the finale.
Netflix’s Sly Explained His Rule About Sad Endings
Sylvester Stallone doesn’t want to bum out his audiences
Prior to the release of The Expendables 4, there were reports Stallone’s team leader Barney would die. This was to make way for co-star Jason Statham as the new leader of the team, but while Expendables 4 “kills” Barney during the first act, the ending reveals he faked his fiery demise. This felt like a major cop-out, though given the overall shoddy quality of the fourth installment, it was far from the biggest issue. 2023 also saw the arrival of Sly, a Netflix documentary where Stallone talked through the ups and downs of his life and career.
In Sly, Stallone states his belief that audiences hate downer endings where the hero is killed or loses. He thinks that F.I.S.T. director Norman Jewison’s decision to end on such a dark note hurt the film, and sent the message that evil will always triumph. It’s notable that, as scripted and shot, First Blood ended with John Rambo being shot dead by his mentor Trautman (via EW). Stallone always hated this ending and railed against it, feeling it signaled to Vietnam vets that there was no hope for them.
It’s very interesting to analyze Sylvester Stallone’s whole career with his “no death” mantra in mind…
Thankfully, test audiences also despised this finale, so a new ending where Rambo survives was used instead. It’s very interesting to analyze the star’s whole career with his “no death” mantra in mind. Even his remake of the gritty Michael Caine thriller Get Carter twisted the original film’s dark finale to have the title character not only survive, but start a hopeful new chapter in his life.
Stallone’s No Death Rule Has Spoiled Some Of His Movies
Hopefully Stallone’s worst screen habit won’t impact Armor too
The aforementioned Get Carter remake feels like it completely misunderstands the point of the 1971 film, right up to Carter walking away from his revenge quest unharmed. Most of Stallone’s filmography has been crowd-pleasing blockbusters, so it wouldn’t have made sense to end something like Cobra or Cliffhanger with the protagonist dying. Still, some movies almost demand bleak outcomes, but Stallone has proven unwilling to budge from his death rule even if the story calls for it.
Rambo 5 feels like it’s building to the ex-soldier’s inevitable death – instead, a mid-credits scene sees him mount a horse and ride off to parts unknown.
Sly includes a perfect example, where, as filmed, Rambo died from his injuries in the final scene of 2019’s Last Blood. The badly wounded soldier is seen rocking in his chair – which then stops moving. The star later had a change of heart, and used CGI to keep the chair moving. Considering the sequel was intended to end the Rambo movie franchise, the plot feels like it’s building to the ex-soldier’s inevitable death – instead, a mid-credits scene sees him mount a horse and ride off to parts unknown.
Another example is Rocky V, which was penned with the demise of the title boxer in mind. Given the new heights the series would later reach with 2006’s Rocky Balboa and the Creed movies, it’s ultimately a good thing the fifth film didn’t end with Rocky dying after his brawl with Tommy Gunn, but the tacked-on happy ending is ill-fitting in Rocky V’s final cut too.
Armor Is Stallone’s First Villain Role In 21 Years
Stallone hasn’t played a villain since The Toymaker
Stallone has often been candid about his career struggles, where from the late 1990s through to 2006’s Rocky Balboa, he was essentially cast out of Hollywood. This was due to several bombs, including Judge Dredd and Driven. It was during this time he accepted the villain role in Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over, which cast him as Agent Sebastian (AKA The Toymaker), the designer of a dangerous virtual reality game. He hasn’t played a live-action antagonist since, and Armor marks Stallone’s belated return to bad guy roles.
Of course, time will tell if Rook truly is a villain. It’s a pity Stallone hasn’t tried out more villainous parts since he can be genuinely menacing whenever a role calls for it. Rambo himself can be a bloodthirsty monster during combat and, indeed, acts like a slasher villain during the final battle of Last Blood. Get Carter would have been an inarguably better film had his character maintained the vicious edge of the original Caine version too.
Armor has a solid B-movie premise, but with Sylvester Stallone, it features some genuine star power too. Unlike most low-budget action fare, it actually appears Stallone will have a major featured role, instead of being an extended cameo designed to lure in his fans. The film would carve itself a small but unique footnote in the actor’s filmography if Rook bites the bullet during the finale, but given how ironclad Stallone’s “no death” rule has been for almost a half century, there’s no guarantee Armor will be the one to break it.