He’s the character actor who became a superstar in the 1970s, a crowd-pleasing action hero in the 1980s and something of a parody by the end of the 1990s.
The creator of three of the most beloved – and unlikely – American movie franchises (Rambo, Rocky and The Expendables), Sylvester Stallone is one of the most recognisable Hollywood actors of his generation.
Now aged 77, and having recently made the jump to series television with Tulsa King, the New York City- born Stallone is the subject of the new Netflix documentary Sly.
To celebrate this look back at his life and career, Stuff to Watch has picked out eight of our favourite films from the former Italian Stallion (and lets you know where you can watch them right now).
Cliffhanger (1993, YouTube, iTunes, AroVision)
Although much parodied in the years that followed (most notably by Jim Carrey’s Ace Ventura), director Renny Harlin’s outdoor thriller certainly delivers on spectacle.
Stallone plays a former mountain rescuer who discovers that the group of stranded hikers he’s been asked to assist are actually a gang of violent robbers, desperate to recover their ill-gotten gains after losing them in a Rocky Mountains plane crash.
“Lives up to its title as a two-hour rollercoaster ride that never stops,” wrote Variety’s Todd McCarthy.
Cop Land (1997, iTunes)
Twenty years before helping Hugh Jackman seemingly say goodbye to Wolverine in 2017’s Logan, writer-director James Mangold helped Stallone prove he wasn’t just a one-dimensional “action hero”.
This crime-drama sees him play partially Deaf New Jersey small-town sheriff Freddy Heflin, a by-the-book lawman who comes into conflict with a group of corrupt New York City police officers.
Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta and Harvey Keitel co-starred.
“Casting is everything, and the casting of Stallone – playing way against type – as the powerless hayseed sheriff… is nothing short of inspired,” wrote Austin Chronicle’s Marc Savlov.
Creed (2015, iTunes, YouTube)
We all thought Rocky’s story had been nicely rounded off by 2006’s surprisingly good and poignant Rocky Balboa, but this reboot cum homage cum sequel to the original, near 40-year-old Rocky proved there was still life in the old warhorse yet. Writer-director Ryan Coogler did a terrific job of grounding this traditional boxing movie tale, while also paying tribute to the franchise’s legacy. Coogler also gets the fight scenes right, eschewing gloss for raw intensity and resisting the temptation to overdo the slo-mo.
With terrific performances by both lead Michael B. Jordan and Stallone himself, you’ll be floored by how good it is.
Death Race 2000 (1975, FilmZie, Cultpix)
A Roger Corman political satire that still resonates today.
A cross between Wacky Races and The Running Man, it follows the murderous Transcontinental Road Race, an event that has become the leading form of entertainment in a dystopian-looking year 2000.
Featuring an early scene-stealing performance by Stallone, it became a cult hit thanks to it’s anti-authoritarian action and points for hitting pedestrians.
Demolition Man (1993, iTunes, YouTube)
The closer we get to its 2032 setting, the more hilariously prescient this action-comedy becomes.
A seemingly unlikely pairing of Stallone and Sandra Bullock shine in this tale about a cryogenically frozen ’90s cop who is thawed out when his arch nemesis (Wesley Snipes) sets about causing havoc in the more peace-loving future.
It’s a supposed utopia, where people are fined for swearing, make no physical contact and Taco Bell is the only fast-food franchise left standing.
Escape to Victory (1981, Neon)
The plot may be preposterous and the footballers (Pele, Bobby Moore and Ipswich Town’s squad) and actors (Stallone, Michael Caine and Max Von Sydow) mix uneasily, but there’s just something about this World War II drama that still makes it such a crowd-pleaser almost three decades on.
As allied POWs prepare for a soccer game against the German national team to be played in Nazi-occupied Paris, the French Resistance and British officers make plans for the team’s escape.
Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985, iTunes, YouTube, AroVision)
Sequel specialist James Cameron co-wrote the screenplay for this action-packed follow-up to 1982’s First Blood.
This time around, Stallone’s John Rambo is released from prison and charged with investigating whether there are still any American prisoners of war in Vietnam. However, when the US authorities subsequently prevent him from going to their aid, he decides to go rogue in order to stage a daring rescue.
“In credibility, the action is as ludicrous as old Saturday-afternoon serials; in execution, the skills help it to skate over the incredibilities,” wrote The New Republic’s Stanley Kauffmann.
Rocky (1976, iTunes, YouTube)
Like its eponymous boxer, this was the little underdog movie that surprised everyone by not only being the biggest movie of the year in the US, but also taking home the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Stallone wrote and starred in this John G. Avildsen-directed tale about a poor, small-time club fighter and loan-shark debt collector who gets an unlikely shot at the world heavyweight championship.
“A description of it would sound like a cliché from beginning to end. But Rocky isn’t about a story, it’s about a hero. And it’s inhabited with supreme confidence by a star,” wrote Chicago Sun-Times’ Roger Ebert.