Sylvester Stallone believesRambois the best and “most truthful” action movie of his career. Stallone broke through withRockyin 1976 and was once touted as the successor to actors like Marlon Brando. The success ofFirst Bloodin 1982 changed all that, with the firstRambomovie forever typecasting Sly as an action hero.Sylvester Stallone action movieswent on to dominate the box office throughout the 1980s and 1990s, even though he made his share of duds likeStop! Or My Mom Will Shoot. He also went on to front fourRambosequels.
Outside of the original,theRambomoviestended to meet a cold reception critically. After Stallone’s career hit a slow period during the early 2000s, he made a comeback by reviving both theRockyandRambosagas, with 2008’sRamboseeing the title soldier on a rescue mission in Burma. Even by the standards of previous entries,Rambois teeth-gnashingly violent and brutal. It’s a film where men, women and children die horrible deaths, and human bodies all but explode when hit by .50 rounds.
Sylvester Stallone Believes 2008’s Rambo Is His Best Action Movie
Rambo is one of Stallone’s best action films of the last 20 years
Stallone also wrote and directedRambo, which by all accounts was a tough production. It’s a sequel the star is very happy with, however, asStallone toldThe Hollywood Reporterin 2022 thatRambois one of his personal favorites of his own action movies.
One film I’m truly proud of — it’s the best action film I’ve ever done because it’s the most truthful — is Rambo IV, dealing with Burma, where they’ve had a civil war for 67 years. But I got excoriated because the movie’s so violent. And it is violent. It’s horrifying. It’s children being burnt alive. That’s what makes civil war worse than anything: It’s your neighbor, all of a sudden, killing you. I was really happy with that film, and I never thought it would ever reach the theater. I thought, “They’re never going to show this."
Stallone had spent years trying to find the right story for a fourthRamboouting. At one point,Stallone planned to turn the bookHomefrontintoRambo 4, before deciding against it and retooling the adaptation as a Jason Statham vehicle instead. It was researching the conflict in Burma that inspired Stallone to set the story there, and he felt the intensity of the violence had to reflect reality.Rambocan be a tough watch for that reason, though it also features some expertly crafted setpieces.
Despite having a minimum of dialogue,Rambofeatures one of Stallone’s best acting performances as the character. As a piece of action filmmaking,Rambois certainly one of the best things Stallone has made in the past two decades too, beating outThe ExpendablesorEscape Planby a comfortable margin. It’s disappointing that the series didn’t end withRambo, as the final entry,Last Blood, was a grim, self-serious closer for the franchise.
There’s A Lot Of Competition For Stallone’s Greatest Action Film
Rambo isn’t even the best Rambo movie
It’s great Stallone is so proud of his work onRambo, but it would have to beat out many other films to be considered his best. Stallone once calledFirst Bloodhis best action film, and there’s a very strong case to be made that it is . The originalRambofeatures one of Sly’s best physical performances and is loaded with taut setpieces and great supporting performances.Rambo: First Blood Part 2is the lesser movie, but it features some terrific action, whileStallone’sDirty HarryhomageCobrais one of action cinema’s best guilty pleasures.
In 1993, Stallone delivered the one-two punch ofDemolition ManandCliffhanger, with the latter featuring some jaw-dropping stunts from its leading man.Tango & Cashis a buddy cop gem that paired Sly with a scenery-devouring Kurt Russell, while 1995’sAssassinsis an underrated hitman flick from the late, great Richard Donner.The Expendablesmovies never fully lived up to their potential, but the second instalment featured the best ensemble (including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis and Van Damme) and setpieces.
Even some of Stallone’s more obscure offerings likeBullet to the Headmake for a solid night’s entertainment. The question of what is Sylvester Stallone’s best movie will always come down to personal taste, but the trio ofFirst Blood,Cliffhanger andTango & Cashare hard to beat.Rambodeserves a spot on the top ten list, but outside of Stallone, it’s doubtful many would place it in the top spot.
