“Demolition Man” (1993)
Though not as commercially successful as “Cliffhanger,” which came out earlier that same year and went on to gross a blistering $255 million, “Demolition Man” is nevertheless up there as fan-favorite camp with the likes of Sly’s mountain adventure and “Cobra” shenanigans. Featuring Stallone once again on the right side of the law, this time facing Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes, in one of his essential roles), the premise is set once Stallone’s Sgt. Spartan squashes protocol in order to catch mastermind criminal Phoenix in 1996. The result is a botched mess that leaves many hostages dead, and both Phoenix and Spartan becomes part of an experimental rehabilitation for the “California Cryo-Penitentiary.” Both are cryogenically frozen, and are thawed out in the year 2032 — Phoenix escapes and starts wreaking havoc in the utopian city of San Angeles, 20th-century style, and the only man who can stop him is, of course, Spartan. Most of the amusement eked out of “Demolition Man” is thanks to Snipes having way too much fun in the baddie role, and Stallone getting frustrated with straight-laced officers Lenina Huxley (Sandra Bullock) and Alfredo Garcia (Benjamin Bratt), while not giving two shits about the city’s new language-violation laws. In a completely different league in terms of watchability than Stallone’s other sci-fi film set in the future — the dishonorable “Judge Dredd” (1995) — this one’s got the adrenaline-pumping entertainment, classic ’90s one-liners (“A blast from the past!”) and a laid-back Stallone having a party with a semi-serious screenplay. You’ll be glued, whether you care to admit it or not.
“Cop Land” (1997)
Now for some serious business. James Mangold‘s sophomore effort “Cop Land” is a novelistic crime drama set in the made-up town of Garrison, New Jersey. With a story deeply involved in police corruption and unjustified violence, it’s eerily relevant to the hot-button issue of police brutality in U.S. culture today. For our purposes though, it contains one of Stallone’s greatest performances. He plays melancholic local sheriff Freddy Heflin, whose hearing impediment makes him ineligible for the NYPD but not completely deaf to the corruption perpetrated by the New York City officers who live in his town. An incident involving young cop Murray Babitch (Michael Rapaport), nephew of famed Lieutenant Ray Donlan (Harvey Keitel), brings on an Internal Affairs investigation spearheaded by Moe Tilden (Robert De Niro). The stellar ensemble is rounded off by Ray Liotta, Peter Berg, Robert Patrick and Janeane Garofalo; but it’s Sly Stallone, ’70s and ’80s action-movie icon, who ends up standing out. He gives an unnervingly subtle and gently giant performance as a man simmering on the inside until he can’t take it any longer. Who’d have thought the actor who made a career out of punching his enemies would be so believable as a small-town loser so used to taking punches? Stallone famously gained 40 pounds for the role, and deservedly received critical plaudits for his performance, but because of insurmountable pressure to succeed (in no small part caused by the film’s star-studded cast), the mediocre box-office results for “Cop Land” proved to be a big issue for Stallone. He couldn’t get much work after it, and his star power faded even further — an unfortunate circumstance that in no way reflects his searing portrayal of a man building towards an explosive climax.
“The Expendables 2” (2012)
Finally, we have this beacon of ’80s-action nostalgia. It will always be difficult to recommend “The Expendables” and its sequels as any kind of serious cinema. This is leave-your-brain-at-the-door entertainment at its loudest and most ridiculous, but for better or for worse, it’s absolutely essential in appreciating Stallone’s staying power after he’d tasted the very best and the very worst from the Hollywood lifestyle. While he returned to the myths that made him famous and revitalized his “Rocky” and “Rambo” personas for modern audiences, it was the creation of a whole new concept that has provided his career the healthiest of lifelines. “The Expendables” (2010) first introduced Stallone as Barney Ross, elite mercenary leader out to catch bad guys with his group of highly trained and hardened badasses. But it’s really in the sequel, and the addition of Bruce Willis, Chuck Norris, and Jean-Claude Van Damme to the already action-packed ensemble featuring Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Terry Crews and Arnold Schwarzenegger, where the franchise relives the bygone glory days of dumb, fun, practical action in its most entertaining and least cinematically offensive way. Ross and his band of rascals are out to avenge the death of their team member Billy (Liam Hemsworth) against plutonium-crazed baddie Jean Vilain (Van Damme, hamming it up with great results). It’s hokey, it’s ludicrous, and you could virtually predict every word, grunt, smirk, and punch line that comes out of Barney Ross’ mouth — but that doesn’t make it any less delightful. In fact, it adds to the adventure and if you get over the obvious gimmick of resuscitated catchphrases, you’ll actually have some fun with Stallone’s third monumentally successful franchise.
When it comes to Stallone movies, the bad ones are obviously bad (*cough*”Assassins“*cough*), while all the rest have something in them that makes for a durable watch. I know people who’d always choose “Over The Top” over something like “Cobra” as their preferred joyous disaster from the ’80s. Of course, all the “Rocky” and “Rambo” sequels were considered here — especially the very entertaining “Rocky IV” — but ultimately none hold quite the weight of the respective series’ originals, and it would feel a tad unfair to have two entries for what is ultimately the same performance. The three films which came the closest to making the cut are “The Lords of Flatbush,” “Tango & Cash,” and “Oscar.”
What are some of your favorite Sly Stallone movies and performances? Is something major missing from my list? You know where to sound off! And don’t forget to catch “Creed” in theaters this Friday.