Sylvester Stallonehas made a name for himself as one of the greatest action movie stars of all time, but plenty of highly underrated entries in his filmography need more attention. While Stallone will always be known for characters like Rocky Balboa and John Rambo, he’s far from the kind of one-dimensional performer he’s sometimes made out to be. Throughout his career, Stallone surprised viewers with incredible performances in heartfelt dramas, screwball comedies, and intense neo-noir thrillers.
Many ofthe best Sylvester Stallone movieshave become touchstones in modern popular culture, while other fantastic films have been doomed to obscurity. While some maligned movies, such as comedies likeOscar, have failed to gain the reappraisal they so rightfully deserve, other underrated entries have been recognized by cinephiles yet remain woefully unknown by mainstream audiences. Across his vast and varied catalog,there were plenty of underrated Stallone movies that viewers should give a second chance.
Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot (1992)
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Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot
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Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot is a 1992 action-comedy film starring Sylvester Stallone as a tough police sergeant whose overbearing mother, played by Estelle Getty, becomes an unexpected partner in his police work. Directed by Roger Spottiswoode, the film blends elements of crime investigation with familial comedy as Stallone’s character navigates his complex relationship with his meddlesome mother.
Let’s be absolutely clear here, describingStop! Or My Mom Will Shootas one of Sylvester Stallone’s most underrated movies does not mean it’s some forgotten cinematic masterpiece. This was a movie littered with issues, but the truth must be faced, and looking back on it more than 30 years later, it’s not nearly as bad as its maligned reputation suggests. In truth,there was strong comedic chemistry between Stallone and his co-star Estelle Gettyas his overbearing mother and plenty of laughs throughout this overly criticized movie.
Schwarzenegger Tricked Stallone into Making Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot
Arnold Schwarzenegger reveals that he used his feud with Sylvester Stallone to trick the actor into starring in Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot.
Stallone himself may disagree with this reappraisal ofStop! Or My Mom Will Shoot,as he described it as “maybe one of the worst films in the entire solar system, including alien productions we’ve never seen” (viaAin’t It Cool News.) Both Stallone and Getty took home Worst Actor Golden Raspberry awards for their performances, which felt like unfair overkill against a comedy movie that, at its worst, could be described as mediocre. The truth should be faced, as critics must admit this was a fun Stallone comedy that doesn’t deserve its bottom-of-the-barrel bad reputation.
Daylight
Daylight is a disaster thriller film directed by Rob Cohen. Sylvester Stallone stars as Kit Latura, a former Emergency Medical Services chief, who must lead a group of survivors through a perilous journey after a catastrophic explosion traps them inside the Holland Tunnel. Joining him are Amy Brenneman as writer Maddy Thompson and Viggo Mortensen as adventurous celebrity Roy Nord.
As one of Sylvester Stallone’s greatest 1990s movies,Daylightrarely gets spoken about in the conversation surrounding the actor’s best work. As an engaging, tense, and well-paced look at a serious crisis situation,Daylightsaw Stallone play Kit Latura, a disgraced former New York City Emergency Medical Services chief trying to save survivors trapped in a tunnel. After an explosion caused a Manhattan tunnel to collapse from both sides, Kit pulled out all the stops and put his life on the line to try and get the trapped citizens out alive.
Stallone delivered an earnest and sympathetic performance that powerfully showcased his dramatic acting chops.
WhileDaylightreceived negative reviews upon release, Stallone delivered an earnest and sympathetic performance that powerfully showcased his dramatic acting chops. Even though the story was predictable andDaylightwas full of disaster action movie tropes and clichés, there were also strong visuals and a surprisingly poignant story. This was the perfect vehicle for its star in the 1990s, and thisunloved Stallone moviedeserves far more praise than it ever got.
Escape Plan
An action thriller film that stars movie action heroes, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, Escape Plan follows Lawyer Ray Breslin, a security tester who enters a supermax prison to study its defenses. To accomplish the breakout, he’ll enlist the help of an inmate named Emil, a self-proclaimed hero who steals from the rich and gives to the poor.
The fact thatEscape Planhas been so slept on truly boggles the mind, as seeing its two lead stars sharing the screen would have been an action movie lover’s dream in the 1980s. This movie paired Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger for an epic prison break story about a security tester incarcerated in the world’s most secure and secretive facility. With solid chemistry between its two leads,Escape Planwas a firm indication thatthe Stallone and Schwarzenegger feudwas well and truly in the past.
Although Stallone and Schwarzenegger had already appeared inThe Expendablestogether in 2010,Escape Planwas their first true feature-length pairing.
It’s true thatEscape Planfailed to match the heights of either Stallone or Schwarzenegger’s best work, but it’s still a lot of fun and a highly underrated entry in both of their catalogs. As the world’s best escape artist, Stallone befriended Schwarzenegger’s character while imprisoned, and the two concocted a thrilling plan to make their escape. Not only didEscape Planlead to a brand new Stallone franchise, but it also felt like a love letter to the star’s glory days and a showcase that they still had the skills needed to pull off one last big job.
Bullet To The Head
Bullet to the Head follows hitman Jimmy Bobo after a former mercenary kills his partner after the two recently took down a corrupt-ex police officer. When Detective Taylor Kwon looks into the case and discovers a strange connection between the two deaths, he partners with Bobo to get to the center of a criminal conspiracy headed by a real-estate mogul running an illicit business.
From legendary action director Walter Hill,Bullet to the Headwas an incredible, underrated Stallone movie about a hitman and a cop forced to work together to bring down a corrupt businessman and save their doomed lives.Based on the French graphic novelDu plomb dans la têteby Matz and Colin Wilson, Stallone embodied his 1980s action-hero persona in a trashy thriller that echoed some of his greatest work. With fantastic supporting roles from Jason Momoa and Christian Slater, it’s a shame thatBullet to the Headisn’t far better known by those not following Stallone’s career.
As a film packed with punching, shooting, explosions, and one-liners,Bullet to the Headmore than delivered on its promise of Stallone-style action movie carnage. Similar to Arnold Schwarzenegger inThe Last Standthe following year,Bullet to the Headrepresented Stallone embracing his role as an elder statesman of action movies and choosing appropriate roles of an aging hero being forced to contend with much younger adversaries. Although it bombed at the box office, Bullet to the Headdeserves a second look.
Demolition Man
In the 1993 action movie Demolition Man, Sylvester Stallone stars as time-displaced police officer John Spartan, who struggles to adapt to the year 2032 after being cryogenically frozen for messing up a job. However, his old-school skills come in handy for innocent cop Lenina Huxley (Sandra Bullock) and the futuristic city of San Angeles when the criminal Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes) is thawed and the complacent authorities don’t know how to react.
Demolition Manhas only become more relevant over the years, as its futuristic world of 2032 was categorized by virtual meetings, self-driving cars, and non-contact social greetings. Although things have not yet gone far enough that foul language has become a criminal offense,Demolition Man’soverly progressive imagined crimeless future was a fascinating contrast with so many dystopian stories of stilted humanity. Out of this context, two cryogenically frozen men from 1996, a risk-taking cop (Sylvester Stallone) and a deranged crime lord (Wesley Snipes), were thawed in the future and must face off against each other once again.
WhileDemolition Manwas a commercial success, it has not had the kind of lasting power of Stallone’s best work and has failed to receive proper recognition for the prophetic nature of the world it envisioned. With Sandra Bullock in one of her earliest roles,Demolition Manfeatured great onscreen chemistry between herself and Stallone. Overall,Demolition Manwas a terrifically fun movie that holds up incredibly as society shockingly creeps ever closer to the year it was set.
Cobra
In Cobra, a genius mathematician turns vigilante and uses his intellect to execute intricate crimes while police attempt to apprehend him. As the story progresses, layers of mystery unravel, leading to a gripping narrative filled with suspense and intellectual duels.
Sylvester Stallone gave one of his greatest action movie performances of the 1980s as the no-nonsense cop Lt. Marion Cobretti inCobra. This story about a trigger-happy police officer investigating a string of crimes, including a mass shooting and hostage situation at an L.A. supermarket, was packed with violent spectacles of serious carnage. With a shockingly low critics score of just 17% onRotten Tomatoes,Cobrawas pure action movie fun that’s been misunderstood by reviewers and, when enjoyed on its own merits alone, was an astounding success.
WithCobra, Stallone distilled everything great about action movies during the 1980s into its purest form.
While there’s an argument that Stallone’s character inCobrawas one-dimensional, the lack of nuance was part of the point, as this outrageous action movie focused on non-stop thrills over narrative heft. WithCobra,Stallone distilled everything great about action movies during the 1980s into its purest form,resulting in a mess that was impossible to look away from.Cobramay not have beenCitizen Kane, but it never pretended to be.
Oscar
Oscar is a 1991 comedy film directed by John Landis, starring Sylvester Stallone as Angelo “Snaps” Provolone, a gangster who promises his dying father to go straight. The plot follows Snaps' efforts to become an honest businessman while dealing with a series of comedic misunderstandings and complications. The film also features performances by Marisa Tomei, Ornella Muti, and Peter Riegert.
Oscarreceived overwhelmingly negative reviews when it was first released and stood among the most maligned movies in Sylvester Stallone’s entire filmography. However, this reputation was not fair, and watching the movie today, it’s hard to see what critics had such a problem with as Stallone gave an impressive comedic performance in a hilarious film that had more in common with screwball comedies of the past than the usual action fare he was known for. This was likely part of the problem, asStallone strayed so far from his action-hero persona inOscarthat contemporary viewers had trouble accepting it.
From director John Landis, this lighthearted comedy featured Stallone as a gangster trying to keep the promise he gave his dying father to give up his life of crime while also dealing with the challenges of his wayward, promiscuous daughter, played by Marisa Tomei. As a pure farce,Oscarshowcased a new dimension to Stallone’s skills as a performer and highlighted his talents as a comedian outside of tongue-in-cheek action movie one-liners. WhileOscarironically didn’t deserve any Academy Awards, it’s certainly in need of reappraisal by modern viewers.
Paradise Alley
Three Italian-American brothers, living in the slums of 1940’s New York City, try to help each other with one’s wrestling career using one brother’s promotional skills and another brother’s con-artist tactics to thwart a sleazy manager.
FollowingRocky’ssmash success and Best Picture win in 1976, Sylvester Stallone truly had the world at his feet and could pursue whatever passion project he wanted. With this level of creative freedom, Stallone returned to his previously unproduced script and made the sports dramaParadise Alley. This story of three Italian American brothers in Hell’s Kitchen in the 1940s getting involved in the world of professional wrestling was an ambitious swing by Stallone, and although it crumbled under the weight of its lofty goals, it’s still a highly underrated and often forgotten Stallone movie.
Vincent Canby of theNew York TimescalledParadise Alley“a phony, attitudinizing, self-indulgent mess,” which, looking back, feels like a harsh takedown of a new movie star and first-time director attempting to spread his wings.Stallone put his heart and soul intoParadise Alley,and it was packed with interesting characters and an effective 1940s aesthetic. There was a lot to love inParadise Alley, and more so than any other film, it was a showcase that Stallone was a true creative with ambitions to make movies of real depth and pathos.
Nighthawks
Nighthawks is a 1981 action thriller featuring Sylvester Stallone and Billy Dee Williams as New York City detectives pursuing an international terrorist played by Rutger Hauer. Directed by Bruce Malmuth, the film follows the tense and perilous cat-and-mouse game between law enforcement and the cunning fugitive, presenting a gritty portrayal of urban crime and counter-terrorism efforts.
BeforeRamboorCobra,Sylvester Stallone’s first true actionmovie role was the highly underrated thrillerNighthawks. As a well-written, well-acted, and more grounded story of an undercover cop attempting to take down one of Europe’s most lethal terrorists,Nighthawkswas an early indication of Stallone’s future as a major 1980s action movie star that was categorized by a brooding atmosphere and a unique sense of style. With incredible pacing and impressive character development,Nighthawkswas a tense thriller that stands out as one of the most accomplished movies in Stallone’s entire back catalog.
As the NYPD detective DaSilva, Stallone’s compelling performance saw him chasing a vicious terrorist, played by Rutger Hauer, in an effective thriller that was truly ahead of its time. As only a modest hit upon release, looking back atNighthawksnow, it’s easy to see it as a forebearer to future tense and atmospheric thrillers, as its battle of the wits between a cop and terrorist narrative can be felt in everything fromDie HardtoThe Dark Knight. WhileNighthawksdoes get its due from Stallone fans and cinephiles, it deserves more attention from mainstream viewers.
Cop Land
The Sheriff of a suburban New Jersey community, populated by New York City police officers, slowly discovers the town is a front for mob connections and corruption.
Sylvester Stallone gave his greatest dramatic performance in the criminally underrated neo-noirCop Land,where he impressively held his own opposite cinematic greats like Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, and Ray Liotta. Even more impressive was that Stallone’s performance acted as the story’s beating heart and emotional core among such an all-star cast.Cop Landstarred Stallone as a small-town sheriff in over his head in a conspiracy of corruption that was dense and tense and harkened back to some of the greatest crime classics ever made.
Cop Landslowly built up its richly imagined characters for a volatile story that rose above the average crime drama and was truly elevated by Stallone’s performance. With a much darker tone than almost anything else Stallone had ever attempted,Cop Landproved his credentials as a major star after the recent failures ofStop! Or My Will ShootandOscar. With plenty of underrated performances across his career,Cop Landwas the movie that best encapsulated Stallone’s untapped potentialand serious skills as a dramatic actor.
