It’s easy to mock Sylvester Stallone for clinging to his glory days in “The Expendables.”
After all, what’s a 64-year-old actor doing in an action movie meant for thespians half his age – or less? But the film, an homage to blood ‘n guts ’80s action fare opening Friday, is simply the latest step in a remarkable career.
The actor can be as fearless with his film choices as his characters are in the face of certain doom.
Stallone famously refused to let another actor play the part of Rocky Balboa when a studio showed interest in a script he wrote about a third-rate boxer who gets his chance at glory.
Stallone was a nobody then, and broke, to boot. He could have really used the money being offered for his script. But he insisted he play the lead character.
The rest is “yo, Adrian” history.
The actor leveraged his fame for the usual blend of sequels and other A-list ventures, from “First Blood” to “Cliffhanger.” But Stallone wanted to push his talents – and the public’s expectations of him. He starred in a series of ill-conceived romps, from “Oscar” to “Rhinestone,” capping his calamitous comedy career with “Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot.”
Disasters, all, but it took gumption to try different roles on for size.
Stallone’s career really tanked in the late 1990s, and when he wrote and starred in the 2001 film “Driven.” Ads for the racing film didn’t include his famous mug – a slap in the face for the screen icon.
Stallone lived out his second “Rocky” like moment in creating the sixth installment in his pugilist saga. Who didn’t expect “Rocky Balboa” to be a complete meltdown, an embarrassment that would make “Rhinestone” look downright quaint?
Instead, Stallone wrote and directed a wonderfully effective coda to his own Cinderella story. He managed to make his age part of the narrative in a way that only added to the drama, and he wisely introduced a new love interest into Rocky’s life who wasn’t a typical ingenue.
WWTW met Stallone during his publicity tour for the film, and he readily acknowledged people were expecting the film to be a disaster. But the confident actor, as muscle bound in real life as he is on the big screen, knew he had nailed it.
Never count Stallone out, he told us one more time.
Is he too old to pull off another action movie like “The Expendables?” Perhaps. We’ll know for sure come Aug. 13.
But the man who invented the “Rocky” principle might have another chapter left to tell.
(Photo: Sylvester Stallone stars as ‘Barney Ross’ in ‘The Expendables.” Photo credit: Karen Ballard)
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I was impressed by the latest Rambo flick. Stallone had most of the reigns on that one and it shows his capacity to produce films, even if critics didn’t appreciate all the guts and little story. Did you read about his diet? Ridiculously impressive.
I wasn’t as impressed with the last Rambo as you were, AKJ, but I dig how he’s now writing/directing/starring in his own films now. It’s sink or swim based on his own talents … nice. And the latest Rambo wasn’t an embarrassment. I think I expected more after seeing what he did with “Rocky Balboa.”
what abt copland?
I expect The Expendables to be cheesy and over the top. If it isn’t, I’ll be sorely disappointed. I want stunts and explosions and ass-kicking. Just mindless, fast paced fun. That will make it a winner.
I agree, Cop Land is a great film with an amazing performance by Sly. I wish it had been a bigger financial success so he could have done more roles like that. If anyone thinks Stallone can’t act for real, I suggest you watch that movie.
Both the latest Rambo, and The Expendables held no appeal for me, and I will hesitate to see any further Stallone action films. Ugh.