(Credits: Alamy)
Sun 15 June 2025 15:15, UK
Nobody makes a stinker quite like Sylvester Stallone. The gravel-voiced star has made bad movies of almost every conceivable shape and size. Somebody thought it would be a good idea for him to direct a sequel to Saturday Night Fever, the god-awful Staying Alive, but luckily, he had the good sense not to cast himself as John Travolta’s replacement. Chuck in a bunch of cringeworthy action films and the utterly abysmal Rhinestone (which co-stars Dolly Parton, of all people), and you’ve got quite the array of garbage.
It’s important to remember that Donald Trump’s ‘Special Ambassador to Hollywood’ has made some good stuff too. The first Rocky movie, which he starred in and wrote, is an Oscar-winning ‘Best Picture’ smash. His more successful efforts in the action genre include Demolition Man, Cobra, and First Blood, the progenitor of the Rambo franchise. He’s had a great run, but in all fairness, he has had one hell of an idol to look up to.
Shortly after the release of both Rocky IV and Rambo: First Blood Part II, Stallone was interviewed by Pop Culture Classics, who wanted to get to the heart of his mammoth success. According to the actor, part of his strategy was to stay in his own lane. “I try not to fool around and take risks with the studio’s money and their trust, just for my ego gratification,” he admitted, “I’m not going to do Chekhov.”
“I’ve looked at Clint Eastwood and seen what worked for him. When he vacillated from that, he got killed,” Stallone continued. “It’s not that he’s not a good actor. It’s just that the audience has a rapport for a certain character. When they pay five dollars, they don’t want to all of a sudden see a guy coming out in a powdered wig. They just want to see what they expect. It fits. It’s comfortable. It’s like being at home.”
At the time of this interview, Eastwood wasn’t long removed from two of his most infamous films. Any Which Way but Loose and its sequel, Any Which Way You Can, put him in the role of Philo Beddoe, a nomadic bare-knuckle boxer. Oh, and he just so happens to own a pet orangutan named Clyde. These bizarre comedies didn’t do too badly at the box office, but were mauled by critics, many of whom agreed that Eastwood should never ever attempt to be funny again. No doubt, Stallone was one of those sliding in his seat when he first saw them.
Arguably, it wasn’t until Eastwood returned to his roots that he reclaimed his spot at the top of the mountain. Six years after Stallone namechecked him, he directed and starred in Unforgiven, a subversive take on the Western genre that had its leading man a household name. This was a massive career win for Eastwood, who joined Stallone as the star of a ‘Best Picture’ winner and also collected a ‘Best Director’ statue that same night, something his apprentice has never been able to do.
Ironically, the same year that Unforgiven hit screens, Stallone had his own fumble. He appeared in a so-called ‘comedy’ action movie called Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot. Yes, it was every bit as awful as it sounds. Should have stuck to your own advice, Sly.
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