The 10 Best Sylvester Stallone Movies
The Italian Stallion has been one of the biggest stars for decades. But what movies are his best?
'Cop Land'
There was a big debate over the weekend on social media about Sylvester Stallone's best movies, and I couldn't wait until today to tap in and to come up with my own list.
Stallone has been one of the biggest stars in movies and TV since the 70s, and there was a time when it felt like every title he was in turned to gold.
That gave him a reputation for just being an action lug, but if you actually sit down and look at his filmography, he's one of the most vital, foundational voices in modern American cinema. The guy is an Oscar-nominated writer who literally built two of the most successful franchises in history out of his nuanced character work and storytelling.
Today, I wanted to go over ten of his films that I think represent his personal best work. They're ones where he shines as the star, co-star, and where he certified his legend for years to come.
Let's dive in.
1. Rocky (1976)
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- Director: John G. Avildsen
- Writer: Sylvester Stallone
- Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Burgess Meredith
Being No Film School's Philly resident, you knew this had to be number one. Stlalone os Rocky in my mind. And in a lot of ways, the two of them have had similar arcs. They are self-made and felt like they came out of nowhere to steal the spotlight.
Stallone wrote a perfect character piece disguised as a sports movie, a script so good that they let him star in it, which changed the very course of his entire life.
When you look at the format and structure of the Rocky script, it spends a massive amount of time just letting us live with this lonely, soft-hearted guy in a gritty, freezing Philadelphia that seems as down on its luck as our hero.
The scenes where he walks Adrian home or his monologue to Mickey about waiting too long to help him are pure drama. And they make it all feel more real.
2. First Blood (1982)
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- Director: Ted Kotcheff
- Writers: Michael Kozoll, William Sackheim, Sylvester Stallone (based on the novel by David Morrell)
- Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Brian Dennehy
I think people forget that the first Rambo movie, was like an intense study of PTSD on a Vietnam vet who was attacked by a corrupt police department. They messed with the wrong guy, as they learn he is a super-soldier who underwent transformative training a secret weapon.
The brilliance of Stallone's performance here is how much he does with his eyes after barely speaking for the first two acts. All this builds to a monologue about the psychological cost of war that he delivers at the end of the movie.
Stallone is wonderful in the film.
3. Creed (2015)
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- Director: Ryan Coogler
- Writers: Ryan Coogler, Aaron Covington
- Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson
This movie gets back to Rocky's roots and allows Stallone to play the original character in a way that reflects more of what the first movies did, and not the later sequels. I actually wish they had brought Rocky back for the latter Creed movies, because this juxtaposition of the characters felt really special.
Stallone delivered his best performance in decades in this movie and earned another well-deserved Oscar nomination.
Coogler uses beautiful, long take cinematography during the boxing matches that mirrors the vibes of the earlier movie, too.
4. Cop Land (1997)
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- Director: James Mangold
- Writer: James Mangold
- Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro
Stallone is at his best when he's betting on himself. And this movie was him, at the height of his fame, taking a massive pay cut and gaining 40 pounds to star alongside the greatest dramatic actors of his generation in James Mangold’s gritty crime drama.
He gets ot be this sad NYPD guy who has no idea where he fits into this world of corrupt cops. And he does it acting against heavy hitters like De Niro, Kietel, Liotta, and lots of other standouts.
Stallone gets walked all over by these guys until he finally explodes and steals their movie.
5. Cliffhanger (1993)
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- Director: Renny Harlin
- Writers: Michael France, Sylvester Stallone
- Cast: Sylvester Stallone, John Lithgow, Michael Rooker, Janine Turner
This movie is the absolute pinnacle of 90s high-concept action cinema. You could pick it so easily, and it became one of those hallmarks of Stallone's aura. These were the kind of movies he was meant to headline.
The opening sequence, where a rescue cable snaps high above the Rocky Mountains, remains one of the most stressful pieces of blocking and staging, and now it is a trend people try to recreate on TikTok.
Stallone co-wrote the script, so we can see another time the star was calling his own shots and coming up with ideas. John Lithgow is having the time of his life playing a psychotic, theatrical villain who stands in contrast to Stallone's stoicism.
6. Demolition Man (1993)
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- Director: Marco Brambilla
- Writers: Peter M. Lenkov, Robert Reneau, Daniel Waters
- Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, Sandra Bullock
Anyway, this movie is part satire, part action, with a ton of funny lines and Sandra Bullock-like scenes just being amazing. Stallone plays John Spartan, a blunt cop who destroys anything in his way to catch criminals.
The film has this epic production design that gets us to buy into a deeply weird universe.
7. Rocky Balboa (2006)
- YouTube www.youtube.com
- Director: Sylvester Stallone
- Writer: Sylvester Stallone
- Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Burt Young, Milo Ventimiglia, Geraldine Hughes
I remember seeing this opening night and thinking it was going to be a disaster, and then the music hit, and the story unfolded a little like the first one, and I got a movie that had so much heart and mourning that I was blown away. It was actually pretty good!
As a director, Stallone makes excellent use of realistic, gritty digital cinematography that makes Philly look cold and lived-in again. We see echoes of the first film, but this is a new journey about a world that changed faster than Rocky andticpated, and a conencito nwith his song that feels lost amid it all.
It's about a guy seeing if he has anything left, and for Stallone, it was sort of a reminder he's still here.
8. Nighthawks (1981)
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- Director: Bruce Malmuth
- Writer: David Shaber
- Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Billy Dee Williams, Rutger Hauer, Lindsay Wagner
This is an underrated neo-noir thriller that often gets lost between Rocky and Rambo. Stallone plays Deke DaSilva, a street-smart NYC undercover cop hunted by a ruthless international terrorist, played by Rutger Hauer.
You kind of have this dry 70s look and feel that pops off the screen as Stallone gathers clues and explores the psychological toll of having to hunt a monster without becoming one yourself. Definitely check it out.
9. Rambo (2008)
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- Director: Sylvester Stallone
- Writers: Art Monterastelli, Sylvester Stallone
- Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Julie Benz, Matthew Marsden
If First Blood is a psychological drama, the fourth Rambo film is a brutal, uncompromising look at what it would do to a man if he actually were an action hero. You get this destruction of a legacy, which Stalone directs and co-writes again.
I love seeing him have a guy now, dealing with a life devoted to killing. And he's really good at it, and now has to kill more in order to bring justice back to the jungles.
10. The Expendables (2010)
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- Director: Sylvester Stallone
- Writers: David Callaham, Sylvester Stallone
- Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Eric Roberts
Possibly the most genius use of old action heroes in a movie I have ever seen. We get a group of the most badass people ever, all finally in a giant movie together, where they just kick butt over and over again.
The Expendables is a love letter to old-school, practical stunt work and physical filmmaking that shook up the Marvel era and gave us a tactile look at the stars we saw make some of the best movies all time by risking it all on the big screen.
It's pure adrenaline and fun.
Summing It All Up
What Sylvester Stallone teaches filmmakers across his five decades on screen is the absolute power of betting on yourself.
You have to believe you'll make it, and you have to punch your ticket by doing your absolutely best work when you're offered the chance.
Stallone has been on our screens every decade, trying and creating and experimenting in ways I think keep him fresh.
What are your favorite Stallone movies?
Let me know in the comments.
