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After
writing and starring in Rocky
(1976),
Sylvester Stallone shot to instant superstardom. Critic Roger Ebert hailed him as
the actor who "could be the next
Marlon
Brando".
However, by the early 1980s, Stallone's reputation with the
critics had soured, even though he continued to rake in at the box office. His two trademark characters, Rocky
Balboa and John Rambo, made him the top action star of his
generation, but he gradually began to duplicate – and thereby
almost caricature –
these personas in films such as
Cobra,
Over
the Top, and Lock Up.
In the early 1990s, Stallone made a brief foray into comedy, before returning to more familiar
ground with films such as Cliffhanger, Demolition Man,
and The Specialist. In the end, Stallone's acting career has
largely come down to choices. He chose to be the big action hero
instead of trying to develop his reach. That he had – and still has
– the
talent is beyond question, something he proved with his quietly brilliant
performance in James Mangold's Cop
Land.
In 2006, Stallone
pulled his Rocky Balboa off the shelf for a
swansong with Rocky
Balboa. The film, written and directed by Stallone himself, was
a pleasant surprise that won over both moviegoers and critics. He
did the same with Rambo two years later, to lesser success. In 2015,
Stallone reprised the Rocky character once again in the franchise
reboot Creed. For this performance, he was nominated for Best
Supporting Actor at the 88th Academy Awards. |
