"The Expendables 2" is set to open August 17 but it's success will mean little to it's grieving star-creator in the wake of his son Sage's tragic and untimely death just last month. Whether or not this spells the end of his career remains to be seen but if so, what a career it's been. There have been many ups and downs and you can say what you want about his acting ability(or lack thereof) because Sylvester Stallone is about so much more than that. Did you know that he had a hand in writing almost all of his films and directed several of them? Most actors are lucky to have one role that sticks in the public consciousness. Stallone has two. A presence onscreen for nearly four decades, he stands for physical fitness and perseverance in the face of enormous odds and his well-known rags-to-riches story has inspired generations of people in all walks of life to work harder and do better. Let's recap the legacy of a true American hero.
Born in Hell's Kitchen, NY in 1946, Sly moved around a lot and grew up enthralled by comic book superheroes and "Hercules" star Steve Reeves. At an early age, he had an idea of who and what he wanted to be but a droopy face, slurred speech, and a name that doesn't exactly roll of the tongue made acting a difficult career path. In the early '70s, work was scarce and he took several odd jobs just to get by. If you blinked, you missed the bit parts he did land like a mugger in Woody Allen's "Bananas". Out of sheer desperation, he did a soft porn movie called "A Party at Kitty and Stud's"(later renamed "The Italian Stallion" after his luck changed). His first significant role was that of a Brooklyn thug in 1974's "The Lords of Flatbush", a movie that was supposed to be the big screen launch of "Happy Days" star Henry Winkler but instead gave Sly a much needed break. Nearly broke and with no further prospects in sight, he soon took matters into his own hands. Legend has it that he hammered out a screenplay about an underdog boxer in three days after taking in the 1975 Heavyweight title fight between Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner. He took his idea to the studio and they loved it but they didn't love him. They wanted an established star like Burt Reynolds, Robert Redford, or Ryan O'Neal to star and offered him $360,000 for the script which was $359,000 more than he had at the time. Knowing that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, he refused to sell the screenplay unless he was allowed to star. Miraculously, the studio relented and agreed to finance the film on a shoestring budget with him as the lead and the rest is history. One of the ultimate feel good movies, "Rocky" was a phenomenon, taking in an incredible $117 million and winning the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Director(John G Alvidsen), while Sly was nominated for Best Screenplay.
Following up one of the most iconic and successful films of the decade was never going to be easy and his next two films, "F.I.S.T" and "Paradise Alley" barely registered. But he wrote, directed, and starred in 1979's "Rocky II" and audiences again turned out in droves. This would be a recurring theme. Next up was the WWII set soccer drama "Victory" and the underrated 1981 cop thriller "Nighthawks". He hired professional bodybuilder Franco Columbo to be his personal trainer and his physique would soon match his growing stature. 1982's "Rocky III" made more money than both of it's predecessors and that same year he introduced the world to another unlikely hero. Sly was worried at first about how the public would respond to sullen Vietnam vet John Rambo because he was the polar opposite of the beloved character that made him a household name. But "First Blood" was a lean, mean thriller that took it's star by surprise when the one-man army became an instant sensation, and the film has since found eternal life on cable. A few missteps like directing the 1983 sequel "Staying Alive" and an ill-advised team-up with Dolly Parton in 1984's "Rhinestone" couldn't derail his momentum. Stallone reached the absolute peak of his popularity and drawing power in 1985. He single-handedly re-fought the Vietnam War in "Rambo: First Blood Part II" and collided with a Russian goliath in "Rocky IV". The results were the second and third highest grossing films of the year(number one was "Back to the Future").
He went from struggling unknown to movie god in less than 10 years and became the living, breathing embodiment of the Reagan era. He was no longer an actor, he was a brand name. He knew what his fans wanted and he gave it to them but I wish he had mixed some more substantial work in with all the mindless fun. You always knew exactly what you were getting when you sat down to watch one of his films. Nothing more, nothing less. Well, sometimes less. 1986's "Cobra" was an attempt to start up another macho franchise but even his most ardent supporters found little joy in the bad ass cop who rarely took his sunglasses off. Few would even entertain the idea of making a movie about professional arm wrestling. Sly actually did it in 1987's "Over the Top". He got into the best shape of his life and tore through Soviet-occupied Afghanistan, but "Rambo III" fell short of box office expectations in the summer of '88. It could be because the Cold War was ending. It could also be because Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis were now muscling in on his territory with the former openly challenging him for action star supremacy. After 1989's "Lock Up" and "Tango and Cash" did underwhelming business, he returned once again to his durable alter ego but "Rocky V" was the least popular chapter of the long running series. The following year, his Austrian rival took the title of world's biggest action star.
As the 1990s got underway, it was clearly time for a change but a disastrous attempt at comedy did nothing to reverse his fortunes. After taking a beating from critics for the flops "Oscar" and "Stop Or My Mom Will Shoot", he dove headfirst back into the genre that he was most comfortable in. He got back on track in 1993 with two solid hits, "Cliffhanger" and "Demolition Man". But the public was much less enthusiastic about the string of sub par assembly line action vehicles he served up in the mid '90s. "The Specialist", "Judge Dredd", "Assassins", and "Daylight" officially put him in a slump. Realizing that moviegoers had finally tired of his alpha male antics, he responded by packing on forty pounds to play a timid, hearing impaired sheriff battling police corruption in the 1997 drama "Copland". He held his own with the likes of Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, and Harvey Keitel and earned praise from critics but it was too late to change people's perceptions and more good roles did not follow. As the decade drew to a close, it looked like the career of the former box office champ was down for the count.
With the exception of sporadic appearances like 2000's "Get Carter" and a villainous cameo in 2003's "Spy Kids 3D", the new millenium offered little hope of a comeback for the aging icon. Believing that the time was right and that he had nothing left to lose, he ignored all the naysayers and boldly announced plans to resurrect his two legendary characters in new installments that he would also direct. 2006's "Rocky Balboa" was better than it had any right to be and got a warm reception from critics and audiences. 2008's "Rambo" had his bandanna-wearing killing machine bringing some old school carnage to Burma and his appreciative fans were there to cheer him on. Encouraged by the success of these revivals and fully embracing his role as the leader of modern testosterone-fueled cinema, Sly rounded up every tough guy actor he could find(including Arnie) for 2010's "The Expendables". The film did over $100 million that summer, his highest domestic gross since "Rambo II". It doesn't even matter if you're a fan of these films. Stallone is a genuinely inspiring guy and is almost impossible to dislike. Is "The Expendables 2" his last hurrah? I wouldn't bet on it.
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