What's your favourite Sly Stallone scene?

[The Laughing Fish]

Now that Sylvester Stallone has turned 70, I thought it would be a good idea to share our favourite movie scenes starring the Italian Stallion.

There are many iconic moments e.g. Rocky's fight with Ivan Drago, Rambo's nervous breakdown as he describes his horrific Vietnam experience to Colonel Trautman in First Blood, and so on.

For me, it's actually this comical scene in Demolition Man, where John Spartan gets confused why the pathetic nanny state-controlled San Angeles no longer uses toilet paper. 

[thecolorsblend]

There's another scene from Rocky Balboa that everybody is in love with but I dig this one:

I never really appreciated Sly as an ACTOR until Rocky Balboa. It caused me to reevaluate everything he's ever done.

[Catwoman]

In the first Rocky, the night before the fight when he talks to Adrian and stays he just wants to go the distanc so he won't be just another bum. It's heart wrenching to hear how he sees himself but he's got that little bit of hope that can turn it all around. And then when he screams for her in the ring and their embrace. And in the second, his marriage proposal is so sweet and just adorable. Take notes boys. lol

[thecolorsblend]

In the first Rocky, the night before the fight when he talks to Adrian and stays he just wants to go the distanc so he won't be just another bum. It's heart wrenching to hear how he sees himself but he's got that little bit of hope that can turn it all around. And then when he screams for her in the ring and their embrace. And in the second, his marriage proposal is so sweet and just adorable. Take notes boys. lol

Um, yeah.

No.

No actually, my move will be taking my girl to a con where Patrick Stewart does a Q&A. I'll find a way to elbow my way into it and talk about how awesome whoever I want to marry is and how she's so lovely. Then I'll propose.

And after she says yes, Patrick Stewart will be all like "Engage!"

[Catwoman]

 

[thecolorsblend]

Awesomeness of that magnitude is unknown to your world, woman.

[Catwoman]

Of course it is. I don't have tweezers that small.

[Silver Nemesis]

I was thinking the other day that the Rocky franchise may be the most consistent movie series of all time. All of them are good in their own way except Rocky V, and even that's worth watching just to see Tommy Gunn get schooled in the final street fight. I think the original film and Rocky Balboa are the two best entries from a dramatic perspective. But Rocky III and IV are my personal favourites, with Rocky IV narrowly edging out the competition for the top spot.

It's the over-the-top superhero version of Rocky, with Sly facing off against a monstrous opponent whose punches pack 2150 psi. There are lots of hilarious eighties moments, from Paulie's robot serving him beer to Mikhail Gorbachev giving Rocky a standing ovation at the end. I love it. And while all the Rocky films have great soundtracks, Rocky IV features a particularly strong mixture of eighties rock and synth.

It also has what I consider to be the single greatest training montage in cinema history. Others may dismiss it as cheesy, but evaluate it from a purely technical standpoint and Stallone's use of matched action shots, parallel editing and audio synchronisation is masterful. James Rolfe once calculated that 20% of Rocky IV's runtime was montages. But when they're this good, who cares?

One of the best songs from the soundtrack wasn't even used in the film.

So the top spot on my list has to go to the Rocky series, with Rocky IV just narrowly taking precedence. Outside of the Rocky franchise, my favourite Sly film is First Blood. I like all the Rambo movies, but the original is a legitimately great action film IMO. It's psychologically layered, well written, well directed, well acted and extremely well paced. The final scene between Rambo and Trautman is heartrending. It's one of several instances where Sly was unfairly overlooked by the Academy Awards.

I've always thought he was a great actor at heart. Unfortunately most of his performances haven't been great. Many of them were lazy and driven by ego. But when he really goes for it and applies the full range of his talents, the results are shockingly good. Check out Rocky, F.I.S.T., Rocky II, First Blood, Cop Land, Rocky Balboa and Creed for the best examples.

Nighthawks, Cobra and Tango & Cash are all fun action movies from the eighties. Cliffhanger, Demolition Man and Cop Land were probably his best films from the nineties. Since his comeback in 2006, I'd say Rocky Balboa, The Expendables 1 & 2, Escape Plan and Creed have been his strongest offerings. And I'm looking forward to Guardians of the Galaxy 2 next year.

And in the second, his marriage proposal is so sweet and just adorable. Take notes boys. lol

It's not quite so sweet when you remember what Gazzo's driver said to Rocky in the first film: "Take her to the zoo. I hear retards like the zoo."

And where does Rocky take Adrian when he proposes to her?

[Catwoman]

And in the second, his marriage proposal is so sweet and just adorable. Take notes boys. lol

It's not quite so sweet when you remember what Gazzo's driver said to Rocky in the first film: "Take her to the zoo. I hear retards like the zoo."

And where does Rocky take Adrian when he proposes to her?

Way to kill my vibe, dude.

[riddler]

Its a shame I don't use this site on weekends anymore, there were a lot of good points brought up here
With respect to the Rocky movies, the first 2 were more dramatic, 3 and 4 more action oriented and Balboa a hybrid of the two. I saw the fifth film, it's definitely the weakest of the bunch but still watchable. The tone is depressing and Sly was out of action for most of it but the streetfight at the end redeems the character. Rocky IV is my personal favourite; the cold war aspect, the emotional aspect of Apollo Creed's death, the fact that Rocky made a true sacrifice for his friend relinquishing his title. Drago was a great villain, all the other bad guys in the series fit the mold of cocky mouthpieces but Drago was like a brutal Frankenstein. Creed was a good film as well and Stallone surprised in that one. Also even though it isn't rocky, Grudge Match Stallone matches DeNiro proving he can act as well.

As for the rest of his body of work? I kind of think the Rambo series is overrated, the first film is excellent and the John Rambo film was pretty good but 2 and 3 were weak. Tango and Cash was definitely an enjoyable film. I've enjoyed the expendables films as well as escape plan but thought Bullet to the head was kind of weak.

Demolition Man is definitely one of my favourites and a classic 90's action film of a mold in which movies aren't made any more. It's been a while since there's been a good original sci fi action film. It's also dramatic to an extent and the utopian future shown in the film is often discussed. It did accurately predict Schwarzenegger to get into politics (although I'm not sure if he'll even have a shot at president the way the movie portrays). I honestly would have chosen Stallones swearing rant as my favourite on screen moment from him.