Throughout his career, Sylvester Stallone has played some ultimate badasses, sat atop the box office in six different decades, and even help set records for Paramount+ with his Tulsa King crime drama series. The man, the myth, the legend, has given one iconic performance after another in movies ranging from inspirational sports movies to over-the-top action spectacles, and just about everything in between.
In honor of the Hollywood legend and his accomplishments on the silver screen, we have put together a list of the best Sylvester Stallone movies and how you can watch them in a variety of ways, whether it be streaming or buying an old DVD copy of a 1974 movie you have never heard of until today. There’s a lot to unpack here, so let’s take a trip down memory lane and explore the excellence of the man we the world likes to call Sly.
Rocky (1976)
Before the Rocky franchise became a massive pop culture phenomenon, it had modest roots with the 1976 release of its namesake. Far darker and more somber than the movies that would follow, the Academy Award-winning Rocky follows an up-and-coming Philadelphia boxer as he is given the chance of a lifetime in the ring, an opportunity that will forever change his fortune.
It is easy to see why Rocky is the first title on this list of Sylvester Stallone’s best movies. He was nominated for two Oscars — Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay — and the movie helped turn the rising star into a Hollywood staple, where he has remained ever since.
Buy/Rent Rocky on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon.
First Blood (1982)
The Rambo franchise has become one of the most recognizable action properties of the past 40 years with multiple sequels displaying a shirtless John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) firing exploding arrows, taking down armies with massive guns, and ripping out guys' throats. But like the Rocky movies, things started out modestly for the former green beret when he is picked up for vagrancy in a small Washington Town in First Blood.
Based on David Morrell’s 1972 novel of the same name, First Blood focuses less on Stallone’s character orchestrating massive action sequences (though there is some great action) and more on the treatment of Vietnam veterans after they returned from the war. Refusing to fight until left without any other option, Rambo is a reluctant and sympathetic anti-hero just trying to find an old friend and peace after the war.
Stream First Blood on HBO Max.
Buy/Rent First Blood on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Cop Land (1997)
James Mangold’s 1997 neo-noir crime thriller Cop Land tells the story of Garrison, New Jersey, a small community of NYPD officers on the other side of the George Washington Bridge, and the corruption that has long given the cops free rein while stymying investigations by internal affairs investigators. Sheriff of this small town is Freddy Heflin (Sylvester Stallone), a one-time NYPD hopeful held back by injury.
The supporting cast of Cop Land — Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro — is top notch, but at the center of it all is Sheriff Heflin, who finds himself caught up in a vast conspiracy carried out by the men who were sworn to protect the law, not themselves.
Stream Cop Land on HBO Max.
Buy/Rent Cop Land on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Demolition Man (1993)
Is the 1993 sci-fi action flick Demolition Man an objectively great movie? No, not really, but it’s definitely one of the most fun movies in Sylvester Stallone’s filmography. In this cult classic, Stallone plays Sergeant John Spartan, an LAPD officer who is cryogenically frozen alongside the psychopathic Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes) after the former causes a tremendous amount of collateral damage capturing the latter.
What makes this movie so much fun is Stallone’s fish out of water approach to the character. Throughout Demolition Man, the old school and barbaric methods of Spartan are in stark contrast to the more civilized and toned-down sensibilities of 2032 San Angeles. The three seashells, the Franchise Wars, and Phoenix’s influence of Dennis Rodman also make this worth a watch.
Stream Demolition Man on Starz.
Buy/Rent Demotion Man on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Cliffhanger (1993)
After failing to save his best friend’s girlfriend in a tragic climbing accident, Rescue Ranger Gabriel “Gabe” Walker (Sylvester Stallone) begins to doubt himself and considers leaving the lifestyle behind before becoming the last line of defense to stop the robbers of $100 million who find themselves stuck in the Colorado Rockies.
A movie that made more money than you probably remember, Renny Harlin’s 1993 action thriller Cliffhanger sees Stallone in all his ‘90s glory: a chiseled physique, quippy dialogue, and a character molded by tragedy. It’s a silly romp of a good time, but it is just that: a good time.
Stream Cliffhanger on Hulu.
Buy/Rent Cliffhanger on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Tango & Cash (1989)
Raymond Tango (Sylvester Stallone) and Gabriel Cash (Kurt Russell) are two of the most successful LAPD detectives when it comes to bringing down big-time drug operations, but they are as opposite as it gets in every regard of the word. The two heated rivals are forced to work together when they are framed with murder after making enemies with a well-connected crime boss.
Also one of Kurt Russell’s best movies, the 1989 buddy cop action flick Tango & Cash works best whenever the two leads are at each other’s necks. With the star power, chemistry, and relative financial success of the movie, it’s crazy to think we never got a sequel.
Buy/Rent Tango & Cash on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon.
The Lords Of Flatbush (1974)
The 1974 coming-of-age-drama film The Lords of Flatbush centers on the titular gang of Brooklyn ruffians who spend their days doing what any group of 1950s teenagers would do: chase girls, act up in class, commit some misdemeanors, and show off their leather jackets. But as the group begins to mature, they start to look at life a little differently.
Often remembered as the movie that started the reported beef between Sylvester Stallone and Richard Gere, who was fired during production, The Lords of Flatbush is a great look at a pre-Rocky Sly and what he was working with at the time. The movie, funnily enough, also sees Henry Winkler play a greaser, a few months before his Happy Days debut.
Stream The Lords of Flatbush on Prime Video.
Buy/Rent The Lords of Flatbush on Amazon.
Over The Top (1987)
At the request of his dying estranged wife, long-haul trucker and amateur arm-wrestler Lincoln Hawk (Sylvester Stallone) picks up his young son from military school and takes him to see her one last time. After the boy’s grandfather gets custody following his daughter’s death, Lincoln finds a way to earn his son’s respect and start a new life: the World Armwrestling Championship in Las Vegas, which carries a hefty grand prize.
As its title suggests, Over the Top is one wild ride with some incredibly ridiculous moments. The various arm-wrestling matches at random truck stops throughout the U.S., Lincoln’s hat turn, and that little trick his does with his wrist are all a bit hilarious and endearing. This movie is fun for all the right reasons.
Stream Over the Top on Freevee.
Buy Over the Top on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Nighthawks (1981)
When a dangerous international terrorist, Heymar “Wulfgar” Reinhardt (Rutger Hauer) comes to New York City to take out his next target NYPD detective Deke DeSilva (Sylvester Stallone) discovers he’s the only man strong, cunning, and brash enough to prevent another massive loss of life and property.
Although it’s not talked about as much as some of Stallone’s other crime thrillers from the 1980s, Nighthawks (not to be confused with Edward Hopper’s painting of the same name) features the outstanding on-screen pairing of Sly and the late Rutger Hauer, who plays like he’s prepping himself for his take on Roy Batty in Blade Runner the following year.
Buy/Rent Nighthawks on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Paradise Alley (1978)
The inclusion of Hulk Hogan’s Thunder Lips in Rocky III wasn’t the first time Sylvester Stallone found himself in the world of professional wrestling, as his 1978 sports drama Paradise Alley was set in and around the squared circle. The movie centers around three brothers who turn to professional wrestling as a way to get out of the 1940s New York City slum they call home.
Not only did Stallone write and star in Paradise Alley like Rocky two years earlier, he also made his directorial debut with this gritty drama set in the seedy nightclubs and dangerous alleyways of the Big Apple before it had a major facelift.
Buy/Rent Paradise Alley on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Death Race 2000 (1975)
The 1975 dystopian action movie Death Race 2000 is set in a totalitarian United States where the main form of entertainment is a nationwide event called the Transcontinental Road Race, which sees drivers race and fight to the death with high-powered cars, larger arsenals of weapons, and eccentric personalities. When a rebel group led by the descendant of one of the country’s founding fathers announces its plan to sabotage the race, the nation is brought to the brink.
One of the most sensational characters in Death Race 2000 is Sylvester Stallone’s Joe “Machine Gun” Viterbo, a Chicago gangster who looks and acts like he’s out of the age of Al Capone. Far from quiet, rational, or likable like some of his later roles, Stallone is firing at all cylinders, having the time of his life.
Stream Death Race 2000 on Tubi.
Creed (2015)
Ryan Coogler’s reboot of the Rocky franchise with 2015’s Creed not only brought back the dormant property, it also took it in a completely different direction that still felt true to its roots. This time around, Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan), the son of the boxing legend Apollo Creed, rises through the ranks of the boxing world with his dad’s former enemy-turned-friend Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) by his side.
Stallone, who provides his best portrayal of the character since the original Rocky, won multiple awards following the film’s release, including a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor. The emotional and captivating performance is key to several of the movie’s biggest scenes, and only further helps propel Jordan’s Adonis.
Buy/Rent Creed on Amazon.
Get it on DVD on Amazon.
With multiple movies set to be released on the 2023 movie schedule, there's a good chance we'll making adjustments to this list of the best Sylvester Stallone movies in no time at all.
