He is not just another Hollywood action hero, he revolutionised the genre and reshaped the very definition of strength.
It would not be wrong to say that when you think of classic Hollywood action heroes, one of the first few names that come to mind is Sylvester Stallone. In his cinematic career of over five decades, he certainly defined the term ‘action hero’. From playing an underdog boxer in Rocky to the relentless war machine in Rambo, his contribution to the genre is undeniable. On the occasion of his 79th birthday on July 6, let’s explore how he is beyond his bulging biceps and explosive stunts and forever changed what Hollywood masculinity meant.
In 1976, he wrote and starred in Rocky, which is about a struggling boxer who gets a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get the heavyweight title. The film was not a sports drama but was an underdog story that resonated with audiences across the globe. The film was emotional and human, where the protagonist cried, stumbled, lost to finally remerge. He played a hero with a heart, and Rocky ended up winning three Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and Stallone got the stardom he deserved rightly.
While Rocky catapulted Stallone to fame, it was First Blood (1982) that made him an action icon. As John Rambo, he portrayed a Vietnam War veteran suffering from PTSD, who wages a war against injustice. The original First Blood was a character-driven action film, which was not about just another tough guy, but also focused on the post-Vietnam American anxieties, and the protagonist became a blueprint for several action films to follow.
Sylvester Stallone’s brand of action cinema had brutal realism, involved emotional stakes with the protagonist having a deeper purpose, and featured his physical transformation. He not only acted in his films but also shaped the films, often as a writer or director.
His Hollywood influence didn’t end in the ‘80s. In 2010, he came up with The Expendables franchise, and brought together legends like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Statham, and Jet Li. He went on to star in films like Creed, and in the Paramount+ crime series Tulsa King
Nonetheless, he is the reason behind creating the action wave in cinema and brought emotional gravity to the genre. His heroes remained deeply flawed, but reshaped the definition of strength at the same time.
