DraftKings Network weighs in on their favorite Sylvester Stallone films

From Rocky, Rambo, The Expendables, and even The Suicide Squad, the long career of Sylvester Stallone has been with audiences for decades. Some of the DraftKings Network staff weigh in on their favorite Sly Stallone film and explain why that is.

Rocky Balboa – Murjani Rawls

MGM Studios

With the pantheon of Sly Stallone performances, there’s a lot you can choose from – the first Rocky, Rambo: First Blood, and maybe even reaching back further to The Lords of Flatbush. I’m going to pull a wild card and say 2006’s Rocky Balboa. These Rocky films are an extension of Stallone’s psyche at the time of making them. Previously in the series, we’ve seen Rocky be the underdog, become champion, lose it all to regain the fire he once had, watch his best friend die and beat an unstoppable machine, and then have his pupil turn against him only to beat him.

At that point, you would think there was nowhere for the Rocky character to go, but alas, “the stuff in the basement.” Rocky Balboa is the personification of Stallone, finding that underdog story again and flipping it in a way that services anybody who thinks they are too old to live out their dreams. A significant key to unlocking that is Rocky finding his way without his north star, Adrian. He gives that rousing “how hard you get hit” speech to his son (that gets used in every motivational video that auto-plays on YouTube) and goes out and does the impossible. He literally goes out swinging before he hands the main character reigns over to Creed.

Tango & Cash – David Fucillo

Getty Images

This is a tough question because it depends on what you want from Stallone and what you want from the movie in question. Rocky Balboa is his most famous character, followed closely by John Rambo. He’s fantastic in Rocky, but I think he took the character to another level in the Creed movies. But for my “favorite” Sly Stallone movie, I will go with two of his funniest performances: Tango & Cash and Oscar.

In the former, he pairs up with Kurt Russell as cocky cops that are framed for murder and have to break out of prison and prove their innocence. The latter features him as Angelo “Snaps” Provolone, a mobster who promises his dying father he’ll go straight. Both show more of Stallone’s comedic chops, which may not be the greatest but are underrated. I’ll rewatch the Rocky and Creed movies, but these are his two most re-watchable movies, making them my favorites. Demolition Man, Judge Dredd, and Over The Top all got consideration but came up short.

Cop Land – Collin Sherwin

Miramax

As a native-born Philadelphian, the easy answer here is the South Philly boxer who went from rags to riches and then owned a mediocre restaurant as a shell of himself. But Sly’s turn as Sheriff Freddy Heflin in Cop Land is one of the most underrated things he’s done.

The guy mostly known for being a grunting boxer and a war veteran vigilante wasn’t blown off the screen by legendary actors like Ray Liotta, Harvey Keitel, and even Robert De Niro. And there was actual Oscar buzz about his performance here! It was a loaded year (Tom Cruise as Jerry Maguire, Billy Bob Thornton in Slingblade, Woody Harrelson in The People vs. Larry Flynt, and Ralph Fiennes in The English Patient all deservedly lost to Geoffrey Rush in Shine). Still, he was this close to another nomination from the Academy.

It showed he was more than a guy who wrote a transcendent script and franchise in Rocky and could do more than just be shirtless and covered in blood. Demolition Man proved he had a sense of humor, but he showed plenty of performance chops as the only good police officer in a corrupt town. It’s an underrated mafia movie, and it looked like he put on at least 30-40 pounds to take the role. If you haven’t seen it, it’s worth a watch for sure.

Rocky – Chinmay Vaidya

1976 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

I’m admittedly not a huge Sylvester Stallone enthusiast, but he has two of the most iconic roles in mainstream cinema with the Rocky and Rambo franchises. His cameo appearances in some big-time movies are always appreciated, and I don’t mind watching any of the Expendables movies as an action fan. As far as my favorite film goes, I’ll stick with Rocky as the beginning of the most well-known boxing movie franchise. You’ve got action, emotion, a strong storyline, conflict, and a worthy resolution, which is about as perfect as any movie can be for me.

Demolition Man – Ryan Sanders

Corbis via Getty Images

I want to start this out by stating Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot was heavily considered before I began writing this, but I ultimately lost out. I know it would have been an unconventional pick, but I was only nine years old when it came out, and I remember laughing endlessly as I’d watch it on VHS at home with my family. Of course, Cobra was considered the first rated R movie I ever saw as a kid, but I ultimately ended up with 1993’s Demolition Man coming in at the top for me.

I mean, Sly, Wesley Snipes, and Sandra Bullock in the same movie? Sign me up! It had everything I could ask for as a young pre-teen: action, adventure, comedy, and just the right amount of romance. I was a big fan of Snipes after seeing White Men Can’t Jump, so I hopped right into Demolition Man without hesitation and ended up watching it at least a dozen times over the following year or two. I still think it even holds up as an adult, although I never did figure out how they used the three seashells.

Tango & Cash – Corey Long

Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images

There’s always something about Tango & Cash that brings me to a dead stop when I am flipping through channels. It’s Stallone and Kurt Russell in a tremendously 80s cheesy action comedy that checks off all the boxes. There are plenty of goofy one-liners, explosions, an evil drug lord, more explosions, and Teri Hatcher looking like a million bucks. It’s a wonderful waste of time and necessary viewing for a fun trip through the last of the 80s buddy-cop genre. The Stallone-Russell pairing was good enough, and the box office numbers were high enough that I’m surprised there was never a sequel.

Rocky IV – Ben Zweiman

MGM

Scrolling back through Sly Stallone’s filmography was fun to prepare for this writing. I’ll admit I’m not as familiar with his films outside of the obvious ones – your Rocky’s, your Rambo’s, your various one-off action flicks. It took a lot of me not to put Cobra as my favorite since it’s unbelievably bad that it turned cult. Those are the best movies, in my opinion. You’d almost have to group Demolition Man into that category, and that’s likely the Sly Stallone movie I “vibe with” the most, primarily because of its association with Taco Bell.

But if I’m being honest with myself, the answer to this question is Rocky IV. The third and fourth installments in the Rocky franchise, to me, are the most satisfying. Four gets the edge over three for a few reasons. It has arguably the greatest montage in movie history, which would be the “Hearts On Fire” training in Russia montage. The other is Ivan Drago, again, arguably the best movie villain of all time (I exaggerate a lot; bear with me). So I’ll say Rocky IV is my favorite movie of his. My favorite character of his might be in The Suicide Squad when he voices King Shark/Nanaue.

Creed – Brittany Jarret

Warner Bros Pictures

Deciding between Rocky Balboa and Creed was a challenge; I’m choosing between the first Sylvester Stallone movie I’ve ever watched and the start of a newer franchise. My godfather is a huge boxing enthusiast and a Stallone fan, so as a child, I learned the impact the Rocky films had through him, and somehow, they always sparked a fire in me.

Presumably, Stallone and the Rocky franchise go hand in hand, yet there was a time around seven to nine years old when I thought Rocky Balboa was playing himself, Rocky Balboa. HA. My family eventually explained that Stallone was just an actor playing a role, but it became a family joke for quite some time.

Needless to say, I was mind blown because that’s how real his character felt to me, and that’s how much I was invested in the story. However, Creed certainly takes the cake for me because it proves how impactful and sustainable the Rocky storyline can be. I also appreciate the support of shifting Black culture to the forefront in this film and Stallone’s extreme dedication to being a part of the same inspiring story, even in new ways.