The Best and Worst of Sylvester Stallone

The "Best and Worst" series profiles the best and worst work of an actor starring in one of the week's new theatrical releases. This week I take a look at the filmography of "Creed" star Sylvester Stallone.

Films starring Sylvester Stallone that I've seen:
Rocky
Rocky II
Rocky III
First Blood
Rocky IV
Rocky V
Judge Dredd 
Antz
Rocky Balboa
Rambo
The Expendables 
Zookeeper
The Expendables 2
Bullet to the Head
Escape Plan
Grudge Match
The Expendables 3 

Best Performance: Rocky (1976)
Stallone is not exactly known for his acting ability, but he's phenomenal in the film that made him a household name and Rocky Balboa one of the most iconic sports heroes in the history of cinema.

Worst Performance: Grudge Match (2013)

Stallone has never looked more bored or confused on screen than he did in this wildly subpar comedy about a pair of former boxing legends(Stallone and Robert De Niro) engaging in their long-awaited "grudge match", 30 years after stepping away from the sport. Based on his general lack of effort and chemistry with any of the actors he shares the screen with, it's clear that he only took this role for the paycheck.

Best Film: First Blood (1982)
The action genre started to really establish its identity in the 80's and First Blood is one of the most essential films to come out of this decade of innovation and creativity. The action sequences are badass, the tension level never lets up and there's a hefty amount of intelligence and social commentary buried beneath the high body count.  

Worst Film: Rocky V (1990)
Moronic and lacking the winning formula that drove the first four films, Rocky V tarnished the Rocky franchise's previously good name and will go down as one of the most incompetent sequels ever made.

Thank you for reading this week's installment of "The Best and Worst of". Next week, I'll take a look at the best and worst work of "Chi-Raq" star Samuel L. Jackson.