Schwarzenegger vs. Stallone: Best Movies
Sylvester Stallone’s career has had many ups and downs, but at his best, Stallone has shown that he is a genuinely fine actor.
Looking at his greatest roles, Stallone’s crowning achievement will always be Rocky Balboa. The eternal underdog, Rocky’s story has been told on the big screen over the course of 40+ years, with Stallone playing him as a young man through to old age.
It’s rare for a Hollywood role to have the kind of legacy that Rocky has, and upon Stallone’s Golden Globe win for playing Rocky Balboa inCreed, he was given a standing ovation by the A-list crowd.
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Outside of Rocky, Stallone’s other great role was as John Rambo in theRambofranchise. The grizzled ex-Green Beret’s story lasted almost as long as Rocky’s had, albeit over fewer movies.
The first film was a genuinely affecting story about soldiers returning home from Vietnam and the PTSD that many of them suffered. After that, they progressively fell into out-and-out action—and the final film,Rambo: Last Blood, opened to vastly negative reviews.
In between his outings as Rambo and Rocky, Stallone has proven his acting ability in other films, such as 1997’sCop Landand 2017’sGuardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s film career also saw him become famous for two particular roles. First, as Conan, he gained widespread recognition in 1982 and 1984. Yet while he’s fondly adored as Conan by some, he’ll always be remembered as The Terminator.
The success ofThe Terminatorsaw Schwarzenegger become a movie star overnight for playing the relentless killing machine. He peaked further when he returned in 1991 forTerminator 2: Judgment Day.
The film was critically acclaimed and was the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time when it released. This time, Schwarzenegger’s character was tasked with protecting (not killing) John Connor, leading to an epic action movie with game-changing visual effects.
Even though the franchise ran into the ground with later films,Terminator 2remains one of the very few perfect action movies.
Besides that, Schwarzenegger had massive success with other action movies, includingTrue Lies,The Running Man,Total Recall, andPredator, plus some fun comedic roles like inThe Kindergarten Cop,Last Action Hero, andJingle All the Way.
He also surprised people with his dramatic performance in the 2015 zombie movieMaggie, where he played the father of a young woman who slowly became a zombie.Maggiewas warmly reviewed by critics who praised Schwarzenegger’s heartfelt performance.
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Schwarzenegger vs. Stallone: Worst Movies
For all the highs that the pair have soared, there have been some startling lows too—especially in the late 90s and early 2000s when the action genre moved off in different directions.
Stallone’sStop! Or My Mom Will Shoot,Rocky V,Escape Plan 2 & 3, andBacktraceare the tip of an iceberg for career duds.
When Schwarzenegger became the Governor of California and put his film career of hiatus, he was still starring in the occasional movie—but it was clear that the industry was moving on.
His roles in films such asJunior,End of Days,Batman & Robin,Terminator Genisys, andViy 2: Journey to Chinaare awful to this day, and are the tip of Schwarzenegger’s own iceberg of duds.
Schwarzenegger vs. Stallone: Iconic Moments
There have been many iconic and euphoric moments in the careers of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. From Stallone’s speech at the end ofRambo: First Bloodto Schwarzenegger’s “Hasta la vista, baby” inTerminator 2: Judgment Day.
For Stallone, it’s his shouts of “Adrian” at the climax ofRockythat will always be best remembered. While the speech at the end ofRambois poignant, and his motivational “how winning is done” monologue inRocky 6is gripping, it’s the swell ofGonna Fly Nowmixed with Rocky’s cries of “Adrian” that makes Stallone’s finest moments.
For Schwarzenegger, outside of his numerous iconic phrases, it’s the thumbs-up scene inTerminator 2that stays with us even to this day. It didn’t leave a dry eye in the cinema when it released in 1991.
As the teenage John Connor cries and orders the T-800 not to go, The Terminator says his heartfelt goodbye and lowers himself into the molten pit—giving a final thumbs-up as he dies.
For all the times Arnie said “I’ll be back,” it’s the goodbye to a devastated John Connor that serves as his most memorable moment.
Schwarzenegger vs. Stallone: Verdict
Looking at these two Hollywood icons, they fall into two categories.
Sylvester Stallone is the superior actor compared to Arnold Schwarzenegger, and his performances inRocky,Rambo: First Blood,Creed, andCop Landprove that. However, his filmography is littered with idiotic action movies that never landed.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s filmography is bolstered by fantastic action roles across several franchises. Films likePredator,Commando,The Running Man,Red Heat, andTrue Liesare fun movies where each one allows him to showcase his typecast identity.
So while Stallone is the better actor, Schwarzenegger is hands-down the better action movie hero.
