Cliffhanger (Released in 1993) - Action adventure on the mountains - Starring Sylvester Stallone, John Lithgow, Michael Rooker

Gabriel Walker (Sylvester Stallone) is a mountain climber and rescue ranger, who is on a rescue mission to help an injured climber Hal with his girlfriend and partner Sarah (Michelle Joyner). Fastened with cables, Gabe is hanging out the side of a cliff, silhouetted against an amazing backdrop of jagged edged cliffs of the Rocky Mountains. The trio must now make an arduous slither across the valley to the waiting chopper, at four thousand feet! Hal makes it, and a visibly nervous Sarah takes to the cables to make her way across. The wind is picking up, and this could risk the rescue mission, Gabe tells Sarah not to look down, and she moves across the line. Suddenly, one of the clips gives way and she is hurtled downward, as she cries and tries to hold onto the flimsy support, Gabe hurries across, just as the cable give way - she grabs his forearm, unfortunately her glove slips and she falls to her death, as an angry Hal looks at Gabe with blame in his eyes.
Gabe looks up Jessie Deighan, the chopper pilot that day and his girlfriend, who is upset that Gabe took off after Sarah’s funeral instead of facing the consequences. Now he wants to leave the town and wishes that Jess would go along with him. She wants him to stop feeling guilty about what happened out on the ledge, logically questioning why Hal took an inexperienced Sarah with him in the first place, Gabe won’t have any of it, and continues to hold himself responsible for the mishap. Jess and Hal are called to another rescue mission - the boys who met Gabe are stranded on the ledge. Jess asks him to help - and he does, but a still angry Hal tries to throw Gabe off the cliff.




Elsewhere, bank money is being transported in flight, as the threat of burglary is high in armored vehicles and trains, treasury agents are getting ready for the flight. As he returns to town eight months after the incident, his truck is followed by admirers, who want him to climb The Tower (where the incident took place) with him - he politely refuses and sends them with a warning. It turns out that the distress call for rescue was a hoax and there is a band of robbers waiting to accost the treasury agents on their flight with the money. Ex military men are involved in daring air-to-air transfer mission to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars - unfortunately, their plan goes kaput as the suitcases with the currency fall into the mountain pass - they instead, rope in Hal and Gabe to help trace the treasure by faking an emergency.
Siding up with the thieves is Hal, who is hot on Gabe’s trail after the tragic death of his girlfriend Sarah, for which he holds Gabe responsible. A thriller all the way.
Directed by Renny Harlin, based on a premise by John Long (!) and with a screen play co written by Stallone, the film was praised by critics and audiences, although many were critical of the technical aspect of climbing shown in the film. The movie set a record for the highest aerial stunt which was performed at 15000 feet! A remake of the film was to be made in 2010, but yet remains under wraps. An average success, it was a change from most of Stallone’s army guy/tough cop roles.

The Specialist (Released in 1994) - Fight between 2 specialists - Starring Sylvester Stallone, Sharon Stone, James Woods

Captain Ray Quick (Sylvester Stallone) and Colonel Ned Trent (James Woods) are explosive experts working for the CIA. Once partners, they worked for the CIA, but soon fell out over Trent’s lack of sensitive work ethics. In 1984, they are asked to take out a drug dealer in a heist; Ray was upset that Ned made an executive decision which resulted in the loss of life of a young child, even though it also killed a drug dealer. The Captain is of the opinion that children’s lives cannot be the collateral damage in policing. Colonel Trent and Ray come to blows over this and their partnership fall out.
After some years, Ray settles in Miami and is now working as a hit man. He is known as The Specialist as the explosives he plants do not harm innocent bystanders. His services are in great demand, yet he is extremely picky about the cases he takes. Most of the demands are made over the Internet, and one such person who contacts him is May Munro (Sharon Stone), he becomes her confidante and she discloses to him that her parents were killed by three men who work for Tomas Leon (Eric Roberts), incidentally, Trent heads security for Joe, his father. May persuades Ray to help her infiltrate Leon’s circle, he refuses and tries to talk her out of it - but she insists that she will go ahead irrespective of whether or not he helps her. May uses the alias Adrian Hastings.
The lower rung of the ladder in Leone’s organization is hit by police, which is when Trent uses his influence to get onto the bomb squad. Tomas on the other hand is attracted to May alias Adrian, who takes advantage of this new angle to their relationship to get closer to him. Ray kills two of the men May identified as her parents murderers - however, Ned gets suspicious and forces Adrian to side up with him, so that Ray’s cover is blown and he can also get even with his enemy from the past - he has sworn vengeance as the CIA asked Trent to quit.




Ray sets up a trap for Tomas, he is killed and since Adrian was with him at that time - everyone believes that she is dead, too. Joe Leon is livid, and spares Trent his life only so that he can sniff out his son’s murderer before the funeral. Ray and Ned are both under the impression that Adrian has also perished in the bomb blast - however, when he gets a message on the Internet and replies thinking its May - it turns out to be a hoax, for which Trent is responsible. A crestfallen Ray goes to attend May’s funeral, only to be pleasantly surprised that she is alive and well. Trent, also expecting this to be Adrian’s last rites, is in for a rude shock, when he sees that the body in the casket is someone else’s. Furious, Trent meets Adrian and she makes a feeble protest, lamely excusing herself - not one to be conned twice, Trent asks his sidekick to escort her out to his car - on the way out she goes to the restroom and calls Ray up to warn him.
The Captain wires the entire hotel room, and detonates it when Trent’s men enter. A persistent Ned is relieved that he can still have his revenge when the two are led into a much booby trapped building - however, he walks into one himself and is killed. The Specialist was the third highest grossing box office hit for Stallone in the ‘90s, and although audiences were disappointed with the lack of romance between two of the most desirable onscreen pairings - Stone and Stallone - yet, worldwide audiences also welcomed the new look sported by Ray aka Sly - clean and cool, not sporty or jungle maverick!

Demolition Man (Released in 1993) - A corny futuristic movie starring Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, Sandra Bullock, Nigel Hawthorne

Experimenting with different genres to exercise his talent (maybe) - Stallone’s Demolition Man is a sci-fi thriller, released in 1993 starring him as John Spartan, an LA cop nicknamed ‘Demolition Man’, for his reckless and destructive law enforcement work style. He is pitted against Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes) who is evil to the core. In 1996, Spartan is set up by Phoenix in a case implicating him for the deaths of hostages in a bus, which was taken hostage by Phoenix. Spartan leads a Special Operations Unit which is unable to rescue the people, as result they all perish and he is sentenced to sixty years approximately, in prison.
This is where the movie takes off - in 2032. In that distant future, prisons are scientifically more advanced and sound ‘cryo prisons’; prison inmates are cryogenically frozen. A terrible natural catastrophe has struck LA, as a result of which much of the city is destroyed. A new one is formed in its stead - wherein erstwhile LA and San Diego are merged to form San Angeles, the city is in the capable hands of Dr. Raymond Cocteau (Nigel Hawthorne). What merges, other than the geographic territory, is also the criminal demographic, despite the fact that weapons are banned and every human desire is sanctioned by the SAPD.
Phoenix seizes the opportunity to escape during a prison hearing for parole - he is able to overpower the guards and prison warden without problems. He is the quintessential villain - physically strong with fighting prowess, multi lingual, with a superior understanding of futuristic sciences and heightened sensory skills. Given the largely pacific environment in San Angeles, the law enforcement agencies are incapable of dealing with the heightened menace of Phoenix. A veteran on the Force suggests that the ‘Demolition Man’ Spartan be resurrected to help capture Phoenix.




Unlike Phoenix, Spartan has adaptability issues and is unable to make a smooth transition from the cryo stage to part human-part machine creature. The actual face behind menacing Phoenix is actually Cocteau who aims to overpower the underground resistance called ‘Scraps’ and reign supreme over San Angeles. Spartan sees security footage of a conversation between Phoenix and Cocteau; the former is in a museum at the weapons exhibit, in a bid to arm himself. Sandra Bullock is Lenina Huxley, who is Stallone’s love interest in the film - awkward kisses are exchanged between the two as they remain in their robotic, machine state.
The culture represented in the film is truly surreal - no one dies of unnatural causes, there are no human activities that includes sex (great future there!), best aspect is that there is no poverty. There are no fast food joints, they were all ‘killed’ in the franchise wars - only Taco Bell survives (for overseas audiences, the equivalent was Pizza Hut, since it had more brand presence abroad). Every person is fitted with a microchip, which can be tracked by a central federal computer. What happens in the battle between Spartan and Phoenix, given that they cause mayhem all around during their fights ?
The film was well received by audiences, 64% audiences ruled in favor of the film, and Stallone was lauded for his performance, even Snipes gave a stellar performance as Phoenix. Rolling Stone magazine called it the ‘Frankenstein of action thrillers’ -directed by Marco Brambilla, it is his directorial debut.

Antz (Released in 1998) - An animation movie with the voices of Woody Allen, Sharon Stone, Jennifer Lopez, Sylvester Stallone, Dan Aykroyd, Anne Bancroft, Gene Hackman

This is a story about Z-1495 (voice of Woody Allen), an ant who displays neurotic traits in his behavior and lives in a colony in Central Park NYC. Z is a workaholic who is typically individualistic and has few friends, the two closest to him are Azteca (Jennifer Lopez) and Weaver (Sylvester Stallone). Z is surprised that he has survived in NYC, given his apprehensions regarding crowds, claustrophobia - he owes it all to the fact that he had a ‘very anxious childhood’, he lies on a leafy couch pouring his heart out to an ant shrink, cribbing that handling dirt is not his idea of a career. He feels insignificant - to which the shrink says he’s finally made a breakthrough for he has hit the nail on the head - he is indeed insignificant!
So Z goes back to join the five million socially adept formicidae, a larvae recruitment drive is on - each ant larva is equipped with either a shovel or soldier’s helmet. In the workshop, all that the little ants do is work, work and more work - they are almost indefatigable!
In the mega tunnel, as the rest of his clan toils tirelessly, Z is giving himself a pep talk about keeping a good attitude, ‘insignificant but with attitude.’ His friend Azteca tells him he’s finally getting it, because ants are all about team work, she tells him he thinks too much. He should be happy and just enjoy building them a better colony.



On the other hand, General Mandible (Gene Hackman) is hatching a sinister plan to use the ants to build a tunnel, after which the poor ants and their queen shall perish, and the colony will be inhabited by more powerful ants. However, before his dream is realized, he must send his troops to fight against an army of termites; Colonel Cutter (Christopher Walken) tells him that the mission is doomed from the start - ants cannot hold up against termites, it would be suicide! Mandible has just the plan to deal with this niggling problem - he decides to send the units loyal to the Queen, into the termite colony.
The Queen (Anne Bancroft) is surprised that things have reached this extent - after all, they’ve been friends with that colony for years! Mandible convinces her that the termites are greedy and want to expand their foraging territory. The Queen wants to deal with the problem through diplomatic channels, she suggests sending and ambassador to negotiate on their behalf - Mandible however tells the Queen that it is imperative they strike first to have an advantage. The Queen agrees grudgingly and the General praises her for her decision.
On his way out, Princess Bala (Sharon Stone) who is betrothed to General Mandible, requests that they spend some time getting to know each other before they marry. Mandible agrees quickly, although their conversation is cut short because time has run out and he has more important business to attend to. Bala complains to her mother the Queen, who says she knows that the General is high handed and overbearing, however, she thinks he loves her. She intones to her daughter that things aren’t all that bad - after all, she is a princess, and not a worker. Bala however, envies the workers for having a life!
Weaver and Z are at a bar, and the soldier is telling his friend how lucky he is because the worker girls are all around him, Z tells him that there focus is different - they’re persistent diggers! Z thinks his prospects with regard to meeting the love of his life are really bleak and this when he meets Princess Bala. Antz is based on the video game by the same name, directed by Eric Darnell and Tim Johnson, the film received critical acclaim, opening the door to a fresh genre of animated computer films. Worth a watch for the message as well as the evolving technology!

Daylight (Released in 1996) - Starring Sylvester Stallone, Amy Brenneman, Viggo Mortensen

In Daylight, Sylvester Stallone plays the role of Kit Latura, a limo driver, who, in the past, was Chief of NYC Emergency Medical Services, but resigned after a bitter experience. The movie opens to a discourse between two men, one an employee of a waste management company with tons of toxic waste to eliminate, and the other an employee of the transport company illegally dumping the waste.
The lives of many commuters and people in the city is shown in a brief montage - including struggling playwright Madelyne ‘Maddy’ Thompson (Amy Brenneman), whose professional as well as personal life is at an all time low; her love life is in shambles as her lover is a married man who isn’t able to sever ties with his wife. The men transporting the waste are ordered to travel through a tunnel under the Hudson River, as the bridge is jammed up to Westchester. Elsewhere in upstate New York, Roy Nord (Viggo Mortensen) a famous ad man and model for sport related commercials for the company Territory Beyond, is discussing strategies to maximize sales.
A truck ferrying prisoners also sets out to travel in the tunnel, and to add to the list of offenders is a gang of street robbers making their getaway in a black Cadillac after robbing a man of diamonds. Kit Latura has picked up his passengers and heads for the tunnel as well. The police catch wind of the chase, and are hot on the robbers trail, when the Cadillac spins out of control and crashes into the vehicle carrying the toxic waste, which is highly inflammable - chaos ensues as car upon car crashes.




The tunnel is now a powder keg and explodes - the fire spreads through the large concrete crevasse, destroying cars and damaging the entrance of the tunnel which caves in; the tunnel administrators advise Kit (one of whom is an acquaintance) that they have to plan their moves carefully. The ventilation system is kaput and now smoke starts to fill the tunnel, disrupting visibility and breathing, the New Jersey side of the tunnel has completely collapsed.
Kit tells the rescue workers that they have to blow the tunnel shut, this is the way  based on a drill he was part of two years earlier; the only way they can control the fire and stop it from spreading is if part of the tunnel’s roof is deliberately blown up to seal the fire within. But the new Chief Dennis Wilson (Mark Rolston) of the EMS mocks Kit’s efforts to help, and would rather go mid river , where a service corridor exists.
Kit implores Frank Craft (Dan Hedaya) to tell Wilson otherwise; Frank is doubtful as he lost his brother on Kit’s watch the previous year. Meanwhile Nord comes to his senses and realizes he is trapped in the car, when he comes out, a group of people and Nord decide that the only way they can escape is if they use the service corridor mid-river. Kit tells them this isn’t  a wise decision especially as the corridor may cave in; Nord moves on regardless and is killed. Does Kit manage to save the rest of the people, or what ?
Although critics trashed the disaster thriller Rob Cohen directed 1996 film, yet, it has managed to have quite a cult following worldwide and has been an audience favourite.

Avenging Angelo (released in 2002) - Starring Sylvester Stallone, Madeleine Stowe, Anthony Quinn, Raoul Bova, Harry Van Gorkum

The charming Angelo Allieghieri (Anthony Quinn) and dapper aide Frankie Delano (Sylvester Stallone) are like father and son, associates in ‘watching’- Delano watches over Angelo’s daughter Jennifer Barrett (Madeleine Stowe), who is trapped in a no good marriage, her young son sent away to military school. In his warm, raspy voice Angelo explains to Frankie that he has only Jennifer in his life - this upsets Delano, who is somewhat fed up of being the invisible presence in the lives of both Angelo and Jennifer. The patriarch films his memoirs for his daughter, all the while Delano feels a little neglected in this scenario. Meanwhile, Jennifer is quite hysterical without her son, fraught with the worst thoughts as she feels lost without her only child.
One day, as Allieghieri and Delano chat over a meal, unbeknownst to the two, parked in a car few meters from where they sat - are hired assassins, waiting for them to finish their meal, and then kill the old man - as Delano steps out to sort out a parking ticket issue, in walks hit man Bruno (Billy Gardell) with a loaded gun, emptying the barrel in the old man - Frankie is also hurt in the exchange of fire, he watches helplessly as the man he loved like a father - dies like an unknown, no good derelict, in the corner of a small restaurant.




Meanwhile, Jennifer’s husband Kip (Harry Von Gorkum) is having an affair - Jennifer walks in on him and his lover, shooting randomly, under the influence of mood enhancing drugs. She throws her husband out, rearranging things to kill time. A knock at the door and there’s Frankie Delano - bleeding, asking her if he can come in. She recalls that he used to deliver groceries to Angelo, when she stayed with her parents (she was raised by adoptive parents, unaware that her real father was Angelo). She always thought that Angelo was just a nice old man. After he gets drunk to numb the pain and stitches himself up, he asks her to play a CD - which Angelo filmed for her. On screen, Angelo is telling her she isn’t who she thinks she is; that there were many big names in the mob who wanted to get him - Sammy Carboni, Lucio Malatesta - they disliked each other as well!
So Lucio gifts Sammy a golf set - one which is unique, so that the hit man can recognize who he is; incidentally, the hit man is a traitor from Angelo’s camp. Voila - Carboni hit, Angelo blamed. Two birds with one stone. This is why the blameless old guy was bumped off by Sammy’s son.  Not able to deal with the changes in her life, Jennifer isn’t going to readily accept that her father was a mafia man. Frankie still watches over her from the sidelines, even as she has a fling with an Italian writer; he has vowed to protect her at all costs. Delano’s suspicions about the man she’s having an affair with, the attempt on her life by the mafia - all draw the two closer together as they take on the crime world to salvage the world they have left.
Avenging Angelo was Anthony Quinn’s last film , he died shortly after. The critics weren’t kind to Stallone this time around either, and lashed out at the film’s jaded theme; but like always Sly was having the last laugh as audiences appreciated his cool Italian avatar - very Stallone!

D-Tox (Also known as Eye See You) - Released in 2002 - Starring Sylvester Stallone, Tom Berenger, Charles S. Dutton, Robert Patrick

Born to win. Born to lose. Born to die. The supposed order in which all things happen in life, no interference is needed, but it does occur. A bizarre 911 call. An electronically engineered voice tells the operator she must not interrupt to ask questions, if she does - he will be obliged to be bad. The voice is that of a serial police & prostitute killer, who has been on the rampage… On the trail of the killer is FBI Agent Jake Malloy. Sadly, his partner is on the killer’s list and succumbs to the psychopath’s evil ways. As Jake goes to his dead partner’s home and reminisces, the phone rings. It is the same serial killer, who gleefully tells Malloy that now it’s his girlfriend Mary’s turn to pay for all discomfort Jake has called the killer. The voice adds that he is aware that Malloy has been on his tail for four years, when there was an alarming spate of murders of prostitutes.
Jake is spurred into action as he rushes to save Mary - but sadly, it is too late, for the woman is dead when he arrives at her house. The Seattle Police and the FBI cordon off the area where they suspect the killer is - he is discovered - dead. Malloy is sorely disappointed to learn that the man may have committed suicide - he’d have loved to get his hands on him. A few months later, Malloy slips into depression - sick to death of the losses he has suffered. He takes to drinking, and attempts to kill himself, albeit unsuccessfully. His friend Agent Chuck Hendricks (Charles S. Dutton) takes it upon himself to help Jake, and enrolls the Agent in rehab, specially set up for law enforcement personnel. It was founded by Dr. John Mitchell (Kris Kristofferson), who was also a cop and a recovering alcoholic. The centre is in Wyoming, and Hendricks stays on to see that Malloy will be okay on his own at rehab.




At the facility, Jake is introduced to many recovering cops and officers.  The staff include assistant to Jon Mitchell - Hank and kind hearted resident psychiatrist Jenny Munroe - with whom Malloy forms a bond. One day, the centre is cut off from the rest of civilization as a terrible blizzard shuts it down. There is a sudden, unexplained spate of unnatural deaths being made up to be suicides - patients Connor and Brandon are found dead by Jenny and Malloy. Both of them believe that trouble is afoot, as the dead men would’ve confided about being troubled, to either of the two.
Mitchell is equally flummoxed, and decides to lock up the other patients, as he reviews their cases. Just then he is informed that Jack Bennett (Stephen Lang) a mentally unstable employee, is missing - and so is a snowmobile. Bennett was once admitted to the centre for rehab. Malloy warns Jenny and counsels her to remain locked in her room; although all the inmates believe Jack could be the killer, yet Jake and Munroe think otherwise.
Jake thinks it would be wise to arm the men with weapons - just then, Hendricks finds a cop’s body in a lake. Who is the killer, and can Malloy stop him / her ? D-Tox was an out and out bore, the latter part of the twentieth century wasn’t kind to slasher thrillers and violence ridden tripe; the movie is tiresome and gruesome. Stallone shoudn’t have just let himself go in a desperate bid to prove his range to the world. The movie was an incredible flop.

Driven (Released in 2001) - Starring Sylvester Stallone, Burt Reynolds, Kip Pardue, Til Schweiger - Flop movie

900 million spectators, 250 miles per hour,20 races, 1 championship. Beau Brandenburg (Til Schweiger) is the reigning world champion, defending his title successfully in every race, that is up until a new kid on the block - Jimmy Bly (Kip Pardue) enters the scene and upsets the game. Whether by amazing talent or sheer luck - Bly defeats Beau effortlessly in five races. This is a major cause for worry for the veteran racer, who is having a bad year both professionally as well as personally - he breaks up with fiancée Sophia, because he cannot handle the pressure of losing.
However the experts say that Jimmy ought to be more stable and secure, he is too young to handle the pressures of racing - this is evident from his lack of confidence and interest whilst interacting with the media; his brother Demille Bly (Robert Sean Leonard) is concerned and warns him that he must concentrate. Sure enough, Brandenburg is back to form as Jimmy bites his dust in the next race. Bly’s team owner Carl Henry (Burt Reynolds) is concerned about the boy, and seeks help from a former race driver, now retired Joe Tanto (Sylvester Stallone). Carl, who is wheelchair bound, requests Joe to mentor the youngster, the latter agrees.




Tanto comes in to replace his friend and ex wife’s present husband Memo Moreno (Cristián de la Fuente). In the next race, Jimmy is in the lead, with Beau in second lead. As the men race to outdo each other, Jimmy is stuck between a rock and a hard place as he gets too close to Beau - Carl panics and order Joe to be ready, asking him to recall Bly to the pit. Soon, as the race progresses, Henry’s hero Joe leaves the pit and blocks Brandenburg, making it a sure win for Jimmy Bly. The young man admires Tanto for his amazing skill and decision making - this clearly doesn’t go down well with his older brother Demille - he tries to sever the budding relationship.
On the other hand, Joe Tanto advises Beau Brandenburg on a personal matter - asking him to rethink his decision regarding Sophia, who is now getting closer to Jimmy, causing him to be careless and lose sight of his goals. Brandenburg reconsiders the break up, and at a party in Chicago to launch car prototypes for the next season, he proposes to the lady again, she agrees – much to Jimmy’s disappointment. Sophia feels responsible and apologizes to him, but Bly is beyond seeing any sense - instead, he rushes out of the convention centre in a brand new car from the show.
Tanto comes to the rescue, deciding to chase down Jimmy  – who was upset that Joe caused his relationship with Sophia to end. However, the two men forgive each other and decide to start afresh. On the other hand, Carl is unhappy with Joe Tanto’s interference to such an extent in a team member’s life and feels that the veteran is having a detrimental effect on Bly; he decides to recall Moreno. Audiences welcomed Stallone in his new avatar. Cameo appearances by racing legends like Montoya, Adrian Fernandez,Robert Moreno and a host of other drivers – charmed the audiences. Driven is directed by Renny Harlin, with Stallone contributing to the screenplay.

Get Carter (released in 2000) - Starring Sylvester Stallone, Miranda Richardson, Rachael Leigh Cook, Alan Cumming, Mickey Rourke, Michael Caine

Get Carter is a 2000 film directed by Stephen Kay; it is a remake of the 1971 film by the same name, starring Michael Caine. Both films drew inspiration from the book Jack’s Return Home by the British author Ted Lewis. Michael Caine is a part of this film as well. The 2000 version stars Sylvester Stallone in the main lead as a mob enforcer named Jack Carter who returns to his hometown when he gets the sad news of his brother’s death in an accident. At the funeral he can feel that his presence is not welcome, as Gloria and Doreen Carter - his sister in law and niece, tell him in no uncertain terms that Ritchie would’ve appreciated his being around when he was alive, to them Jack is just ‘a picture on the piano’. He also bumps into a stranger, a lady who does not disclose her identity to him.
His years in the mob have given him ample of experience and he has a hunch that Ritchie’s ‘accident’ was anything but. Doreen confides to Jack that although the authorities claim that her father died in an accident caused by his drinking - she says he never drank, at least he wouldn’t get dead drunk and drive around town in a storm! On the other hand, Jack’s boss Les Fletcher (the voice of Tom Sizemore) wants him back in Vegas; he is upset that Carter is missing from ‘work’. Con McCarty (John C. McGinley) tells Carter that things are getting difficult as the news of Jack’s affair with the boss’s wife Audrey (Gretchen Mol) are making the social circuit.
In a bid to get to the mystery surrounding Richard’s death, Jack stops by Cliff Brumby’s (Michael Caine) office. Cliff is a loan shark and owner of the club where Ritchie worked for five years as manager until his untimely death. Cliff asks Jack if he knew about Ritchie and Geraldine’s affair – she is the woman from the funeral. Carter tails her to her workplace, where she is with Cyrus Paice (Mickey Rourke) - who is an acquaintance from the past. Carter is suspicious of Paice, for whom Geraldine works.




As he tails Paice, he is led to Jeremy Kinnear (Alan Cumming), a well established business man who owns a computer company, which is worth ‘gazillions’. Jeremy leads a dual existence, playing to the gallery of stockholders with his pin stripes, and having some risqué fun in his free time - thanks to Cyrus Paice and his escort service. After his interaction with Jack, Jeremy is freaking out with someone over the phone, telling the person he wants nothing to do with the big brother and wants him gone.
As Jack delves deeper into the case, he finds out that Cyrus is infact running well oiled machinery that breeds pornography - his niece Doreen is one of the girls implicated and sexually abused by Paice, even Geraldine is roped in to track girls, who are later drugged and raped, and filmed. Given that Richard and Geraldine were lovers, out of loyalty and friendship, she hands over the disc with the proof of what has been happening - it was when Ritchie decided to go to the police that he was killed.
Now Carter sets out to take revenge for his brother's death, and there are a few killings that happen as a result. Although the film received no critical appreciation and did not make too much money either, yet it was welcomed by audiences who lapped up Stallone’s sharply dressed, mafia image. The soundtrack and visuals added to the thrill of the viewing experience and feel of the film.

Cop Land (released in 1997) - Starring Sylvester Stallone, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro

The film is based on the town of Garrison, New Jersey. It is known for most of its local population being that of auxiliary transit cops - this gives the town the nickname of ‘Cop Land.’ The Sherriff of Garrison is Freddy Heflin (Sylvester Stallone); he was also a police force aspirant, but his chances of joining were ruined as he is hearing impaired due to an injury from his childhood. Sometime in the past, he had saved Liz Randone (Annabella Sciorra) from the car which she was trapped inside. However, life has moved on, many of his friends and peers serve on the force, including Liz’s husband, Joey Randone (Peter Berg). Freddy has secretly loved Liz since they were kids, but now she is trapped in an abusive and violent marriage to Joey.
Freddy leads a lonely life, few friends, one loyal - the bottle. One night as he returns from the local pub, his car crashes into a clump of trees as he avoids running over a deer. Elsewhere a young cop Murray Babitch (Michael Rapaport) is driving back home after a night out, as he drives through to the George Washington Bridge, his car is side scraped by another car. He attempts to get the car to pull over, flashing his badge. The man in the co driver’s seat pulls out a weapon, Murray ducks to avoid getting shot, just then he hears a shot fired – the red car speeds ahead of him, the cop has had enough! Murray fires shots at the car, which spins to a halt on the bridge, his own car screeches to a halt as it rams into the other vehicle.




Under the bridge, sits Freddy, oblivious of the chaos that has ensued. Cops line the Bridge, as Lt. Ray Donlan, incidentally Babitch’s uncle, comes to his rescue. The young officer is inconsolable, as he tells Ray that he was only doing his duty and that he shot in self defense. Officer Jack Rucker (Robert Patrick) tells Ray that the men in the car had no weapon, they’d only been pointing a steering wheel lock at Murray.
The detective present Leo Crasky (John Spencer) tells Murray that his foolhardiness is going to cost Lt. Ray Donlan his reputation and career; he convinces the man that if he doesn’t let Leo help, Murray will land up in prison. Babitch is convinced that they don’t have to do this, and it is wrong. Meanwhile, Jack plants a weapon in the dead men’s car. However, a paramedic on police duty tells him that he saw him do that - and a scuffle takes place. Ray, meanwhile goes over to where Murray was standing - he isn’t there anymore. The man has jumped off the bridge. But was this really the end ?
The film was about the corruption in the police force, as cops try and save themselves from being blamed for fraudulent practices; Heflin is shown as the man who is up against the corrupt biggies, he is the underdog, who is treated with disdain and met with rancor. Directed by James Mangold, Cop Land was released in 1997. Stallone’s performance is unlike any of his past acts; he displays the quieter, sensitive side of a man most people reject and mock due to his physical shortcomings, he even donned a ‘non glam’ look, putting on pounds to look the part. His performance won him praise from both critics and audiences alike.

Rambo (2008) - The return of the reluctant hero - starring Sylvester Stallone, Julie Benz and Paul Schulze

Sylvester Stallone reprises his role as the Vietnam War veteran John Rambo (previous ones include Rambo/Rambo IV/John Rambo) in 2008, twenty three years after he appeared in the first series in 1982; there have since been sequels, Rambo being the latest, directed and written by Sylvester. The film and audiences will miss the familiar face of Col. Sam Trautman (Richard Crenna), who unfortunately  passed away in 2003 (and to whom the movie was dedicated). It’s been two decades since his narrow escape from the Russians in Afghanistan where he went to rescue American soldiers. Now, his presence is commandeered not by the government, but by a priest, who seeks his help in rescuing missionaries held hostage by the Burmese military regime.
Major Pa Tee Tint  (Maung Maung Khin) is a cold hearted killer, and he heads a band of soldiers of the Tatmadaw or Mynmarese Armed Forces through the dense tropical jungles of Burma, looting and instilling fear in the hearts of simple village folk who are at the receiving end of the soldiers’ brutality. The Major sends in the villagers to clear land mines, watching them die without any remorse, his men forcibly conscripts young men, even children into the Tatmadaw.




John Rambo now lives in Thailand, in a border village close to Burma. He earns his living ferrying people down the Salween River or selling snakes. A priest and missionary Michael Burnett (Paul Schulze) seeks his help when a group of missionaries are in trouble, they were captured on a mission to lend aid to the Karen tribe. At first, Rambo refuses, saying he has no hope of being of help unless he has weapons; however, another woman, also a missionary , by the name of Sarah Miller (Julie Benz) persuades him and he agrees to help out.
As they travel the River, they are confronted by pirates, who want to trade a safe passage in exchange for Sarah. John tries to make them see sense, when all else fails, he shoots them down and dumps a body to conceal the event, whilst burning the others. The priest, Michael is mortified at the blatant display of violence, and he tells Rambo that once the missionaries are safe, his services will not be needed. He agrees, and all seems to go well, until the Tatmadaw fall on them, killing two missionaries, and taking the priest and Sarah hostage. When the missionaries go missing for over ten days, Rambo is once again beseeched to help, by a pastor (Ken Howard), who now has with him hired mercenaries who will aid him in the mission.
Rambo sees Sylvester Stallone considerably aged, but still sporting the trademark long hair and bandana. The film never went down well with the critics, however audiences welcomed the older John Rambo, in a role without the support of his shadow, the Colonel. Owing to the negative portrayal of the Tatmadaw, the film was banned in Mynmar. The film crew and Stallone faced a number of dangers as they shot the movie, they were sitting ducks for the Burmese Army, who fired at them many times - add this to the outcome, the thrill is definitely there, even after more than two decades!

Rocky Balboa (released in 2006) - Starring Sylvester Stallone, Burt Young, Antonio Tarver, Milo Ventimiglia

A picture of Adrian (Talia Shire) rests on the side table, as boxing legend Rocky Balboa (Stallone) gets out of bed, and goes through the rituals of daybreak - feeding the turtles, refurbishing the seed tray, pull ups at the chin up bar; sixteen years since his retirement, and he is now a lonely, middle aged boxer, his wife dead from cancer. He is seated by Adrian’s grave, his brother-in-law Paulie (Burt Young) has stood the test of time, and the two have an exchange about how slowly time moves past. Paulie is upset that Rocky’s son Robert (Milo Ventimiglia) hasn’t come for his mother’s death anniversary. But Rocky tells him he understands why Rob isn’t here; he has loads to do, as a corporate employee, whose boss is constantly hounding him.
Rocky walks in on an exchange between Robert and his boss William Tomilson, who tells him he doesn’t care how famous his father was - Balboa watches from a distance, sensing his son’s resistance to his presence. As he walks up to greet Robert, Tomilson also joins them and tells the legend he’s always wanted to meet him, but Rob has said on every occasion that his father’s a busy man. He asks Rob to click a picture of the two ‘old war horses’ together.
After setting up a date for the father and son later that evening, Balboa goes back to his restaurant - “Adrian’s”, where he gets busy organizing a special meal for Rob, and hosting guests, entertaining them with tales of his past victories. Unfortunately, Rob doesn’t make it to dinner. On his way home, he walks down memory lane to the time when he and Adrian had met, the dreams they shared and the home they built, their lives circling around Robert in his growing years. As Paulie and Rocky reminisce outside the birdhouse where Adrian worked and the gym that Micky had left for him, Paulie tells him that their world is falling apart, even as Balboa admonishes him not to talk crazy.




Rocky decides to have a drink at the bar one night, at Lucky Seven, a tavern where Little Marie (Geraldine Hughes) works as a bartender. Balboa used to frequent the tavern as a youngster, and had met Marie, then ‘Little’. She is now mother to a son – Stephenson (James Francis Kelly III) fondly called ‘Steps’. Rocky rescues Marie from an unpleasant situation and offers her a lift home. She introduces Rocky to her son, he seems surprised the child is not Irish looking, Marie tells him that the father was Jamaican. He meets the boy, leaving his card on the steps, inviting the duo to visit him for dinner sometime.
But where Rocky Balboa is, boxing will follow shortly after; Mason Dixon ‘The Line’ ( Antonio Tarver) is the reigning champion, whose popularity has taken a slump. ESPN  broadcasts a simulated version of a fight between Rocky and Dixon, Rob and his friends are having a drink in an Irish Pub, as his friends rally for his father, the video shows Balboa win the fight. Elsewhere an irked Dixon watches on.
Directed and written by Stallone, Rocky Balboa or Rocky VI as it is also known as, is a cult favorite of Stallone’s fans the world over; it is as if the actor is defined by the role. Rocky Balboa takes off on the similar theme of the prequels - a man pitted against circumstance and opponents bigger than himself; when he was younger - it was someone richer, better trained, and stronger. As he got older, his opponents got younger, he fought his own physical limitations, battling injuries, financial crises, emotional upheavals, always the underdog who comes out a winner by a surprise KO, just like in the ring! Worth a watch, Adrian is sorely missed though!

Shade (Released in 2003) - Starring Sylvester Stallone, Stuart Townsend, Gabriel Byrne, Melanie Griffith, Jamie Foxx

Sylvester Stallone plays The Dean, an unapproachable erstwhile card sharp. As a young man, Dean played underground poker in an illegal den run by the mob. One of the games was raided by thugs, who shoot randomly, their aim to kill anyone who opposes their plan to steal the moolah; when the men ask everyone to put their hands up - they discover that Dean had an ace up his sleeve, literally. A player at his table is overcome with anger and shoots at Dean - who dodges, but the death toll is immense, at the end of it, only he survives, along with another mobster.
In the present, a street hustler Charlie Miller (Gabriel Byrnes), blackjack dealer and  mechanic Vernon (Stuart Townsend), along with Tiffany (Thandie Newton) are part of a trio who run a scam built around a fake diamond. They’re small time hustlers, infact the money involving the ring is a mere three hundred dollars! Larry Jennings (Jamie Foxx) is a successful gambler, he is approached by the two men to join them in a game involving serious money. Both men are also card sharps of some repute, especially Vernon who knows how to deal the right cards. They lure Larry with a partnership that could rake in earnings worth twenty thousand dollars! As Larry and Charlie talk business, Vernon robs the casino off forty thousand dollars!
Elsewhere, Tiffany ensnares a guy at the bar, who was bothering her initially, takes him to a warehouse with the lure of exciting times ahead, instead, lets in a surgical team, who rob the guy off his kidney, to sell in the black market! Bizarre!




A corrupt cop Scarne (Bo Hopkins) empties Vernon’s earnings, although the latter has the forty thousand stashed on his boots, so that’s safe. Larry agrees to join them. He heads with Charlie for a game; Vernon is already playing there from before. Larry is impatient and impulsive, he starts his own deal - losing over a hundred thousand dollars! The man is unaware that the three impostors are using money belonging to a mobster called Max Malini (Patrick Bauchau) – Larry pays a heavy price for the loss, Malini sending in his henchmen to kill Jennings.
Elsewhere, Dean and Eve (Melanie Griffith), erstwhile partners, she now runs an upscale bar and restaurant, are experiencing a bout of nostalgia. He is considering retirement - not knowing that the trio is planning on taking him on in a game with a buy in of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars and stakes over two million! At this point, the audience is let in on the fact that Vernon and Tiffany were lovers, until he stood her up and Charlie stepped in. Meanwhile, hot on the trail of the trio are Malini’s hoodlums, who catch up with Charlie and demand he pay the money Larry lost. A gun fight ensues, in which Tiffany and Charlie barely manage to escape and hide in the Magic Castle.
Although the film received praise from critics, yet fans were somewhat disappointed with Stallone’s late entry (almost half way through the film). He however, outshone the cast with his acting skills and also his portrayal of  Dean, the sharply dressed character with great skill. Actual card sharps were hired to train the actors, and the major characters of Charlie, Marlo, Malini and Vernon – exist in reality. A good watch , even for the sake of seeing a new side to Stallone’s acting skills.

Assassins (Released in 1995) - An average movie, starring Sylvester Stallone, Antonio Banderas and Julianne Moore

Robert Rath (Sylvester Stallone) is haunted by images of an assassination gone wrong, which cost the life of his mentor Nicolia Tashlinkov (Anatoly Davydov). He spends agonized nights recalling and re-running the incident, yet goes about his ‘assignments’ with cold precision and a mundane proficiency which is almost eerie. He is sent the details of the next assignment, this time his mark is Alan Branch, a white supremacist entrepreneur, who was last seen in a Senate hearing for his involvement in matters such as financing right wing death squads in South and Central America, money laundering and drug trafficking. Branch is attending his brother’s funeral, now wheelchair bound after he was shot.
Rath is present at the funeral as well, his right arm in a plaster cast which conceals the weapon; unbeknownst to Robert, Alan is marked by another assassin, who is also present - Miguel Bain (Antonio Banderas), Alan is shot dead, and Rath is now on the heels of Bain, the police come in and arrest him before Rath can get to him. However, on his way to the police station, Miguel makes a run for it, taking advantage as the police car is in an accident.
Rath reaches the crash site, only to find out that Miguel has left. He hijacks a taxi, and when Bain radios for one, Robert drives up to receive him, deliberately missing a turn and picking up a fight with his violent co-passenger. Suddenly, Miguel recognizes him, as they are parked alongside a football park, Rath tells him he’s upset because he stole his contract and wants to know who his contractor is - when Miguel refuses to tell him, Rath tells him they can sit it out in the taxi. Just then, Bain marks the football the kids are playing with; the psychotic sociopath threatens to kill a kid unless Robert drives. Bain taunts Robert’s resolve to protect the innocent, saying his work ethic is old fashioned.




On the way, Bain tries to kill Rath, but his weapon gets lost; just as Robert is about to kill him - Miguel and he encounter a police patro l- the police chase the taxi. The enemies turned unlikely allies are suddenly in cahoots with each other - avoiding the cops. Bain confesses that he actually admires Rath and has followed his career carefully over the years. Twisted and corrupt, Bain is aware that Nicolai was betrayed by Rath, and taunts him with the painful memory. As he tries to avoid a collision, Bain abandons the taxi even as Robert hurriedly dodges the police.
Before Bain bailed out, he mentioned a chess game played by Nicolai and Rath, and utters the words ‘bishop takes rook pawn’; back home, Rath replays the game, following Bain’s lead, and is check mated - he realizes he’s the mark now. An unknown stranger chats with Rath, he or she is the contact who gives him orders. Robert wants to abandon the whole cat and mouse game, but is given one last assignment - to take down a female hacker who has compromised vital information and is selling it to Dutch buyers. He is told to retrieve the stolen discs, eliminate the buyers as well as ‘retire’ the mark.
Rath’s contact is unable to tell him the mark’s name or describe her identity, she only has an Internet logo - a black, green eyed cat. On the other side of town, Electra (Julianne Moore) is about to contact Remy, a Dutch buyer to hand over the discs to him. Robert follows the men into The Marriott, where Electra directs them to her room, they take the lift and on it , beating Rath, is Miguel. Robert makes a hoax call asking maintenance to check the electricity on the 12th floor where Electra is staying - he breaks into her room and goes through the computer, realizing that multiple reservations have been made - where is she?
Directed by Richard Donner (Lethal Weapon), the film wasn’t well received by critics (like most of Stallone’s movies), yet the performance by all three actors was well received by audiences worldwide.

Judge Dredd (released in 1995) - Starring Sylvester Stallone, Diane Lane, Rob Schneider - Future of society

Set in the Third Millennium, the film Judge Dredd follows the Elite Force, who are responsible for law enforcement; remember, the world is plagued with chaos, violence and poverty in the aftermath of climate change. This is the “Cursed Earth”, where there are only deserts, traversed by bands of roving savages and criminals. This Elite Force is made up of Judges - who are to dispense of the duties of police officers, judge, jury and even executioner! One such ‘Street Judge’ is Judge Joseph Dredd (Sylvester Stallone) - who is most devoted to his job, and also being assistant to Judge Hershey (Diane Lane).
A block war is on - members of the Force arrive - just two, actually, Judge Hershey and a rookie Street Judge - she requests back up - enter Judge Dredd, who commands the warring factions to drop their weapons in a staccato – robotic voice; meanwhile, a bunch of squatters, is  looking for a fight. The leader provokes Dredd to come and get them! Dredd finishes off the squatters in ‘summary executions’. The toll in the Mega City costs nineteen people their lives, fifty three persons, including five kids are hospitalized.
Hershey blames herself for the death of the Street Judge, but Dredd tells her it was the cop’s fault that got him killed, not hers; she feels frustrated that he has no emotions, to which Dredd sardonically replies, “Emotions. There oughtta be a law against them.”




Back at the headquarters of the Hall of Justice, Judge Griffin (Jürgen Prochnow) is talking about how the block wars are turning into an epidemic that ought to be dealt with immediately. He asks for a tougher criminal code, which won’t be easy, as almost sixty five million people inhabit these blocks. The Chief Justice – Chief Judge Fargo (Max Von Sydow) however believes in ‘freedom, not repression’. When he summons Joseph Dredd, he asks him whether it was necessary to carry out seven summary executions - to which Dredd replies that they were unavoidable, because life never seemed to mean much to the men.
Fargo is fond of Dredd and knows his intentions are honest and he means no ill; and in order to assist him in staying out of trouble, he asks Joseph to spend two days a week at the Academy, training cadets. Dredd feels honored and asks him what he would be teaching - unarmed combat or marksmanship? Fargo simply replies, “Ethics.”
Elsewhere at the Aspen Penal Colony, Warden Miller is visiting Rico Dredd (Armand Assante), to deliver a package to the prisoner from a mysterious benefactor. It is actually a gun which Rico uses to kill the Warden with. A while ago, Rico was also a judge, and in fact, he was a good friend of Joseph. However, he was dismissed and judged by Joseph for killing civilians. That ended their friendship. After he escapes from prison, Rico once again dons his uniform and claims his Lawgiver gun, also taking on as partner, a decommissioned combat robot. His first target is a journalist (incidentally the gentleman had carried out a smear campaign against Joseph for the summary executions) - everyone was aware that the scribe was against Joseph, and so, he is arrested for the murder and sentenced on the evidence of DNA left on the murder weapon.
An interesting twist is the Jekyll & Hyde aspect to the story - the two men share the same DNA, as part of the Janus Project, they were genetically engineered. While Joseph became the perfect judge, Rico turned into the perfect criminal. The film takes off from here, following the proverbial Good vs. Evil battle between Joseph Dredd and Rico Dredd.
Based on the character from 2000 AD, it is the longest running comic strip since its conception in 1977. The comic was created by UK’s John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra. In 1995, director Danny Cannon decided to adapt it to celluloid. The amazing armor costume for Stallone was designed by none other than the late Gianni Versace himself. Best avoided if you’re a fan of the original comic strip! No resemblance there! Some of the concepts of a futuristic disaster are easy to imagine, and this movie serves a drastic vision of society, can watch if one is interested in these.