Growing up in the 80s and 90s was certainly a unique experience, and like any era, those decades offered up their fair share of heroes and heroines for the movie-going public and impressionable children, like myself, to idolize. The action movie was in its Golden Age and flourishing beautifully, and leading that parade were two men who were larger than life itself. One an Austrian Oak, the other an Italian Stallion, both of whom had successful films under their belts depicting characters who surmounted a threat to come out on top and save the day. They were in direct competition with each other, and have grown over the years to become the best of friends. Every little boy wanted to be them (including me) and every father and his son have bonded through watching them laying waste to mountains and mountains of bad guys. Of course, I am talking about none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone.
With careers spanning over eight decades between the both of them combined, and successful movie franchises that are still being continued to this day, it’s no wonder that both Sly and Arnie are widely regarded as two of the greatest action stars in cinema history. I’m sure every kid out there wished for a Rocky vs. Conan film, or a Terminator vs. Rambo movie back in the day, I know I did. But alas, for one reason or another, the Golden Age of the action movie never saw a team effort from Arnie and Sly, leaving many fans out there wondering ‘what if’.
In 2010, an awesome ensemble piece called The Expendables sought to end that drought and brought these two powerhouses together on screen for the very first time. The chemistry was natural, the banter was electric, and fans wanted more. Luckily, they got more in last year’s just as awesome follow up, The Expendables 2.
This week, Escape Plan is hitting theatres. Featuring starring roles for both action movie gods, fans are eager to see if the duo’s most recent team effort will entertain.
In honor of that film’s release, I’ve chosen 5 standout movies from each of Sly and Arnie’s filmography and compared them against each other to see which one is superior. To create a fair and equal ground, I will not be including any films from their successful Rocky, Rambo, Terminator, and Conan franchises, as these films are historically iconic in their own right and it would be impossible to rate them amongst each other.
So, without further ado, let’s begin.