Here’s every Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone Movie, ranked worst to best. Arnie and Stallone were two of the biggest movie stars of the ’80s and ’90s – both in terms of box office and physique. They also had a not-so-friendly rivalry – that even saw Arnie trick Stallone into making Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot – to see who could outdo the other in terms of bodycount, one-liners and muscles. That’s one reason they didn’t team up for a film at the height of their stardom.
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In later years, the R-rated blockbusters they used to front fell out of favor. Schwarzenegger and Stallone also became good pals offscreen, realizing they actually had a lot in common. This eventually led to the duo working together on a series of movies back to back. While fans of the action legends would have preferred such a crossover had happened years earlier, the novelty of seeing them together was enough to guarantee an audience. Here’s every Schwarzenegger and Stallone movie, ranked.
Related: Why Escape Plan Is Stallone’s Worst Action Franchise
4. The Expendables 3 (2014)
While Schwarzenegger has appeared in each outing of The Expendables movies, his role in each amounts to an extended cameo. The Expendables 3 gave him his biggest supporting turn – sadly, it’s in service of the worst outing. The third film tries to cram together too many elements, merging the old cast with a team of younger, hipper mercs played by the likes of Ronda Rousey and Glen Powell. The Expendables 3 also aimed for a PG-13 rating, which was ill-fitting for a series designed as a throwback to action movies of yesteryear. The result is a bloated, dull mess with too many characters and action that – while competently staged – rarely thrills.
3. Escape Plan (2013)
While they worked first together on The Expendables, Escape Plan was sold on being the first feature-length pairing of Schwarzenegger and Stallone. The latter plays a security expert sent to a prison that’s supposedly impossible to break out of, while Arnie is a mysterious prisoner who helps him do just that. The first Escape Plan movie has a solid concept, a great supporting cast – including Sam Neill and Vincent D’Onofrio – and the chemistry between the two leads is on point. The issue is, Escape Plan is overwhelmingly… fine. It’s entertaining hokum while it lasts, but nothing about it stands out either.
2. The Expendables 2 (2012)
The Expendables 2 opens with the finest action setpiece of the trilogy, featuring vehicular carnage, shootouts, martial arts and a boat chase. Unfortunately, it becomes more routine after this opening, which sees the titular crew hunt down a villain played by Jean-Claude Van Damme. The latter steals every scene with a delightfully hammy turn, but while the second entry has some solid action, it’s hampered both by lacklustre CGI – especially noticeable in the bullet hits – and terrible jokes. The nadir of this has Chuck Norris making his own Chuck Norris meme joke – which only proves why he never fronted his own comedy.
1. The Expendables (2010)
The Expendables started life as a darker thriller, before evolving into more of a love letter to ’80s action. Stallone – as writer and director – assembled various action legends like Jet Li and Jason Statham, and the film benefits from being the most focused of the bunch. It does suffer from over-editing during the big setpieces and many of the gags fail to land, but there’s an enjoyably retro charm to it, making it the best Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone Movie. Oddly, the best scene is a heartfelt monologue from Mickey Rourke as he recounts being haunted by his failure to save a life; silly as the movie can be, this is the moment that gives it a soul.
Next: Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Or Willis: Who The Biggest ’80s Action Star Was