Sylvester Stallone’s upcoming thriller Armor could finally break a bad cinematic habit the actor has stuck to for 46 years. Following the shock success of Rocky in 1976, Stallone was touted as the successor to actors like Marlon Brando. Unfortunately, many of his non-Rocky follow-ups were duds, and the success of First Blood saw the star become typecast in the action genre. Decades later, Sylvester Stallone’s action movies are a subgenre onto themselves, with recent examples including 2023’s The Expendables 4.
It doesn’t appear that the screen legend will be abandoning the genre in the near future. Some upcoming projects include the thriller Alarum alongside Reacher star Willa Fitzgerald and Armor. The trailer for Armor sees Stallone lead a band of thieves robbing an armored truck, only to find themselves in a tense standoff with the guards trapped inside. The movie looks like a tight little thriller – even if the premise sounds basically identical to the underrated 2009 thriller Armored.
Armor Could End Sylvester Stallone’s 46-Year “No Death” Streak.
The trailer for Armor suggests that Stallone is taking on the role of a full-fledged villain, one who seems intent on killing the guards trapped inside the armored truck (played by Jason Patric and Josh Wiggins) during the heist. This marks a rare turn as an antagonist for Stallone, and unless his character, Rook, is given a heroic redemption arc, Armor could feature Stallone’s first on-screen death since 1978’s F.I.S.T. , where he portrayed a Jimmy Hoffa-like figure gunned down in the film’s final moments.
Stallone disagreed with this choice at the time, and none of his characters have died on-screen in the decades since. Of course, Armor could continue that trend. There are plenty of possible outcomes for his character, Rook, including getting arrested or having a change of heart and saving the day. However, it would be exciting if Armor broke the mold and allowed Stallone to portray a truly irredeemable villain who meets a fitting end in the finale, subverting his long-standing screen persona in a significant way.
Netflix’s Sly Explained His Rule About Sad Endings
Before the release of The Expendables 4, there were rumors that Stallone’s character, team leader Barney Ross, would be killed off to pass the torch to co-star Jason Statham as the new leader. While Expendables 4 does “kill” Barney in the first act, it’s later revealed that he faked his death, which felt like a major cop-out. However, considering the overall poor quality of the fourth installment, this wasn’t the movie’s biggest problem. 2023 also brought the release of Sly, a Netflix documentary where Stallone reflected on the highs and lows of his life and career.
In Sly, Stallone expresses his belief that audiences dislike endings where the hero dies or is defeated. He feels that director Norman Jewison’s choice to end F.I.S.T. on such a bleak note hurt the film, suggesting that evil always wins. Interestingly, First Blood originally ended with John Rambo being killed by his mentor Trautman (via EW). Stallone strongly opposed this ending, believing it sent a hopeless message to Vietnam veterans, which he felt was the wrong note to strike.
It’s fascinating to examine Sylvester Stallone’s entire career through the lens of his “no death” philosophy…
Fortunately, test audiences also hated this original ending, leading to a revised conclusion where Rambo survives. It’s intriguing to view Stallone’s entire career through the lens of his “no death” rule. Even his remake of the gritty Michael Caine thriller Get Carter altered the dark finale of the original, allowing the title character to not only live but embark on a hopeful new chapter.
Stallone’s “No Death” Rule Has Weakened Some of His Films
The Get Carter remake mentioned earlier seems to completely miss the essence of the 1971 film, especially with Carter walking away from his quest for revenge unscathed. While most of Stallone’s filmography consists of crowd-pleasing blockbusters, it wouldn’t have made sense to conclude films like Cobra or Cliffhanger with the main character dying. However, some stories almost necessitate darker endings, yet Stallone has shown a reluctance to abandon his “no death” rule, even when the narrative demands it.
Rambo 5 seems to be leading toward the ex-soldier’s inevitable death; however, a mid-credits scene shows him getting on a horse and riding off into the unknown.
Sly gives the ideal example, where Rambo passed away from his wounds in the last scene of 2019’s Last Blood as it was filmed. It shows the severely injured soldier rocking in his chair before it stops moving. Later, the celebrity changed his mind and kept the chair moving with computer-generated imagery. The storyline seems to be building to the ex-soldier’s imminent death, even though the sequel was meant to wrap up the Rambo film franchise. Instead, he mounts a horse and rides out to unidentified locations in a mid-credits sequence.
Rocky V, which was written with the title boxer’s death in mind, is another example. It’s ultimately fortunate that the fifth movie didn’t end with Rocky dying after his fight with Tommy Gunn, but the forced happy ending is also out of place in Rocky V’s final cut, especially considering the new heights the series would later achieve with 2006’s Rocky Balboa and the Creed films.
Armor Is Stallone’s First Villain Role In 21 Years
Stallone has frequently been open about his career setbacks, which included being almost shut out of Hollywood from the late 1990s until Rocky Balboa (2006). Several explosives, notably Judge Dredd and Driven, were to blame for this. He agreed to play the antagonist in Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over at this time, playing Agent Sebastian (also known as The Toymaker), the creator of a risky virtual reality game. Since then, he hasn’t portrayed a live-action antagonist, and Armour is Stallone’s tardy comeback to villainous roles.
Whether Rook is a villain or not will be revealed in due time. Stallone can be truly terrifying when the situation calls for it, so it’s a shame he hasn’t taken out more nasty roles. During fight, Rambo may be a vicious monster, and in the last battle of Last Blood, he does actually behave like a slasher villain. Had his character retained the nasty edge of the original Caine incarnation as well, Get Carter would have unquestionably been a stronger movie.
| Every Rambo Movie | Release Year |
|---|---|
| First Blood | 1982 |
| Rambo: First Blood Part II | 1985 |
| Rambo III | 1988 |
| Rambo | 2008 |
| Rambo: Last Blood | 2019 |
In addition to having a strong B-movie concept, Armour also has some real star power thanks to Sylvester Stallone. In contrast to the majority of low-budget action films, it seems like Stallone will play a significant featured part rather than a lengthy cameo meant to entice his fans. If Rook bites the bullet in the film’s conclusion, it would leave a minor but distinctive mark on the actor’s filmography, but since Stallone’s “no death” rule has been so steadfast for nearly fifty years, there’s no assurance Armour will be the one to break it.