Try “Cliffhanger”, which he stars in and co-wrote with Michael France. Also featuring John Lithgow, Caroline Goodall, and Janine Turner, “Cliffhanger” is as suspenseful as its title suggests with as much action as “Rambo” and (a little) more substance. Stallone plays Gabe Walker, mountain climber extraordinaire who has taken a break from climbing ever since his equipment broke and cost him the life of his climbing partner. But when a group of people needs saving in the peaks of the Rocky Mountains, Walker is up to the task. Of course this wayward band, led by ruthless Eric Qualen (Lithgow) is actually in hot pursuit of $100,000,000 that fell out of their aircraft, so when Walker and his partner Hal appear on the scene, they are held at gun point and forced to find the missing dough. From then on, its non-stop thrills amongst the mountain peaks. What could more exciting than Sylvester Stallone fighting on steep cliffs? Not only could be shot, strangled, mutilated, stabbed, or pummeled, he could simply lose his balance! The possibilities for doom are endless, making each moment as edgy as the peaks on screen.
If you’re into righteous fights against genocide
Try “The Killing Fields” starring Sam Waterston and Haing S. Ngor in his Oscar-winning role. As the name would suggest, this film is about the Cambodian Killing Fields and the fearless journalists who would risk their lives to report on the events. However, when the Cambodian government takes a turn for the worst and all diplomats and reporters must leave, Sydney Schanberg (Waterston) and his photographer Dith Pran, along with Alan Rockoff (John Malkovich) and Jon Swain (Julian Sands) decide to stay, at the ultimate peril of Pran who is Cambodian and therefore not immune to capture by the Khmer Rouge. He is indeed abducted and we are taken on a gruesome tour of his plight in the camps of Khmer Rouge. Haing S. Ngor was actually a doctor in Cambodia during the genocide, and was also abducted by the regime. So if he brings a certain Oscar winning quality to the work, it’s probably because he knows what its like to be tortured by his own countrymen. As chilling as “Rambo” is tacky, “The Killing Fields” is a disturbing portrayal of one of history’s darkest hours.
If you’re into tough guys
Try Steve McQueen in “The Great Escape”. Okay, so McQueen works charm more than sturdy silence, but he’s still one hell of a tough guy. In this film he plays Captain Hilts, one of two Americans (the other played by pretty boy James Garner) in a German Prisoner of War camp during World War Two. Hilts is determined to escape the “goons” and return to the Air Force. None of his half-baked schemes, though creative, get him out. After getting caught he is sent to “the cooler”, a windowless cell where he famously tosses a baseball against the wall to kill time. Perhaps the coolest part of McQueen’s performance is the motorcycle chase in which he is desperately trying to outrun the Nazis, and in doing so must turn many a trick on his bike to elude them. McQueen can say more with the toss of a baseball than Stallone can by ripping someone to shreds, and if you’re seen “Rambo” that’s saying something.
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