Reader here, and as a guy whose childhood was the 1980s and his teenage and young adult years were the 90s, I’ll admit I caught a number of action movies, ranging from martial arts flicks, to western-style, beat ’em up, blow ’em up style movies.
Some of my favourites? Of course, perhaps my favourite movie of all time, John Carpenter’s “Big Trouble in Little China,” starring the one and only Kurt Russell, as trucker Jack Burton, who finds himself caught up in martial arts and mysticism in San Francisco’s Chinatown. It was (and still is) a favourite of me and my brothers – we used to throw it on after school so much!
Another classic? “Bloodsport,” with Jean-Claude Van Damme, as Frank Dux, who headed to the secret fighting competition known as the Kumite, where he fought his way through the competition (“Chong Li! Chong Li!”), and avenged his buddy, played by Ogre, from the “Revenge of the Nerds” movies!
And, of course, the films of the greatest action star of them all, the incomparable Bruce Lee, including “Enter the Dragon,” which posthumously made his a megastar around the globe.
But, without a doubt, the two biggest action stars of the 80s and 90s were the two most musclebound men of the era, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone.
Each of them had successful franchises, and made millions at the box office.
After his first acting gig in 1969, Stallone kickstarted his career by writing himself the role that made him famous, Rocky Balboa, with “Rocky” winning Best Picture at the 1977 Oscars.
As well, he went on to do the “Rambo” movies, “Cliffhanger,” and another favourite (not coincidentally co-starring Kurt Russell), “Tango & Cash,” the awesome “Demolition Man,” and the underrated “Cop Land.”
Meanwhile, Schwarzenegger turned his uber-successful body building career into a big-time movie career. He made his first big splash on-screen in the 1977 documentary “Pumping Iron,” followed by the “Conan” movies, other classics like “Commando,” “Predator,” “The Running Man,” “True Lies,” and his signature role, as “The Terminator,” that spawned a massive franchise.
I have to admit, I’ve always been an Arnie guy. The main reason being that Schwarzenegger and his moves always had more of a sense of humor, whereas Stallone always seemed to take himself too seriously.
Look at the lighter movies the two made.
Sly made “Stop, Or My Mom’ll Shoot,” and “Oscar.” Womp-womp.
Arnie? He wins for “Twins” alone, but also, “Kindergarten Cop” and “Junior.”
The two did get together on-screen for “The Expendables,” but beyond that, there was always that running rivalry between the two during their heyday.
The biggest difference was that Stallone went on to do more filmwork, while Schwarzenegger took a political sojourn, spending eight years as the 38th Governor of California.
Which is my favourite? As I mentioned, Arnie’s my guy. That said, if I’m flicking through the channels, and a “Rocky” movie is on, or “Demolition Man,” I’m locked in. They’re so good!
There’s always room for both. Coke or Pepsi? Beatles or Stones? Sly or Arnie? Ultimately, why choose?
In the spirit of the Terminator, enjoy a little GnR from the “T2” soundtrack!
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