10 Best Underrated Sylvester Stallone Characters

Sylvester Stallone has been in the film and TV industry for many years, and in that time, he’s written screenplays, directed films, and portrayed many memorable characters. Audiences certainly know Rocky Balboa, the underdog that rose to fame in the boxing world beginning in 1976, and war veteran John Rambo that was introduced in First Blood. 

These characters were both inspirational and played immaculately by Stallone, but they tend to overshadow his other roles, rendering them underrated in the process. For instance, Judge Joseph Dredd was a strict but interesting character, and Lincoln Hawk was certainly inspirational in his own right given his underdog status.

10 Sergeant Joseph “Joe” Bomowski

Stallone plays a cop named Joe Bomowski in Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot. He’s a tough cop, but he’s got an overbearing mother. Things get complicated further when his mother witnesses a murder, and goes from butting into not just his personal life but his professional life, which bothers Joe to no end.

A very different role for Stallone, this one tends to be underrated, as while it may not be well-known among fans, it does show Stallone’s range as an actor.

9 Sergeant Deke DaSilva

In the 1981 film Nighthawks, Stallone plays Sergeant Deke DaSilva. DaSilva, along with his partner Matthew Fox, soon find themselves transferred to the Anti-Terrorist Action Command, a brand-new squad. The film finds DaSilva after ruthless terrorist Wulfgar, who challenges DaSilva more often than not, until DaSilva ultimately kills him.

Stallone is in the familiar role of a badass cop, but given the film’s neo-noir tone, it differs from his roles in Demolition Man or Cop Land, and deserves more viewers.

8 Judge Joseph Dredd

Judge Dredd is a memorable character and film, and certainly different compared to Stallone’s other characters. Dredd loved to say that he was the law, and he took his job seriously and whole-heartedly. He didn’t have sympathy for criminals; there was the law, and only the law.

However, that changes drastically when Dredd himself is framed for murder, and teams up with one of the people he arrested, Herman, to clear his name and save the city from the chaos inflicted by his evil clone Rico. Dredd becomes more humble and open as a result, forging bonds with others and refusing the position of Chief Justice in the film’s ending.

7 Frank The Repairman

Stallone guest-starred in TV series Las Vegas as Frank the Repairman, an old friend and former colleague of Ed’s.

He appeared in two episodes; in the first, he was dropping by to visit, and in the second, Ed recruits his old friend to help out the mother of one of the Montecito’s employees. The mother is illegally in the country and runs a restaurant, and cannot go to the police when she is threatened by men that want her to pay them each week, or else they’ll ensure her business suffers. Frank had a tendency to lose his temper, but he was also witty and a good friend to Ed, and all for doing the right thing.

6 Sheriff Freddy Heflin

Sheriff Freddy Heflin in Cop Land was a meaningful role, and one that isn’t highlighted enough in Stallone’s career.

Heflin is a sheriff in the town of Garrison, New Jersey, and while he idolizes a group of NYPD cops that also call Garrison home, but those cops are far from honest and admirable. They are corrupt; usually, Freddy refrains from doing anything about it given his admiration for them, but when the nephew of one of the officers lands in hot water, Freddy can no longer ignore what’s right in front of him. Freddy rises to the occasion to do the right thing, sacrificing more than just his hearing to do so.

5 Gabriel “Gabe” Walker

Gabe Walker in Cliffhanger was a noteworthy character for Sly. He’s a mountain climber and rescue ranger. In the film’s beginning, tragedy strikes when Gabe goes on a rescue mission to get his friend Hal and Hal’s girlfriend Sarah, but Sarah ends up falling to her death.

Hal then blames Gabe for the incident, and it haunts him as a result. However, hard times are not past Gabe when he crosses paths with a group of dangerous thieves with a vicious leader, and he, alongside his friend and girlfriend, must fight for their lives and stop the bad guys. The film was intense and riveting.

4 Lieutenant Marion Cobretti

Marion “Cobra” Cobretti is nothing short of a badass. In the 1986 film, Cobra, the titular character takes on the task of going up against the violent and brutal members of “The New World”, who have taken it upon themselves to murder those they consider weak.

Cobretti has a cool car and an attitude to boot, and the film has since become a cult classic.

3 Sergeant John Spartan

John Spartan in Demolition Man was sentenced to a prison where he’s cryogenically frozen after a hostage situation goes horribly wrong. He’s released a few decades later to help the police department of the present-day capture dangerous criminal Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes). Since the police department of the present doesn’t have experience dealing with violence, Spartan takes charge.

He’s considered vile and disturbing by most considering his old-fashioned methods, but he gets the job done, and he finds love with Lenina (Sandra Bullock) along the way. He helped San Angeles take down a dangerous criminal, and he helped them start anew, given that their way of life was no longer what it once was, but they could look forward to a better future.

2 Ray Tango

Stallone played one of the lead characters, Ray Tango, in the 1980s buddy-cop film Tango & Cash. Tango was a gifted cop, handy with stocks, dressed in Armani suits, and dug the action that his job provided. He clashes with Gabriel Cash (Kurt Russell) often given their polar opposite personalities, and because of the fact that they’re rivals, given the two are considered the best cops Los Angeles has.

However, Tango has to give up his suits, and his rivalry, to team up with Cash to clear their names, as well as save his younger sister from the people who framed them. Stallone was witty and funny in this role, and shared good chemistry with Russell, making the film that much better.

1 Lincoln Hawk

Lincoln Hawk was an underdog trying to rebuild his life, including starting his own trucking company and repairing his relationship with his son, whom he had left years before, in Over the Top. Hawk doesn’t have an easy road ahead of him, as he bets on himself against all odds in an arm-wrestling competition, aiming to win the grand prize to start his business, and simultaneously trying to win back his son, who has recently lost his mother, from his controlling grandfather.

Hawk’s journey to fight for his son and for himself made him an admirable and inspirational character, and he’s tragically underrated.

About The Author

Kacie Lillejord
(374 Articles Published)

A Seattle native, Kacie has loved entertainment in the forms of books, films, television and music since day one. Inspired by a filmmaker relative, Kacie has been pursuing a career in the film and television industry in Los Angeles ever since. A graduate of The University of Arizona, Kacie has written for her college newspaper The Daily Wildcat, Harness Magazine, 25YL, and now has added Screen Rant to her resume. She loves writing and all things pop culture.

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