• Sylvester Stallone’s performance in Bullet to the head showcases a vulnerable and non-verbal version of the actor, reminiscent of his role in Copeland.
  • Directed by Walter Hill, the film is a gritty and brutal crime thriller that reveals the underbelly of the New Orleans criminal underworld.
  • While Stallone’s character Jimmy Bobo may not have the physical abilities of a young man, he still proves that he can create new action heroes and pass the torch to the next generation, as demonstrated in his fight scenes with Jason Momoa.

Easy to fire Sylvester Stallone as little more than an action star, even if his most iconic roles started out rather modestly. It’s easy to forget that both Rocky And First blood these are straightforward character dramas anchored by Stallone’s emotionally charged performance; they simply inspired massive franchises. Stallone’s work became less exciting over the past few decades as he began choosing roles that didn’t demand as much from him as a performer. However, Stallone proved that he still has a great performance in the criminally underrated 2013 thriller. Bullet to the head. While it was interesting to see Stallone return to familiar franchises with Rambo: Last Blood And Creed, Bullet to the head proved he can still create new action heroes.

Image via Warner Bros.

Bullet to the head

After watching their partners die, a New Orleans hitman and a Washington, D.C. detective form an alliance to defeat a common enemy.

“Bullet to the Head” – a darker film by Sylvester Stallone

Bullet to the head In the opening sequence, he abandons the typical New York City setting of Sylvester Stallone films in favor of the dirty, crime-ridden streets of New Orleans. Stallone’s character, Jimmy Bobo, does not have any advanced training or combat skills that would set him apart from other cops. Bobo also lacks the moral altruism that defined many of Stallone’s roles. In the first moments, Bobo works together with his partner Louis Blanchard (Jon Seda) to remove a corrupt police officer (Mindhunter‘s Holt McCallany). It’s a terrific opening sequence that shows that Bobo is willing to do the kind of “dirty work” that novices or idealists aren’t willing to do, because he isn’t ready either. Bobo put his life’s work into this work, but not all of this work was strictly “heroic.”

What makes these opening moments so striking is how radically different they are from most of Stallone’s other work. One of the reasons he became such an iconic action star of the 1980s and 1990s was his moral altruism; Stallone’s characters were huge heroes who were always on the right side of the law. Even the extremes of violence that John Rambo resorted to seemed justified in the context of the films; Rocky always fought for his country, his family and his friends. Bobo’s motives are completely different. He simply does his best to survive in a bitter world.

Bullet to the head showcases a non-verbal, vulnerable version of Stallone that he hasn’t shown up since then James Mangoldunderrated crime thriller Copeland. The problem with movies like The Expendables And Get Carter there were the cheap and stupid one-liners that Stallone was forced to deliver; they seemed completely unrealistic for an actor of such sensitivity. Although Bobo is very different from Rocky and Rambo, he shares their quiet sensibility. Bobo has a hard time expressing himself, but the rare times he does it is profound. Bobo has learned to distrust the people around him due to deep-rooted corruption within the ranks of the DC Metropolitan Police Department. He can be forgiven for his reluctance to establish any personal relationships with other members of the organization.

Sylvester Stallone Vulnerable in ‘Bullet to the Head’

Bullet to the head comes from a maestro of crime cinema Walter Hilla genre veteran whose past classics include Driver, Warriors, and a strange continuation Another 48 hours. Hill does a great job creating gritty, brutal fight scenes in a film that oozes squalor. Hill focuses on what happens behind closed doors, and there’s nothing here about Bullet to the head it seems idealized. It was the perfect role for Stallone at this point in his career. Although he has revisited franchises such as Rocky And Rambo, Bullet to the head felt like a return to my roles in classic crime films such as FIST And Nighthawks.

Sylvester Stallone’s advanced age meant that his ego had to be kept in check. Bullet to the head He may have the stamina of a modern action movie, but that doesn’t mean Bobo shares the younger man’s physical capabilities. He has a hard-earned career in the service, and while that gives him experience, it also means that his body has been severely damaged throughout his life. Bobo often loses fights, and even the ones he wins leave him with serious scars. It was like the complete opposite of what Stallone had done just a few years earlier in The Expendables; while the geriatric action franchise was asking him to essentially become a superhero, Bullet to the head allowed him to become vulnerable again.

Sylvester Stallone passes the torch to Jason Momoa in Bullet to the Head

Although Sylvester Stallone felt more vulnerable, he still had some lessons for the next generation of action stars. IN Bullet to the headhe will have to share several scenes of brutal fights with Aquaman myself, Jason Momoa. Momoa co-stars as Keegan, a mercenary hired by crime boss Robert Nkomo Morel (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) to kill Bobo. Bobo’s motives for killing Keegan are personal, as he is responsible for the death of his partner Blanchard. Although Blanchard and Bobo were not “close” on an emotional level, working alongside another police officer for such a long time created a sense of loyalty. Bobo feels he owes it to Blanchard to see Keegan face the consequences of his actions.

The fight between Bobo and Keegan is undoubtedly the highlight of the film; in many ways, Momoa seems to give a performance reminiscent of what Stallone himself might have given at the peak of his career. Both characters have a characteristic viciousness and try to inflict as much pain on each other as possible. While it felt like a throwback to his earlier work with Stallone, it felt like Momoa was being allowed to play darker things than the DC franchise had ever allowed him to. It was like moment of “passing the torch” from one giant of action to another.

Sylvester Stallone, the movie star, is highly respected, but Stallone, the actor, is still underrated. Bullet to the head showed that The Italian Stallion was still capable of delivering emotional, dramatically realized performances that shed light on dark characters. The fact that he also manages to beat up bad guys doesn’t matter!

Bullet to the head is available to stream on Max in the US.

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