Better than Stallone, Seagal, Dolph, and JCVD.
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shareI agree with you 100%
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MovieChat Forums > Arnold Schwarzenegger Discussion > Better than Stallone, Seagal, Dolph, and...
I love both Schwarzee and Stallone. But I think Stallone can act dramatic (Rocky for example), something that lacks Arnold but makes him very good in doing roles with less or no emotions (best example: Terminator).
Great action actors. They are similar but different at the same time. I can't tell if one is better. But I think both are better than Segal, Dolph, and Van Damm.
Have you seen Maggie (2015)? Arnie is actually acting in it. I think his accent has always been his hindrance.
shareDoesn't ring a bell, no. But I'll put it in my watchlist. Thanks! And I think you are right about his accent. At the same time, it gave his characters a little exotic side that served him well most of the time. But that may not have been suitable for any role. So I think you're right in saying that it probably limited his acting possibilities.
shareOh, I don't recommend Maggie. I was just saying that he was actually acting in the film. It's an average film.
shareI think Arnies saving grace has always been his ability to know the limits of his acting capabilities and choose his roles accordingly.
He very rarely strays outside of his action man roles, expect when he does comedy which he has a surprising knack for, given a decent script.
Stallone can act. But he reached a level of heightened fame due to the later Rocky and also the Rambo sequels where it was literally no acting required. But his earlier roles in the Rocky movies were good. He was extraordinary in Copland and also in First Blood.
Seagal...an utter joke. Even in his prime he had a massive, massive drawback as an action hero...that high pitched, whiny girly voice.
Van Damme...similar in a way to Arnie. He is no actor by any stretch, struggles with his language also, but apart from a few cult movies early in his career he has never had blockbuster hits. Seems to be trying to constantly re invent himself these days.
Lundgren...got his break in Rocky 4 and slipped into mediocre action movies, always trying to make it big but never quite managing it. The first Universal Soldier is probably his best. Not much else of note apart from that.
I like Stallone fine but Arnold is a favorite of mine. The thing about the other actors you mentioned though is they never made high quality movies like Stallone and Arnold did. Heck, Dolph Lundgren is really only in B movies.
shareI think Arnie's movies were better in general compared to Stallone. I'd rather watch bad ones like "Twins" and "Kindergarten Cop" over movies like "Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot" and "Oscar".
shareFunnily enough I have not heard of those 2 movies.
shareOscar is a highly ingenious film. Truly underrated. A very sharp and funny script with a good performance by Sly.
Stop or my Mom Will Shot! is on the other hand.. not underrated at all.
Arnie was always better at comedy than Sly was. Sly is better at more serious drama though. Love both of them as far as action movies goes.
shareArnie is better than them all in action, science fiction and fantasy roles, but Stallone can do dramatic roles better than those listed and has directed and written movies too, I still agree that Arnold is better overall, and I’d rather see Schwarzenegger in Demolition Man, Universal Soldier and Under Siege, all great movies but Arnie is the king of that genre and would have enriched them.
They all suck at comedy btw!
Just something about Arnie that's more enjoyable. And to me, Stallone can't speak English and it's his first language.
shareStallone can do drama. That's a distinct advantage in Sly's favor. Stallone has the ability to represent the underdog everyman hero, which he has pulled off to great effect over the years. Rocky of course, but also the little remembered F.I.S.T., and even the corny Over The Top. It's his forte.
Arnie has advantages of his own. He's able to portray a larger than life figure in action movies because he's naturally a monster sized human being. Stallone while physically impressive, has always had to fake it a bit by wearing lifts. Arnie also has a better grasp of the comedic in him, and while both men don't shy from poking fun at themselves, frankly, Arnold is much better at it (Last Action Hero, Kindergarten Cop, Twins). Most Stallone comedies fall flat or are terrible (Tango and Cash).
It's kind of a toss up to me. The other actors have their own niche, but are nowhere close to the same league as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sly Stallone.
The other actors have their own niche, but are nowhere close to the same league as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sly Stallone.
Normally I think the public gets it wrong with movies, but they made the right choice with these two.
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You forgot Cop land one of his best roles
shareArnold has a bigger ratio of great films. Predator, Total Recall, True Lies, T1 and T2 are some of the best films of the action/sci-fi genre.
Sly isn't far behind though with Rocky 1-4, First Blood, Rambo: First Blood Part II, Cliffhanger, Demolition Man, Nighthawks and Oscar. The last two being underrated. And the first Rocky being a classic.
JCVD and Dolph can't really compare. But we love them none the less.
When I think about Arnie and Sly, I don't even think about their good stuff. I enjoy Arnie's bad stuff more. Twins and Kindergarten Cop are entertainingly bad.
shareI enjoy both Twins and Kindergarten Cop. They might not be sophisticated masterworks, but they are fun romps with Arnold making fun of his image in a charming way. Something he also does enjoyably in Jingle All The Way.
On the flip side, Arnold didn't always succeed with this. Junior is a case in point.
Arnie's iconic films are untouchable.
But I can watch Stallone's movies endlessly, I never get tired of them.
I haven't watched a Segal film in 20 years.
Dolph'ster is great, but I've never had the urge to even track down his movies.
JCVD though. I watch his movies more than any of them. JCVD's perfect blend of macho cheese is delicious.
I think we agree they're all pretty enjoyable even if they're for the wrong reasons.
share'Macho cheese' got me laughing. I feel that way about Seagal's movies, not least because the obscure titles he's made leaves you always with something left to watch. Jean Claude has some very emotional movies that I agree can rank him above in some respects but the overall better movies belong to Stallone & Arnold. But again I like the diverse aesthetic of Seagal putting me in the tougher fangroup.
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