Sylvester Stallone Announced His Action Retirement With This Forgotten Disaster Movie… Then Broke The Promise

Summary Despite declaring Daylight as his final action movie in 1996, Stallone eventually returned to the genre during the 2000s.

Stallone felt he was getting too old to continue for the genre, but nearly 30 years on, he is still fronting action movies.

Stallone's success in action films like Rocky and First Blood led to him being typecast in action, but he has since found a balance.

Sylvester Stallone once stated Daylight would be his final action role, but it didn't take long for him to go back on that vow. After years of struggling as an actor and screenwriter, Stallone broke through in a major way with underdog classic Rocky in 1976. Critics at the time touted him as the natural successor to actors like Marlon Brando, but Sly's career soon went a very different route. After fronting more movies in the Rocky franchise, Stallone's success with First Blood made him an action star.

Sylvester Stallone action movies were soon flying thick and fast, while his rivalry with Arnold Schwarzenegger meant his bodycount and muscles became increasingly bigger. In hindsight, it's unfortunate he became so typecast in the genre. Stallone has many great action movies to his name, but his work in films like Nighthawks or Copland shows he's just as capable of more nuanced performances. If he had been able to balance action with the occasional drama or character piece, that would have been the ideal mix.

Related All 8 Movies Directed By Sylvester Stallone, Ranked While Sylvester Stallone may be best known as an actor, he has also directed several films including entries in the Rocky and Rambo franchises.

Sylvester Stallone Declared 1996's Daylight Would Be His Final Action Movie

Stallone felt he was getting too old for the genre

Stallone had a mixed run during the 1990s, where major successes like Cliffhanger were followed by box-office duds like Judge Dredd. When Stallone signed for 1996 disaster movie Daylight, he gave an interview to Variety proclaiming it was his last action movie and that he would completely step away from the genre when it was complete.

I will take a different direction in my career. I’ve done as much as I can do in these (actioners). I want to be in more responsible stories, I don’t want to be the ‘Samson’ of the movies any more.

More than just a desire to move into different types of projects, Stallone also turned 50 in 1996, stating "I think I’ve gone as far as I can go with these kind of films.” Daylight cast the star as a disgraced former EMS chief who risks his life to save a group of people trapped inside a collapsed New York tunnel. While his character never fires a gun or battles evil Russians, the film gives Stallone plenty of action to perform, including his character infiltrating the tunnel by dodging gigantic fans in the tunnel's ventilation system.

Nicolas Cage was the first choice for Daylight, but he wasn't considered a big enough name by the studio at that time.

Daylight is an enjoyable late night disaster flick, but is neither the best nor worst of Sly's filmography. Despite well-executed setpieces, the film is saddled with irritating supporting characters and rote exposition. Daylight did respectable if modest business upon release, earning almost $160 million worldwide on a reported $80 million budget (via The Numbers).

Stallone Broke His Action Retirement After A Run Of Bombs

Copland should have changed Stallone's career

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Despite having been a huge star for close to 20 years, by the early 2000s, Hollywood considered Stallone to be box-office poison after years of underperforming films.

For a time, it appeared Sly would stay true to his action movie retirement. He followed Daylight with one of his best performances in 1997's Copland, holding his own in an ensemble that included Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel. Despite receiving acclaim, the thriller wasn't a big hit, and he went onto a run of box-office disappointments like Get Carter, Driven and his only horror film, D-Tox.

Despite having been a huge star for close to 20 years, by the early 2000s, Hollywood considered Stallone to be box-office poison after years of underperforming films. Some of the above films had elements of action, but they still belong to different genres. The late 2000s is when some reliable Stallone action movie franchises got dusted off, with entries like Rocky Balboa or Rambo reviving his career; Sly even created a new saga for himself with The Expendables.

Stallone has long since broken his Daylight vow, though in truth, he was softening on this stance even while promoting the disaster film. He told Film Threat in 1996 that "... it would be wrong for me to say I would abandon the action genre," when asked if Daylight was truly his final stint. Indeed, close to 30 years on, the star is still appearing in action projects like Expendables 4 and Samaritan.

Daylight is currently available to stream on Starz Apple TV Channel.

Source: Variety, The Numbers, Film Threat