700Stallone

(Photo by MGM / Courtesy: Everett Collection)

A little like Rocky, Sylvester Stallone seemed almost destined to fail in the film business. A bit part in Woody Allen’s Bananas, resorting to shooting a softcore porn flick (The Party at Kitty and Stud’s), and having to sell his dog at a 7-11 for $50 was what Stallone’s acting career was amounting in the ’70s. Then his screenplay about an underdog Philly boxer met the right director, John G. Avildsen, and after that it was step-by-step all the way up to national phenomenon and Best Picture winner. And as for his dog? Stallone bought him back and he appears as Rocky’s sidekick, Butkus.

Since 1976, Stallone has built a fascinating body of work, fashioned from numerous creative starts and stops, of incredible highs and crashing lows. He turned Rocky into a sequel machine, becoming a punchline by the ’90s (Rocky V), before multiple miracle turnarounds (Rocky Balboa, Creed) restored its former glory.

Stallone’s friendly (?) competition with Arnold Schwarzenegger gave him a taste of the ’80s action world, compelling him to pump out flicks with the quickness: The likes of Nighthawks, Cobra, Over the Top, and Tango & Cash give him enduring cult status, and mainstream derision. The ’90s saw him at his funniest (Demolition Man) and most dramatic (Cop Land), but also brought bigger bouts of embarrassment (Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot).

By the mid-2000s, Stallone was digging through his own legacy, and uncovering plenty of veins to tap. There was the Rocky Balboa restart, ’80s throwback franchise Expendables, Schwarzenegger team-up Escape Plan, and duking it out with the Raging Bull himself, Robert De Niro, for Grudge Match.

And the one we’ve yet to mention: a certain John Rambo. 1982’s First Blood was a sensitive, terrifying indictment of Vietnam War veteran treatment. It’s a subdued film, without much to suggest the blistering violent fantasies the series would morph into across First Blood Part II, Rambo III, then just Rambo, and finally into Rambo: Last Blood. And now we celebrate an entire movie-making career as we rank the all Sylvester Stallone movies by Tomatometer! —Alex Vo

#1

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Adjusted Score: 110350%

Critics Consensus: Creed brings the Rocky franchise off the mat for a surprisingly effective seventh round that extends the boxer’s saga in interesting new directions while staying true to its classic predecessors’ roots.

Synopsis: Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) never knew his famous father, boxing champion Apollo Creed, who died before Adonis was born…. [More]

#2

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Adjusted Score: 97327%

Critics Consensus: Featuring a stellar voice cast, technically dazzling animation, and loads of good humor, Antz should delight both children and adults.

Synopsis: Z the worker ant (Woody Allen) strives to reconcile his own individuality with the communal work-ethic of the ant colony…. [More]

#3

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Adjusted Score: 101501%

Critics Consensus: This story of a down-on-his-luck boxer is thoroughly predictable, but Sylvester Stallone’s script and stunning performance in the title role brush aside complaints.

Synopsis: Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), a small-time boxer from working-class Philadelphia, is arbitrarily chosen to take on the reigning world heavyweight… [More]

#4

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Adjusted Score: 109291%

Critics Consensus: Enlivened by writer-director James Gunn’s singularly skewed vision, The Suicide Squad marks a funny, fast-paced rebound that plays to the source material’s violent, anarchic strengths.

Synopsis: Welcome to hell–a.k.a. Belle Reve, the prison with the highest mortality rate in the US of A. Where the worst… [More]

#5

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Adjusted Score: 108649%

Critics Consensus: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2‘s action-packed plot, dazzling visuals, and irreverent humor add up to a sequel that’s almost as fun — if not quite as thrillingly fresh — as its predecessor.

Synopsis: Peter Quill and his fellow Guardians are hired by a powerful alien race, the Sovereign, to protect their precious batteries… [More]

#6

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Adjusted Score: 90695%

Critics Consensus: Much darker and more sensitive than the sequels it spawned, First Blood is a thrilling survival adventure that takes full advantage of Sylvester Stallone’s acting skills.

Synopsis: Vietnam veteran and drifter John J. Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) wanders into a small Washington town in search of an old… [More]

#7

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Adjusted Score: 100300%

Critics Consensus: Creed II‘s adherence to franchise formula adds up to a sequel with few true surprises, but its time-tested generational themes still pack a solid punch.

Synopsis: In 1985, Russian boxer Ivan Drago killed former U.S. champion Apollo Creed in a tragic match that stunned the world…. [More]

#8

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Adjusted Score: 107064%

Critics Consensus: A galactic group hug that might squeeze a little too tight on the heartstrings, the final Guardians of the Galaxy is a loving last hurrah for the MCU’s most ragtag family.

Synopsis: In Marvel Studios “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” our beloved band of misfits are looking a bit different these… [More]

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#9

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Adjusted Score: 85301%

Critics Consensus: Implausible but entertaining and poignant, Rocky Balboa finds the champ in fighting form for the first time in years.

Synopsis: Now long-retired, Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) runs a Philadelphia eatery and mourns the loss of his beloved wife, Adrian. Yearning to… [More]

#10

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Adjusted Score: 79214%

Critics Consensus: Cop Land matches its star-studded cast with richly imagined characters while throttling the audience with carefully ratcheted suspense, although it lacks the moral complexity of classic crime thrillers.

Synopsis: When hotheaded Superboy (Michael Rapaport) accidentally gets involved in an ugly racially-motivated incident, his uncle Ray Donlan (Harvey Keitel), a… [More]

#11

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Adjusted Score: 85960%

Critics Consensus: Death Race 2000 is a fun, campy classic, drawing genuine thrills from its mindless ultra-violence.

Synopsis: In the year 2000, America is a totalitarian regime on the brink of collapse. The most popular sport in this… [More]

#12

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Adjusted Score: 73389%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Johnny Kovak (Sylvester Stallone) works in a warehouse and grows tired of the unfair policies in place, leading him to… [More]

#13

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Adjusted Score: 72584%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Fresh from mounting a devastating bomb attack in London, an international terrorist arrives in New York and remains intent upon… [More]

#14

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Adjusted Score: 72801%

Critics Consensus: Rocky II is a movie that dares you to root again for the ultimate underdog — and succeeds due to an infectiously powerful climax.

Synopsis: Although working-class Philadelphia boxer Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) lost his high-profile bout with the cocky world champion Apollo Creed (Carl… [More]

#15

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Adjusted Score: 70075%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: The head of a German POW camp, soccer enthusiast Karl von Steiner (Max von Sydow) organizes a match between Nazi… [More]

#16

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Adjusted Score: 73004%

Critics Consensus: While it can’t escape comparisons to the movies it borrows from, Cliffhanger is a tense, action-packed thriller and a showcase for the talents that made Sylvester Stallone a star.

Synopsis: Outdoor thriller in which a former mountain rescuer is pitted against a group of criminals who have lost their $100… [More]

#17

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Adjusted Score: 72907%

Critics Consensus: Taut, violent, and suitably self-deprecating, The Expendables 2 gives classic action fans everything they can reasonably expect from a star-studded shoot-’em-up — for better and for worse.

Synopsis: Mercenary leader Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone), Lee Christmas (Jason Statham) and the rest of the Expendables team reunite when Mr…. [More]

#18

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Adjusted Score: 39649%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Tiffany (Jamie Foxx), Charlie (Gabriel Byrne) and Vernon (Thandie Newton) are con artists looking to up the ante from their… [More]

#19

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Adjusted Score: 68888%

Critics Consensus: It’s noticeably subject to the law of diminishing returns, but Rocky III still has enough brawny spectacle to stand in the ring with the franchise’s better entries.

Synopsis: Having become the world heavyweight champion, former working-class boxer Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) is rich and famous beyond his wildest… [More]

#20

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Adjusted Score: 64843%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Two members (Perry King, Sylvester Stallone) of a social club in 1950s Brooklyn have more interest in romance than in… [More]

#21

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Adjusted Score: 65507%

Critics Consensus: A better-than-average sci-fi shoot-em-up with a satirical undercurrent, Demolition Man is bolstered by strong performances by Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, and Sandra Bullock.

Synopsis: With innocent victims caught in the crossfire in Los Angeles’ intensifying war on crime, both cop John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone)… [More]

#22

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Adjusted Score: 54834%

Critics Consensus: As much fun as it is to see Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger team up onscreen, Escape Plan fails to offer much more than a pale imitation of 1980s popcorn thrills.

Synopsis: Tough and chiseled Ray Breslin (Sylvester Stallone) knows how to infiltrate a prison — and bust out of one. His… [More]

#23

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Adjusted Score: 51469%

Critics Consensus: Bullet to the Head‘s unapologetically trashy thrills evoke memories of its star and director’s proud cinematic pasts — but sadly, those memories are just about all it has to offer.

Synopsis: When veteran hit man Jimmy Bobo (Sylvester Stallone) and his partner, Louis (Jon Seda), kill a corrupt ex-cop, Louis in… [More]

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#24

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Adjusted Score: 49484%

Critics Consensus: The movie will be found wanting if one is not taken in by the 3-D visuals.

Synopsis: Pint-sized kid spy Juni Cortez (Daryl Sabara) faces his biggest challenge yet when he confronts the Toymaker (Sylvester Stallone), a… [More]

#25

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Adjusted Score: 49368%

Critics Consensus: It makes good on the old-school action it promises, but given all the talent on display, The Expendables should hit harder.

Synopsis: Mercenary leader Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) and his loyal men take on what they think is a routine assignment: a… [More]

#26

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Adjusted Score: 43728%

Critics Consensus: Rambo III finds its justice-dispensing hero far from the thoughtful drama that marked the franchise’s beginning — and just as far from quality action thriller entertainment.

Synopsis: Col. Sam Trautman (Richard Crenna) travels to Thailand, hoping to convince veteran John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) to accompany him on… [More]

#27

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Adjusted Score: 25000%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: The Carboni brothers — con man Cosmo (Sylvester Stallone), disabled war veteran Lenny (Armand Assante) and dim-witted Victor (Lee Canalito)… [More]

#28

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Adjusted Score: 43714%

Critics Consensus: Although Samaritan is better than it could have been, this Stallone-led superhero drama is creatively underpowered.

Synopsis: Thirteen-year-old Sam Cleary (Javon “Wanna” Walton) suspects that his mysterious and reclusive neighbor Mr. Smith (Sylvester Stallone) is actually a… [More]

#29

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Adjusted Score: 42403%

Critics Consensus: Rocky IV inflates the action to absurd heights, but it ultimately rings hollow thanks to a story that hits the same basic beats as the first three entries in the franchise.

Synopsis: After reclaiming the boxing championship title, Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) plans to retire and live with his wife, Adrian (Talia… [More]

#30

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Adjusted Score: 42857%

Critics Consensus: Sylvester Stallone knows how to stage action sequences, but the movie’s uneven pacing and excessive violence (even for the franchise) is more nauseating than entertaining.

Synopsis: Having long-since abandoned his life as a lethal soldier, John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) lives a solitary life near the Thai… [More]

#31

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Adjusted Score: 36970%

Critics Consensus: First Blood Part II offers enough mayhem to satisfy genre fans, but remains a regressive sequel that turns its once-compelling protagonist into just another muscled action berserker.

Synopsis: John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) is doing hard time in jail when his former boss, Col. Troutman (Richard Crenna), offers him… [More]

#32

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Adjusted Score: 34252%

Critics Consensus: The definitive film about arm-wrestling truck drivers fighting for custody of their children, Over the Top lives down to its title in the cheesiest of ways.

Synopsis: A trucker (Sylvester Stallone) yanks his snooty son (David Mendenhall) out of military school and goes to Las Vegas to… [More]

#33

Adjusted Score: 39087%

Critics Consensus: Like its predecessors, Expendables 3 offers a modicum of all-star thrills for old-school action thriller aficionados — but given all the talent assembled, it should have been a lot more fun.

Synopsis: Years ago, Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) co-founded the Expendables with Conrad Stonebanks (Mel Gibson). After Stonebanks became an arms dealer,… [More]

#34

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Adjusted Score: 37131%

Critics Consensus: Grudge Match is sporadically funny but meandering, and its strong cast largely mired in a plot that’s overrun with clichés.

Synopsis: Pittsburgh boxers Billy “The Kid” McDonnen (Robert De Niro) and Henry “Razor” Sharp (Sylvester Stallone) shared a fierce rivalry back… [More]

#35

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Adjusted Score: 35038%

Critics Consensus: Brutally violent and punishingly dull, this cookie-cutter buddy cop thriller isn’t even fun enough to reach “so bad it’s good” status.

Synopsis: Police officers Ray Tango (Sylvester Stallone) and Gabe Cash (Kurt Russell) are narcotics experts working to bring down drug lord… [More]

#36

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Adjusted Score: 33725%

Critics Consensus: Rocky V‘s attempts to recapture the original’s working-class grit are as transparently phony as each of the thuddingly obvious plot developments in a misguided installment that sent the franchise flailing into longterm limbo.

Synopsis: Recently retired boxer Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) falls on hard times after his accountant mismanages his finances. He stages a… [More]

#37

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Adjusted Score: 31646%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Sadistic prison warden Drumgoole (Donald Sutherland) is bent on taking his revenge against Frank Leone (Sylvester Stallone), the only prisoner… [More]

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#38

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Adjusted Score: 34653%

Critics Consensus: Like the sequels that preceded it, Rambo: Last Blood is content to indulge in bloody violence at the expense of its main character’s once-poignant story.

Synopsis: Vietnam War veteran John Rambo tries to find some semblance of peace by raising horses on a ranch in Arizona…. [More]

#39

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Adjusted Score: 28318%

Critics Consensus: The opening’s got a great fiery explosion and Stallone puts in another earnest, sympathetic performance, but all else in Daylight feels designed to annoy the audience into submission.

Synopsis: A group of armed robbers fleeing the police head for the New Jersey Tunnel and run right into trucks transporting… [More]

#40

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Adjusted Score: 16624%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

#41

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Adjusted Score: 25174%

Critics Consensus: Ratchet & Clank may satisfy very young viewers, but compared to the many superior options available to families and animation enthusiasts, it offers little to truly recommend.

Synopsis: Ratchet is the last of his kind, a foolhardy lombax who grew up without a family. Clank is a pint-sized… [More]

#42

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Adjusted Score: 25602%

Critics Consensus: Judge Dredd wants to be both a legitimate violent action flick and a parody of one, but director Danny Cannon fails to find the necessary balance to make it work.

Synopsis: In the crime-plagued future, the only thing standing between order and chaos is Judge Joseph Dredd (Sylvester Stallone). His duty:… [More]

#43

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Adjusted Score: 20550%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Trying to get out of her contract with her obnoxious manager, Freddie (Ron Leibman), country singer Jake Farris (Dolly Parton)… [More]

#44

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Adjusted Score: 19513%

Critics Consensus: A disengaged Sylvester Stallone plays the titular Cobra with no bite in this leaden action thriller, queasily fixated on wanton carnage and nothing else.

Synopsis: Los Angeles policeman Lt. Marion “Cobra” Cobretti (Sylvester Stallone) finds himself at the center of a spate of murders carried… [More]

#45

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Adjusted Score: 15239%

Critics Consensus: Whether it’s being presented as D-Tox or Eye See You, this Stallone starring vehicle is a slapdash thriller to actively avoid.

Synopsis: Recovering from the psychological effects of witnessing a brutal crime, FBI Agent Jake Malloy (Sylvester Stallone) checks into a rehabilitation… [More]

#46

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Adjusted Score: 19174%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Assassin Robert Rath (Sylvester Stallone) arrives at a funeral to kill a prominent mobster, only to witness rival hired gun… [More]

#47

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Adjusted Score: 19092%

Critics Consensus: Solid work from Jason Statham and some halfway decent set pieces aren’t enough to make up for Expend4bles‘ lackluster action and cheap-looking effects.

Synopsis: A new generation of stars join the world’s top action stars for an adrenaline-fueled adventure in Expend4bles. Reuniting as the… [More]

#48

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Adjusted Score: 18857%

Critics Consensus: Zookeeper smothers Kevin James’s with a sodden script and a surfeit of jokes inappropriate for the young viewers who would be intrigued by its juvenile storyline.

Synopsis: Kindhearted Griffin Keyes (Kevin James) is one of the best-loved caretakers at the Franklin Park Zoo, but since he is… [More]

#49

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Adjusted Score: 17563%

Critics Consensus: Underdeveloped characters, silly plot dynamics, and obvious CG effects.

Synopsis: A cutting-edge action drama about an exciting cast of characters living life in the fastest of lanes, in the thrilling… [More]

#50

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Adjusted Score: 15949%

Critics Consensus: Thoroughly witless and thuddingly unfunny, Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot gives its mismatched stars very little to work with – and as a result, they really don’t work.

Synopsis: Smarting from a romantic breakup, macho police Sgt. Joe Bomowski (Sylvester Stallone) gets a cross-country visit from his mother, Tutti… [More]

#51

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Adjusted Score: 4000%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: When elderly Mafia boss Angelo (Anthony Quinn) gets killed in a restaurant, his loyal bodyguard, Frankie (Sylvester Stallone), decides he… [More]

#52

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Adjusted Score: 12800%

Critics Consensus: Michael Caine shows up to collect a paycheck, and so does everyone else in this rote, middling remake.

Synopsis: Sylvester Stallone plays Jack Carter, a Vegas mobster who comes home to Seattle to bury his brother after an apparent… [More]

#53

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Adjusted Score: 11771%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Bags of loot and his daughter’s love life confuse a gangster (Sylvester Stallone) on the day he plans to go… [More]

#54

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Adjusted Score: 11596%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Former CIA demolition expert Ray Quick (Sylvester Stallone) lives in Miami, where he works as a hit man. May Munro… [More]

#55

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Adjusted Score: 5595%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: After suffering a brain injury from a bank heist gone wrong, MacDonald develops amnesia and is put into a prison… [More]

#56

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Adjusted Score: 7573%

Critics Consensus: Do not enter.

Synopsis: Ray Breslin manages an elite team of security specialists trained in the art of breaking people out of the world’s… [More]

#57

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Adjusted Score: 4225%

Critics Consensus: Featuring a bewildering array of talented actors pummeled by disjointed direction and a dull, hackneyed script, Reach Me is so fundamentally misbegotten that its title reads more like a threat.

Synopsis: A mysterious author’s (Tom Berenger) self-help book inspires a journalist, his editor, a former convict, an actor and others to… [More]

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