Okay what have the following got in common - Jean-Claude Van Damme, Wesley Snipes, Steven Segal and Chuck Norris?

Well none of them could open a supermarket these days, never mind a blockbuster movie at the cinema.

Step forward Mr Sylvester Stallone, 61 years old and one of the last true action heroes we have left. Okay I know Bruce Willis is still downing helicopters with cars in Die Hard 4 and Arnold Schwarzenegger could do the business if he wasn't in politics, but no-one has been more successful and more consistent in trying to make people explode or be pummelled than Stallone.

His latest instalment of Rambo hits New Zealand cinemas today, 26 years after the debut of Vietnam veteran John Rambo in First Blood.

The format which made the three previous movies so successful is still there - moody monosyllabic killer Stallone, guns galore, tonnes of explosions and bodies piling up by the dozen (236 dead according to Internet Movie Database - the most ever for a Rambo movie). It really is like a flashback to the 1980s.

Hollywood pedigree

So why has Stallone succeeded while the others have fallen by the wayside, ending up in dire direct-to-video schlocky movies?

Well first of all it is easy to forget that Stallone has major Hollywood pedigree. He was Oscar nominated for Best Actor and Best Screenplay for Rocky back in 1976 (the movie went on to win Best Picture). He co-wrote and directed all the subsequent sequels, including last year's commercial and critical hit Rocky Balboa, itself a major gamble which paid off.

Stallone is also incredibly popular around the world. Even when films tank or do middling business in the USA they still perform well elsewhere. For example his 1996 disaster movie Daylight brought in only US$30million in America but took nearly US$130million in worldwide sales.

Another thing which is in Stallone's favour is that he comes across as a nice guy in interviews. He seems funny, self-effacing and happy to joke about his on screen image. He is also said to be highly intelligent and comes across as a guy you could go for a beer (or protein shake) with.

Of course one cannot forget the stinkers that have littered his career - Get Carter, Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, Over The Top etc but name one star who hasn't starred in a few turkeys over their career.

And yes his range as an actor may be limited but then that is exactly what is called for in some of his characters. He has hit the headlines for bad marriages (Brigitte Nielsen), mad mothers and illegal growth hormones but Stallone keeps bouncing back.

With rumours of more Rambo and Rocky to come, as well as a take on the revenge classic Death Wish, this is one old action hero who is determined not to end up in the $2 bin quite yet.

Rambo is showing in New Zealand cinemas now.

Tell us which is your favourite Sylvester Stallone movie using the message board below.