Sylvester Stallone worked with Michael Caine in two movies across three decades, 1981’s Victory and 2000’s Get Carter, which were very different in genre, plot, and critical results. Some of Stallone’s highest-grossing movies include the Rocky franchise and Cliffhanger (1993). He is also known for his long-term rivalry and eventual friendship with Arnold Schwarzenegger; in the later stages of their careers, Stallone and Schwarzenegger worked together on The Expendables franchise and Escape Plan (2013).

Meanwhile, Michael Caine’s best movies of his career include Zulu (1964) and Educating Rita (1983) and he won two Oscars for Hannah and her Sisters (1986) and Cider House Rules (1999). Caine’s collaborations with director Christopher Nolan include Interstellar (2014), Dunkirk (2017), and The Dark Knight trilogy. In their illustrious careers, Michael Caine and Sylvester Stallone have only worked together twice, and the movies they starred in together could not be more different from each other.

Michael Caine & Sylvester Stallone Starred In Victory And Get Carter

Caine & Sylvester Did Not Get Along During Filming Of Victory

In 1981, Sylvester and Caine starred in Victory, a sports war movie that shows a group of Allied prisoners of war agreeing to play an exhibition football match against a German team; several real football players made appearances in Victory. Stallone’s character, Robert Hatch, frequently clashes with Michael Caine’s John Colby throughout the movie and the actors also similarly had difficulties with each other during filming.

Caine took issue with Stallone arriving late for filming and rejected Stallone’s demands for the movie’s ending (via Irish Star). Stallone later admitted that he was not physically prepared for Victory and described filming as “eye-opening” and “brutal” (via Express). Despite the behind-the-scenes conflicts, Victory received a positive reception from critics.

Stallone and Caine thankfully reconciled their differences and became friends, later starring together in the 2000 action movie, Get Carter. Stallone stars as Jack Carter, a mob enforcer returning to Seattle to attend the funeral of his brother; Michael Caine starred as Cliff Brumby, a loan shark who offers hints to Carter about what really happened to his brother.

Unlike Victory, which merged the genres of sports and drama together, Stallone’s Get Carter is an action thriller and focuses on the themes of family and redemption. While their first collaboration was a hit, Stallone and Caine’s Get Carter proved a disappointment as it only scored 11% on Rotten Tomatoes and bombed at the box office.

Sylvester Stallone’s Get Carter Was A Remake Of Michael Caine’s 1971 Film

Caine Had A Special Cameo In Honor Of His Movie

2000’s Get Carter, directed by Stephen Kay, was released almost 30 years after the original movie, which starred Michael Caine as the тιтular gangster. Michael Caine’s Get Carter was notably more gruesome and violent than Stallone’s, with several bloody scenes that justify the 1971 movie’s R-rating. Caine’s portrayal of Jack Carter is also darker than Stallone’s. The original Get Carter is considered one of the best gangster movies ever made and Michael Caine’s strong performance as Jack Carter served as inspiration for the 2000 remake.

Michael Caine was cast as a different character in 2000’s Get Carter, while Sylvester Stallone took over the lead role of Jack Carter; although originally planned to be a one-scene cameo appearance, Caine’s role of Cliff Brumby was expanded after test audiences enjoyed his performance and scenes with Sylvester Stallone. Caine and Stallone’s on-screen chemistry helped carry the story of the remake and 2000’s Get Carter has since been ranked as one of Sylvester Stallone’s more underrated movies across his career.

While both Victory and Get Carter were very different in terms of story and genre, both movies proved the skills of Sylvester Stallone and Michael Caine and their ability to work together on-screen.

Sources: Irish Star, Express