The following year, Phoenix starred in the satirical film Buffalo Soldiers (2001) as a U.S. Army soldier. The world premiere was held at the 2001 Toronto International Film Festival in early September. However, because the film was a satire of the US military, its wider theatrical run was delayed by approximately two years because of the September 11 attacks; it was finally released on July 25, 2003. Although the film was a box office flop, it was received with mostly positive reviews. Film critic Roger Ebert praised Phoenix for his "spot-on performance". Phoenix was nominated for the British Independent Film Award for Best Actor.
Following the comeback of his acting career, Phoenix was often cast in supporting roles as conflicted, insecure characters with a dark side. In 1995, he co-starred in To Die For, as a disturbed young man who is seduced by a woman (Nicole Kidman) to commit murder. Directed by Gus Van Sant, the film was screened out of competition at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival and became a financial and critical success, resulting in a domestic box office total of $21 million. New York Times critic Janet Maslin praised Phoenix's performance, writing "So pity poor Jimmy. Rivetingly played by Mr Phoenix with a raw, anguished expressiveness that makes him an actor to watch for, Jimmy is both tempted and terrified by Suzanne's slick amorality. In that, he speaks for us all."
More InfoStallone formed a film studio named Balboa Productions with Braden Aftergood in March 2018, named Balboa Productions, where Stallone will serve as co-producer for each of their projects. The studio signed a multi-year collaboration deal with Starlight Culture Entertainment to develop projects for film and television. In May 2018, a fifth installment in the Rambo franchise was announced, and in August 2018 Adrian Grünberg was confirmed as the director. Rambo: Last Blood began filming by September 2018, with a script co-written by Stallone, who also reprised his role as Vietnam War veteran John Rambo. The plot centers around Rambo infiltrating a Mexican drug cartel to rescue a family friend's daughter. The film, which was released on September 20, 2019 in the United States, grossed $18.9 million in its opening weekend, the best debut of the franchise. The film grossed $91 million worldwide against a production budget of $50 million.
More InfoIn 2012, Stallone co-wrote the book for the Broadway musical adaptation of Rocky. In 2013, Stallone starred in the action film Bullet to the Head, directed by Walter Hill, based upon Alexis Nolent's French graphic novel Du Plomb Dans La Tete. Also in 2013, he starred in the action thriller Escape Plan, along with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jim Caviezel, and in the sports comedy drama Grudge Match alongside Robert De Niro, harkening back to the Rocky franchise. Stallone was reported to be developing an English-language remake of the Spanish film No Rest for the Wicked, though the project was shelved.
More InfoAfter appearing in the CBS television film Kids Don't Tell (1985), Phoenix made his theatrical film debut in SpaceCamp (1986) as Max, a 12-year-old who goes to Kennedy Space Center to learn about the NASA space program and undergoes amateur astronaut training. He guest starred in the anthology series Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode "A Very Happy Ending" in the same year, playing a child who blackmails a hitman (played by Robert Loggia) into killing his father (John Aprea). Phoenix's first starring role was in Russkies (1987), about a group of friends who unknowingly befriend a Russian soldier during the Cold War. Phoenix then appeared in Ron Howard's comedy-drama Parenthood (1989), in which he played the withdrawn teenage nephew of Steve Martin's character. The film was well received by critics and grossed $126 million worldwide. Phoenix was nominated for the Young Artist Award for Best Leading Young Actor in a Feature Film for his performance in the film. After establishing himself as a child actor, Joaquin decided to retire from acting for a while and traveled to Mexico and South America with his father.
More InfoIn 2000, Phoenix co-starred in three films. He made his first collaboration with director James Gray in The Yards. The film follows the corruption in the rail yards of Queens. Although failing to perform at the box office, The Yards was received with positive reviews. That same year, Phoenix played a fictionalized version of Roman Emperor Commodus in the historical epic film Gladiator, directed by Ridley Scott. The film was a massive financial and critical success, becoming one of the highest earning films of 2000, with a worldwide box office gross of $457 million and received universal critical praise. The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture. For his performance, which the critic Lisa Schwarzbaum described as "deliciously creepy perversity", Phoenix was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture, the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor, the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role and received his first nomination for the Academy Award in the category of Best Supporting Actor. He and late brother River Phoenix became the first brothers to be nominated for acting Academy Awards. To date they are the only brothers to hold this distinction.
More InfoWe don't show ads. Help us keep it that way.