Sylvester Stallone’s ongoing role as Dwight Manfredi inTulsa Kingis his funniest character since his 2021 superhero movie. ThoughTulsa Kingsees Dwight building and maintaining a criminal empire as a mob boss, it also has more than its fair share of comedic moments. Thecast ofTulsa Kingis extremely capable of telling good jokes, but one actor stands out among the rest: Sylvester Stallone. His ability to garner laughs and steal a comedic scene is really impressive and surprising, but his talent for comedies isn’t completely unprecedented.
Stallone has done his fair share of comedies in the past, from kids movies likeSpy Kids 3-D: Game Overto more mature comedies likeOscar. Neither of those films were particularly well received, though, and he mostly shied away from comedy throughout his career in favor of actioners likeRambo,Rocky, andThe Expendables. That seems to have changed in recent years, however, as Stallone is currently playing his funniest character in years onTulsa King. Dwight is such a humorous character that Sylvester Stallone only has one other role that matchesTulsa King’s comedy: Nanaue inThe Suicide Squad.
Sylvester Stallone’s Tulsa King Character Is Just As Funny As Nanaue In The Suicide Squad
Both Dwight & Nanaue Can Make Self-Deprecating & Hilarious Jokes
There are a couple scenes, especially when Dwight gets high, as he did inTulsa Kingseason 2, episode 4, that prove Sylvester Stallone can play humorous characters exceptionally well.Those scenes actually make Dwight Stallone’s funniest character since he voiced Nanaue, or King Shark, in 2021’sThe Suicide Squad. Nanaue was a massive, semi-intelligent shark who served as one of several sources of comedic relief for the film. Semi-intelligent may be a generous description, though, as many of Nanaue’s jokes were at his expense.
The Suicide Squad
Cast
The Suicide Squad: Released in 2021, The Suicide Squad features supervillains Harley Quinn, Bloodsport, and Peacemaker, among others, as they join Task Force X. The team embarks on a mission on the enemy-held island of Corto Maltese under the direction of Amanda Waller in this entry of the DC Extended Universe.
Some of Nanaue’s jokes included believing he could disguise himself by using his finger as a fake mustache, reading a book upside down and declaring “Book read. So smart me,” and proudly announcing that he saw a bird during an intense rescue operation.Dwight is a much smarter character than Nanaue, but the two have a lot in common whenever Dwight gets high. InTulsa Kingseason 2, episode 4, Dwight went on a hilarious rant about how music was invented, told the story of how he got tinnitus, and was a general nuisance to Bodhi, and those jokes were very similar to Nanaue’s brand of humor.
How Sylvester Stallone’s Recent Projects Have Highlighted His Versatility
Stallone Has Begun To Highlight His Comedic & Dramatic Skills
BothTulsa KingandThe Suicide Squadhave not only given Sylvester Stallone a chance to show his more playful, humorous acting, they’ve also highlighted just how much range he has. For most of his career, Stallone has been known for tough and serious action movies.Dwight and Nanaue, however, prove that Stallone never needed to be typecast as a burly tough guy, he could just as easily have been a comedian. Both of those roles have had their fair share of action elements, but Stallone proved he doesn’t need to rely on fight scenes to draw in viewers.
15 Best Sylvester Stallone Movies, Ranked
Sylvester Stallone is one of the last remaining movie stars. From Rocky to First Blood to The Suicide Squad, Stallone has starred in some great films.
Dwight and Nanaue have also given Stallone a chance to not just be funny, but also show that he can imbue his characters with an exceptionally strong emotional core. Stallone took a massive upright shark and turned him into a lovable and sweet character. Likewise, thoughStallone plays a great gangster, he made Dwight a family man who’s filled with compassion and kindness for the people he loves. Additionally, Stallone has proven that more emotional and sweet characters work exceptionally well for him:Tulsa Kinghas aRotten Tomatoesscore of 89%, whileThe Suicide Squadearned 90%.
Tulsa King
Tulsa King follows New York mafia capo Dwight “The General” Manfredi, who, after 25 years in prison, is exiled to Tulsa, Oklahoma, by his boss. Faced with the possibility of betrayal, he assembles a crew of unlikely characters to establish a criminal empire in unfamiliar territory.
