Sylvester Stallone Names the Movie That Almost Ruined His Career: “I Wasn’t as Diligent as I Should Have Been”

Sylvester Stallone’s name is synonymous with iconic cinematic moments—whether it’s sprinting up the steps in Rocky, breaking down in First Blood, or sharing explosive scenes with Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Expendables. But even the legendary action star has faced serious career setbacks, particularly in the early 2000s, when a string of missteps nearly derailed his Hollywood reign.

In a candid 2019 interview with Variety, Stallone opened up about the period when his career took a nosedive. He pinpointed a critical factor: a lapse in diligence when choosing projects. “I think it happened because I wasn’t as diligent as I should have been with making certain career choices,” he reflected. His example? The troubled production of D-Tox.

Released in 2002 under the title Eye See You, D-Tox starred Stallone as an FBI agent hunting a serial killer who murdered his partner. Featuring a strong cast including Tom Berenger, Polly Walker, Robert Patrick, Jeffrey Wright, and Kris Kristofferson, and directed by Jim Gillespie (I Know What You Did Last Summer), the film nonetheless floundered. Universal Pictures’ dissatisfaction after poor test screenings led to multiple reshoots. When these failed to resolve issues, the film was shelved for over a year before DEJ Productions acquired and released it.

Stallone explained to Ain’t It Cool News why D-Tox stumbled: “A film is a very delicate creature. Any adverse publicity or internal shake-up can upset the perception of—and studio confidence in—a feature.” He cited the departure of the original producer, on-set creative conflicts, and budget overruns as factors that poisoned the film’s prospects. Though Stallone claimed the film tested “okay” with audiences and that Ron Howard assisted in post-production, he admitted D-Tox “had the smell of death about it” and likened it to “celluloid buzzards circling as we lay there dying on the distributor’s floor.”

Ultimately, the film received harsh reviews and did little to reverse perceptions that Stallone’s career was fading. It followed a series of underperforming movies—including Get Carter, Driven, and Avenging Angelo—that collectively chipped away at his once-formidable Hollywood standing. Ambitions to direct a film about Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. also stalled, compounding the uncertainty.

Fortunately, Stallone managed a remarkable comeback, reclaiming his place as an action star and cultural icon. Yet his reflections on D-Tox serve as a sobering reminder of how fragile careers can be—even for Hollywood heavyweights—and how crucial vigilance and care in career choices remain.

For Stallone, the lessons learned during those dark days underscored a renewed commitment to quality and perseverance—traits that have since defined his enduring legacy in film.