[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlfOckjXxLU]
Death Race 2000 (1975)
Stallone was just another struggling actor when he landed a blink-and-miss-it bit part in Corman’s gangster movie Capone. But in his follow-up, 1975’s Death Race 2000, the actor gave a memorable performance as the homicidal driver of a futuristic hot rod — with a giant switchblade fastened to the hood.
The delirious premise of the sci-fi satire is pretty simple: a bunch of drivers hit the road for a cross-country car race where they rack up bonus points for mowing down pedestrians. Right after it was completed, a newly inspired Stallone began writing the screenplay for Rocky.