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Rambo is an action film series based on the David Morrell novel First Blood and starring Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo, a troubled Vietnam War veteran and former Green Beret who is skilled in many aspects of survival, weaponry, hand to hand combat and guerrilla warfare. The series consists of the films First Blood (1982), Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), Rambo III (1988), Rambo (2008), and Rambo V (announced in 2009).

Origins

David Morrell says that in choosing the name Rambo he was inspired by "the sound of force" in the name of rambo apples (for etymology, see rambo apple) which he encountered in Pennsylvania. Peter Gunnarsson Rambo sailed from Sweden to New Sweden (SE Pennsylvania/Southern NJ/Northern Delaware) in the 1640s, and soon the name would flourish in New Sweden. Today, many of his descendants can still be found in this region of the US. Morrell felt that its pronunciation was similar to the surname of Arthur Rimbaud, the title of whose most famous work A Season in Hell, seemed to him "an apt metaphor for the prisoner-of-war experiences that I imagined Rambo suffering".[1]

Character background

John James Rambo was born on July 6, 1947 in Bowie, Arizona to a Navajo father (R. Rambo according to the last film) and a mother (Marie Dragoo) of Italian descent. However, in Rambo: First Blood Part II, Marshall Murdock states that Rambo is of Indian–German descent.) Rambo graduated from Rangeford High School, and then was drafted into the United States Army at the age of 17 on June 8, 1964. He was deployed to South Vietnam in September 1966. He returned to the U.S. in 1967 and began training in the Special Forces (Green Berets) at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. At some point he also receives training in flying helicopters. In late 1969, Rambo was deployed back to Vietnam. In November 1971, he was captured by North Vietnamese forces near the Chinese-Vietnamese border and held at a Prisoner of war camp, where he and other American POWs were repeatedly tortured. Rambo escaped captivity in May 1972, but was then re-deployed.

Upon his return to the U.S., Rambo discovered that many American civilians hated the returning soldiers, and he himself was subject to humiliation and embarrassment by having anti-war hippies throw garbage at him and calling him "baby killer". His experiences in Vietnam and back home resulted in an extreme case of post-traumatic stress disorder. At the same time, inner questions of self identity and reflectiveness cause Rambo to lash out at society rather than handling difficult situations in a "civilized" manner. This is where First Blood picks up the story.

In First Blood is mentioned:

• 1 - Medal of Honor

Per dialogue in Rambo: First Blood Part II, during his Vietnam era service, Rambo was awarded:

• 2 - Silver Star
• 4 - Bronze Stars for Valor
• 4 - Purple Heart
• 1 - Distinguished Service Cross
• 1 - Medal of Honor

In a deleted scene from Rambo III, Rambo's "Class A" uniform can clearly be seen with the following 13 ribbons:

• Medal of Honor - Awarded one and refused another
• Army Distinguished Service Medal
• Distinguished Flying Cross
• Soldier's Medal
• Bronze Star
• Purple Heart
• Air Medal
• Combat Action Ribbon - This award is actually for US Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Corps personnel, so this could be either an error on part of the film makers or Rambo could have possibly been awarded one for a joint-service operation.
• Vietnam Service Medal
• Prisoner of War Medal
• Army Service Ribbon
• Vietnam Wound Medal
• Vietnam Campaign Medal

In a measure of discontinuity within the storyline, Rambo's Silver Stars and Distinguished Service Cross were missing from his ribbon rack as well as the National Defense Medal, which he would have been awarded.

Various special duty badges can also be seen on Rambo's "Class A" uniform, including:

• Combat Infantryman Badge
• Aircraft Crewman Badge
• Senior Combat Parachutist Badge
• Expert Weapons Qualification Badge

Additionally, in this same scene, Rambo's Social Security Number is revealed: 936-01-1758. However, the Social Security Administration does not issue a SSN with the prefix 936. Citizens in Arizona, Rambo's home state, are issued SSNs with the prefixes 526-527, 600-601, and 764-765. This was likely done to avoid the chances that Rambo's fictional SSN would match that of a real living person.

Films

First Blood (1982)

Upon returning to the United States, Rambo has difficulty adjusting to civilian life (presumably after losing a job in valet parking for unsatisfactory performance) and wanders the country as a drifter. In December 1982, Rambo travels to the fictional town of Hope, Washington, in search of an army buddy of his, named Delmore Barry, from the Special Forces, only to find upon arrival to Delmore's supposed residence a little girl who is his daughter and Delmore's depressed widow who tells Rambo that her husband had died from cancer the previous summer due to exposure to Agent Orange, and she must seek out a living as a cleaning lady and on Delmore's Servicemember's Group Life Insurance. Rambo, attempting some cold comfort, gives Mrs. Barry the photograph of Delmore's unit. He is left with a mild sense of survivor's guilt as he is now the last man still living of his once-proud unit (known in the Army Special Forces as Operational Detachment Alpha or "A" teams). He then travels to Hope in the attempt to find a diner and maybe a temporary job. However, the over-confident town sheriff Will Teasle (Brian Dennehy), does not welcome Rambo, judging the military hero negatively because of his long hair and scruffy look. Rambo disobeys the sheriff's order to stay away from Hope, as he has done nothing wrong to the community and he believes such banishment to be a violation of his freedom of movement, and is promptly charged for vagrancy and subject to harassment from the deputies.

The harassment triggers flashbacks of Rambo's traumatic memories of his torture at the hands of the North Vietnamese when he was a prisoner of war, and his mind regresses into thinking he is once again fighting in combat. Rambo fights his way out of the sheriff's department with his bare hands and makes his way into the wilderness via a stolen motorcycle. A manhunt ensues. The sheriff and his deputies cannot win against Rambo in the forest, and indeed, all are badly wounded as a result of trying to capture him. Rambo deals with them efficiently and although capable of doing so, he doesn't kill any of them. However, he unintentionally kills a police officer in self-defence by throwing a rock at a helicopter, causing the pilot to lose control and an officer to fall out. The Washington State Patrol and about 200 members of the Washington National Guard are called in to assist.

At this point, Colonel Samuel Trautman (played by Richard Crenna),[2] the former commanding officer of Rambo's old Special Forces unit, arrives in Hope. Trautman warns that continuing the manhunt is dangerous to the authorities, as Rambo is too experienced to be captured easily in the wilderness where he thrives. Instead, Trautman recommends giving Rambo time to return to his senses by allowing him to be by himself in the Pacific Northwest back country, after which he could presumably settle down after some time and be arrested without incident. However, the authorities reject Trautman's recommendation and continue the manhunt, and Rambo's subsequent rampage culminates in the destruction of the sheriff's office and most of the town's main street. Rambo stands poised to eliminate the sheriff, but Trautman finally confronts Rambo face-to-face, and ultimately convinces his former soldier to surrender to the authorities.

In the afterstory of the timeline between the first and second films, Rambo is convicted and remanded to civilian maximum-security prison where heavy duty labor is the norm. Despite being a convict, the rigid routine and discipline of prison life provides Rambo with some measure of much-needed stability, as it reminds him of his past in the military and its own rigid hierarchy.

Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)

In the second installment of the series in 1985, Rambo is tasked by Col. Trautman to return to Vietnam to search for American POWs remaining in Vietnamese captivity. Marshall Murdock (Charles Napier), the official in charge of the mission, is portrayed as a corrupt military figure who does not want to expose the truth. Rambo is not able to attack or engage the enemy. Instead, Rambo is ordered to take photographs of a North Vietnamese military base to prove to the American public there are no more POWs in Vietnam, although Murdock knows that there are.

Rambo is sent to a part of the jungle where Murdock receives confirmation that no POWs were being held at the time. Rambo works with a Vietnamese woman known as Co Bao, who is an anti-communist Vietnamese rebel serving as an intelligence agent for Rambo. However, Rambo discovers that there is a POW camp where he was dropped; POWs are rotated between camps, and coincidentally are nearby when he was dropped. Rambo breaks one POW out of the camp and attempts to escape, only to be refused access to the base by Murdock and to have himself and the POW recaptured by the Vietnamese soldiers. Rambo is immobilized in a pit of sewage and leeches, then tortured by Soviet soldiers, who are allied with the Vietnamese and training Vietnamese soldiers. Co enters the base under the guise of a prostitute for hire, where she aids Rambo in escaping. After Rambo expresses his deepest gratitude for his rescue, the two share a kiss, after Co implores him to take her back to America with him. However, as they prepared to move on, Co is shot down by surprise gunfire.

Enraged, Rambo then acts on his own initiative and starts a one-man rescue mission, stealing a Soviet helicopter and breaking all the POWs out of captivity. After returning to the US base in Thailand with all the POWs, Rambo becomes enraged at how the United States government has ignored the existence of surviving soldiers being held captive. Rambo then threatens Murdock and tells him to be forthright with the American public regarding the truth of the POWs and to spare no expense in rescuing them all, else he will return for Murdock's hide. When Trautman says Rambo will be honored once again, he declines, saying the POWs deserve medals and accolades more than him as they were regular soldiers who endured torture and extraordinary hardships. For his actions in Vietnam, Rambo is granted a presidential pardon and remains in Thailand to reside.

In the afterstory between the second and third films, Rambo takes up residence near a monastery where he engages in frequent meditation to find a sense of inner peace. Although Rambo believes his soldiering days are apparently over, he does not become a complete pacifist, as he often participates in violent stick fighting matches and donates the purse of his winnings to the monks to help renovate the monastery.

Rambo III (1988)

The film opens with Colonel Samuel Trautman (Richard Crenna) returning to Thailand (where the second film took place) to once again enlist the help of Vietnam veteran John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone). After witnessing Rambo's victory in a stick fighting match, Trautman visits the construction site of the temple Rambo is helping to build and asks Rambo to join him on a mission to Afghanistan. This brings Rambo more into the realm of the CIA's famed Special Activities Division which primarily hires Army Special Forces soldiers. The mission is meant to supply weapons, including FIM-92 Stinger missiles, to Afghan freedom fighters, the Mujahideen, who are fighting the Soviets. Despite showing him photos of civilians suffering under the Soviet rule, Rambo refuses and Trautman chooses to go on his own.

While in Afghanistan, Trautman's troops are ambushed by Soviet troops while passing through the mountains at night. Trautman is imprisoned in a Soviet base and tortured for information by commanding officer Zaysen (Marc de Jonge) and his henchman Kourov (Randy Raney). Rambo learns of the incident from embassy field officer Robert Griggs (Kurtwood Smith) and immediately flies to Pakistan where he meets up with Mousa (Sasson Gabai), a weapons supplier who agrees to take him to a village deep in the Afghan desert, close to the Soviet base where Trautman is kept.The Mujahideen in the village are already hesitant to help Rambo in the first place, but are definitely convinced not to help him when their village is attacked by Soviet helicopters after one of Mousa's shop assistants had informed the Russians of Rambo's presence. Aided only by Mousa and a young boy named Hamid (Doudi Shoua), Rambo makes his way to the Soviet base and starts his attempts to free Trautman. The first attempt is unsuccessful and results not only in Hamid getting shot in the leg, but also in Rambo himself getting shot in the stomach. After escaping from the base, Rambo tends to Hamid's wounds and sends him and Mousa away to safety.

The next day, Rambo returns to the base once again, just in time to rescue Trautman from being tortured with a blow-torch. After rescuing several other prisoners, Rambo steals a helicopter and escapes from the base. However, the helicopter soon crashes and Rambo and Trautman are forced to continue on foot. After a confrontation in a cave, where Rambo and Trautman kill several Russian soldiers including Kourov, they are confronted by an entire army of Russian tanks, headed by Zaysen. Just as they are about to be overwhelmed by the might of the Soviet Army, the Mujahideen warriors, together with Mousa and Hamid, ride onto the battlefield in an awe-inspiring cavalry charge, overwhelming the enemy despite its overwhelming numerical and technological superiority. In the ensuing battle, in which both Trautman and John are wounded, Rambo manages to kill Zaysen by driving a tank into the helicopter in which Zaysen is flying. At the end of the battle Rambo and Trautman say goodbye to their Mujahideen friends, and leave Afghanistan to go home.

After saving Trautman in Rambo III, Rambo departs from Afghanistan, presumably parts with Col. Trautman and continues to reside in Thailand. This is where the fourth film begins.

Rambo (2008)

The film opens with news footage of the crisis in Burma. Burma (also known as Myanmar) is under the iron fist rule of Than Shwe and takes harsher stances against the nation's pro-democracy movement. Rebels are thrown into a mine-infested marsh and then gunned down by a Burmese army unit, while the Burmese military officer Major Pa Tee Tint gazes grimly at the scene.

Former U.S. soldier John Rambo still lives in Thailand and now resides in a village near the Burmese border. He makes a living capturing snakes and selling them in a nearby village. He also transports roamers in his boat. A missionary, Michael Burnett (Paul Schulze), asks Rambo to take him and his associates up the Salween River to Burma on a humanitarian mission to the help the Karen people. Rambo refuses but is convinced by Sarah Miller (Julie Benz) to take them.

The boat is stopped by pirates who demand Sarah in exchange for passage. After negotiation fails, Rambo kills them all. Although his actions save the missionaries, it greatly disturbs them. Upon arrival, Michael says that they will travel by road and will not need Rambo's help for the return trip. The mission goes well until the army, led by the Major Tint, brutally attacks the village, killing most of the villagers and two missionaries, and kidnapping the rest. When the missionaries fail to come back after ten days, their pastor comes to Rambo to ask for his help in guiding hired mercenaries to the village where the missionaries were last seen.

Troubled by Sarah's potential fate, Rambo decides to accompany the soldiers. After seeing the destroyed village filled with mutilated humans and animals, Rambo encourages the platoon to move on. Hijacking a truck, they create a plan to save the hostages at the P.O.W. camp, doing so within fifteen minutes to avoid alerting the army. Rambo helps Sarah and the others to escape. The Myanmar Army (Tatmadaw) unit finds their hostages missing and organizes a massive manhunt. Everyone except for Rambo, Sarah, and "School Boy" is captured. Just as the group is to be executed, Rambo hijacks a truck-mounted .50-caliber machine gun and engages the Burmese army. A group of Karen rebels joins the fight to help Rambo and the mercenaries defeat the boats of the Burmese army. Seeing that the battle is lost Major Tint decides to flee, only to run into Rambo's machete, which Rambo then uses to disembowel the Major, killing him.

Encouraged by Sarah's words, Rambo returns to the United States. The last scene shows him walking along a rural highway, past a horse farm and a rusted mailbox with the name "R. Rambo" on it. He makes his way down the gravel driveway as the credits roll.

Rambo V (2011)

Rambo V has been confirmed and is in pre-production.[3] On February 2, 2008, Sylvester Stallone informed Reuters in an interview that making a fifth Rambo would depend on the success of the fourth movie but that he thought he was "gearing one up" and that it would "be quite different".[4] On March 10, 2008, Moviehole.net revealed that in an interview with Metro magazine, Stallone said that he was "half-way through" writing Rambo V and that it would not be another war movie.[5] On March 20, Moviehole.net also said that ScreenDaily.com had revealed that the film would be shot in Bulgaria and later received word from a source that Bulgaria was to double for John Rambo's home town in Arizona.[6][7] On November 3, 2008, Stallone confirmed that they will be filming a Rambo V and that it's in the works. Stallone said: "Rambo hopefully will be back. We've just got to give you guys a story that's worthwhile." It is rumoured that the new film's plot (which was an alternative for Rambo) involves Rambo's unknown daughter being kidnapped by cult leaders and he goes on a mission to rescue her.[8] On February 4, 2009, Sylvester Stallone quoted, "Yeah, we are doing another Rambo, but the conflict is whether to do it in America or a foreign country." The IMDB has recently changed the release date to a tentitive 2011.

Series rights

The first film, First Blood, was originally released by Orion Pictures, but all ancillary rights at the time were with Mario Kassar and Andrew Vajna (operating as Anabasis Investments). After its initial home video release, the rights reverted to Thorn EMI, which later became Weintraub Entertainment Group. Shortly after that, Anabasis became Carolco Pictures and thus took over the rights to the Rambo franchise. Rambo: First Blood Part II and Rambo III were released through Tri-Star Pictures, with Carolco retaining all other rights, including home video via Live Entertainment. After Carolco's bankruptcy, the rights were passed on to French production company StudioCanal, which had a partnership with Artisan Entertainment. Artisan in turn became Lionsgate studios, and today Lionsgate continues to hold the home video rights to the first three films under a continuing output deal with StudioCanal, while CBS Television Distribution handles television rights.

Years later, Lionsgate acquired the rights to the Rambo franchise, and in association with The Weinstein Company, co-produced the 2008 sequel Rambo. Lionsgate also handles video rights to the latest film, and by virtue of its output deal with StudioCanal, a box set of all the "Rambo" films was released on May 27, 2008.

Other media

Novelizations

• David Morrell, author of the original First Blood novel, wrote novelizations (book adaptations) for the first two Rambo sequels. Morrell has said that he wrote the novelizations because he wanted to include characterization that he felt wasn't in Rambo: First Blood Part II and Rambo III. Morrell did not write a novelization for the 2008 film, Rambo.

Animated series

• Rambo and the Forces of Freedom was an animated series that ran in 1986. 65 episodes were aired. Rambo and the Forces of Freedom spawned a line of toys.

Comic books

• In the late 1980s, Blackthorne Publishing published a few comics starring the character. One, titled Rambo III, adapted the movie of the same name. Also, there was a comic simply titled Rambo featuring other adventures of the character. Rambo III was also published in a 3D version by Blackthorne.

Video games

• Rambo – based on Rambo: First Blood Part II. Released for the NES and MSX.
• Rambo: First Blood Part II - Released for Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Commodore 64, DOS, Master System and ZX Spectrum.
• Rambo III – Released for Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Arcades, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, MSX, Master System, Sega Genesis, and ZX Spectrum.
• Super Rambo Special - Released for MSX2
• Rambo On Fire – Released for mobile phones.
• Rambo Forever - Released for mobile phones.
• Rambo Arcade - Sega 2-player light gun game, first released in Japan in 2008, in US in 2009. [9]

Soundtracks

• Soundtracks with music from the films were also released. The soundtracks for First Blood, Rambo: First Blood Part II, and Rambo are available on iTunes. However, the soundtrack for Rambo III is not available on iTunes. For more on the music of the Rambo series, see the "Music" section below.

Music

The original scores for the first three films were composed and conducted by Jerry Goldsmith. The music from the second film was performed by the National Philharmonic Orchestra and the music from the third by the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra. Goldsmith's main theme for Rambo was the basis for the end title song "It's A Long Road", performed by Dan Hill, part of the First Blood soundtrack.

The music for the first film is harsher and more dissonant than that for the sequels, as is keeping with the tone of the film. As such, it bears more of a resemblance to Goldsmith's output of the 1960s and 1970s than it does most of his work in the 1980s. The first film's score does use electronics but is primarily orchestral while the sequel scores incorporate heavier use of electronics. The second film's score is the most popular, being that it is the most exciting. The music in the third film is an extension of the style used in the second, but with a few new themes. Both sequels feature new themes for Rambo that are based on elements found in the original "It's a Long Road" theme, which is also heard in its original form in each film as well.

Since Goldsmith died in 2004, film composer Brian Tyler (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, War, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem) scored the fourth film. He reassured fans at the time of Goldsmith's death that his score would be based on Goldsmith's cues for the first three First Blood/Rambo pictures.

The 2008 film, Rambo, was advertised with Drowning Pool's "Bodies" and features two songs in the film written and performed by Jake La Botz, who portrays the mercenary "Reese" in the movie.

The theme music for 1986 animated TV series, Rambo and the Forces of Freedom, was composed by Shuki Levy and Haim Saban.

139 Comments »

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Enjoyable and totally ripped.

The second chapter in Sylvester Stallone's portrayal of Vietnam veteran
John Rambo is also the second best in the franchise and is arguably
underrated in its simplicity. John Rambo, now in prison, gets a visit
from Colonel Trautman (Richard Crenna) who wants to assign him for a
mission that forces him back to 'Nam to locate American POW's. In
retribution Rambo gets released from prison and will be given full
clemency. Rambo agrees and heads for the jungle, only soon to get both
personally and professionally, "too", involved. Sylvester Stallone
never looked better as Rambo as he does here (fully ripped, hair-band,
bow & explosive arrows, a monster knife) and he pulls off the ice-cold
stare and emotionless surface of Rambo. And Rambo has for me always
represented the way the Americans look at have they should have
succeeded in Vietnam, unstoppable and unbeatable, always being morally
mixed but following orders that holds bigger political order than a
single man's confusion. And 'Rambo: First Blood Part II' feels
relatively well paced, and although the totally unnecessary and
unsuccessful romance between Rambo and Co (Julia Jackson) tries
humanizing our man, the film never tries being something it's not. It's
a rock hard action film that delightfully delivers real action set
pieces and runs for an enjoyable 90 minutes.

Bones Eijnar (namriggs@hotmail.com) from Trondheim, Norway - 22 June 2009

A Right-Wing Wet-Dream

After the success of First Blood and Sylvester Stallone growing star
after the that film and the Rocky series, a sequel seemed like a
logical move for a studio to make money. And it did, with it's
box-office of around $300 Million worldwide and latter video and DVD
sells, and creation of Rambo fanboys.At the end of First Blood John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) was arrested
for his private war in Washington State. Rambo was in prison, working
in a quarry when his old Colonel (Richard Crenna) gives him offer. He
could do a solo mission in Vietnam to see if his old POW camp still
exists and had American prisoners. If he did it then a Presidential
Pardon was likely. In Vietnam he discovers that American POWs were
still in the camp and taking the mission on face-value tries to go to
his extraction where the man running the mission, Marshal Murdock
(Charles Napier), aborts it. Rambo now has enemies on two fronts, the
Vietnamese and their Soviet backs, and his own superiors back in
Thailand.After the Vietnam War some Americans have refused to accept the fact
that they lost. It not hard to find people on the internet who believe
that American could have won, and were winning on the battlefield.
Rambo 2 gives this audience and America a charge to fight and win in
Vietnam all over again. The first Rambo film at least had something to
say about the treatment about of veterans, which the left and right
could agree one. However, Rambo 2 turns Rambo into a right-wing
character, showing how great America is, whilst the evil that Vietnam
and Soviet Union represent. It also had the other major aspect of the
Right-wing American mentality, don't trust the government. This is
represented by Murdock, a Congressial bureaucrat who is willing to
abandon Rambo and the POWs because of the cost and diplomatic problems
that would arise. There are people in America who distrust bureaucrats
and politicians from Washington D.C. who are at war with their own
government; it's seems nuts to me. As well it shows that Soviet Union
is the masterminds to all the evil in the Communist world. Stallone
also got to take on the Soviets in Rocky IV in the same year. So we
have established that the film is politically dodgy. It's also hard to
believe because if the Americans did find out that the Vietnamese still
have POWs, wouldn't they do everything in their power to give them
back? Either diplomatically, militarily or covertly?The action is pantomime and clichéd at times. There are some good bits,
especially when Rambo had to use his old skills, like covering himself
in mud before killing a Soviet soldier. This film is the first where we
see the famous Rambo like, the hair-band, the vest, boots and the
knife, which was parodied in Family Guy and countless people around the
world who know of the films. There are some lovely violence deaths; my
famous is the death of a Vietnamese soldier using an explosive bow and
arrow. There is a Soviet soldier in the film who is shown to be an
enforcer for the head of the Soviet troops. He was shown as a sadistic
torturer, but could main Rambo for strenght and skill. This is should
have been an area the film could have played up.The acting is mixed, just like Stallone performance. Some of his
performance is poor, but need the end he shows some of his acting
muscles. The best actions in the film are Richard Crenna and Charles
Napier as the different sides of the American military, especially in
one scene where they argue the rights and wrongs of the situation. The
worst performance was by Julia Nickson who played a Vietnamese woman
working for the Americans. She couldn't act and the love story between
her and Rambo was ridiculous and clichéd.It's okay, but not really worth watching.

freemantle_uk from United Kingdom - 27 May 2009

My Favorite Rambo Film.

First Blood Part 2 is my favorite of the Rambo Films. It is a great
action packed film with great acting, plot, and meaning to it.Rambo is given the chance to leave prison if he agrees to help the
military. He agrees. His mission; to go into Thailand and take photos
that prove that there are no soldiers held prisoner. However as he
arrives there, Rambo soon discovers something that may complicate the
mission.One thing that I like about this film is that this time Rambo is a hero
that we can cheer for. In the first film he was kind of a tough guy who
fights with cops a little, but really is not a hero nor a villain. But
this time he is clearly a hero. Also it is great to see him out in the
jungle where he is able to maneuver around and show how good he is in
the wild.Stallone is awesome as usual. This is one of his better portrayals of
Rambo, gets to show lots of different emotions; Anger, frustration,
sadness, and determination.Rambo gets in a lot of great action. THis really is one of the best
action flicks of the eighties and that is saying a lot. Rambo gets to
use his bow and arrow for the first time in a film and that is great
because it is a unique weapon that fits him. Also gets to use his knife
and a lot of guns. Also there is an awesome helicopter chase scene. THe
last half hour is action at its best.The supporting cast is great as well. Trautman is great, and Murdock
makes for a great jerk military guy who really is a coward deep down.
Co Bao was an interesting character in that she gets the film into a
romantic mood for a little. Ericson is also interesting in how he is
played by Martin Kove, who I always will remember from the Karate Kid
films.If there is a complaint I guess it is that the film maybe starts a
little slow, but not really, and there is some lame action parts. But
it is a great action film like I have said before.So, a great film that has a new idea in that Rambo is clearly the hero
in this film. Great action, acting, and overall one of the better
action films of the eighties. Highly recommended.

jerekra from United States - 16 May 2009

A Celebration of Sarcomeres.

I don't see much reason to get into this movie in much detail.
Sylvester Stallone is once again John Rambo, author and survivor of "A
Season in Hell", recruited from prison by his only friend, Major
Richard Crenna, to secretly return to Vietnam, take photos of the
American prisoners believed to be still held in horrible camps, and
return without engaging the enemy.Fat chance. What if he actually DID nothing more than sneak in, take
pics, and sneak out? Who would come to see the movie? It's essentially
a celebration of Stallone's muscles. Preparing for his mission, we see
his well-oiled muscles bulging. (They are oiled and bulging
throughout.) There is the ritual strapping on of black leather, ugly
guns, and even uglier knives. The black guns are cleaned, assembled
with loud clacks, and almost as oiled as Stallone's muscles. The bow is
tested and, yes, it has enough poundage to drive a bolt through an
enemy's forehead. The knife is sharpened with slick snicks.Stallone and one of his POWs are betrayed by one or two of the suits
from Washington, cynical politicians who, you can bet, were never even
in a fist fight in grammar school. No guts, you know? Just sit around
with their feet on the desk and drink beer.The movie does what it set out to do, but what it set out to do is
meretricious. It deliberately cashes in on the myth popular in the
mid-1980s that there were uncountable numbers of MIAs quietly kept in
hideous camps by the North Vietnamese. The bumper stickers were
ubiquitous. Why would they keep them? It was never quite reasoned out
but perhaps to turn the POWs into a slave labor force — in a country
that has absolutely no resource other than labor. Or maybe for their
propaganda value as an instrument to humiliate the United States — a
secret propaganda weapon.As a captive, Rambo is treated in a Medieval fashion by the North
Vietnamese. Dipped to his neck in pig excrement and then hauled out of
it by his wrists, his muscles still on display. Then, not content with
subhuman Vietnamese, a Russian officer is brought in to play the part
of the Gestapo officer — "Vee haff vays of MAKING you remember." A
high-tech type, the Russian uses psychology and electricity, not just
pig dump.Rambo returns and declares that he intends to drift aimlessly until
"this country loves us as much as we love it," bringing up another myth
that Vets returning from Vietnam were uniformly spat upon and cursed,
which is why I guess we elected so many to the Congress and appointed
others to high-echelon positions. The last three losing presidential
candidates were among that despised group. At least Rambo's aimless
drifting left room open for a sequel, which arrived apace.The action movies with Schwarzenegger and Willis and others were
leavened by wisecracks but Rambo is humorless. It marches dully through
it's phantasmal ideological swamp, killing without mercy, barely
speaking, barely able to speak. To speak is a sign of weakness.

Robert J. Maxwell (rmax304823@yahoo.com) from Deming, New Mexico - 9 May 2009

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