In Thailand, John Rambo joins a group of mercenaries to venture into war-torn Burma, and rescue a group of Christian aid workers who were kidnapped by the ruthless local infantry unit.
Without a doubt, “First Blood” is the best of the Rambo movies. Stallone was already riding high on the success of Rocky but then Rambo came along and elevated his career into the stratosphere. “First Blood” was grounded in reality the whole way through while its two sequels, “Rambo: First Blood Part II” and “Rambo III,” succumbed to the clichéd action movie tropes of the 1980s, an ex-military veteran who is called into action one more time and takes on an entire army. And wins! While “First Blood” was a former Green Beret taking on a small American town, the film was handled with realistic aplomb by director Ted Kotcheff. You were immediately able to relate to John Rambo because after having returned from the Vietnam War, he found it difficult to try and reintegrate back into civilian life and wandered aimlessly around the country until he is arrested for vagrancy by an oppressive and contemptible sheriff and his deputies. Rambo survives in the frozen mountains of Washington State by utilizing the skills he learned as a Green Beret and while the action scenes are exciting, they are still grounded in realism and therefore, while you watch them transpire onscreen, you never find yourself questioning their authenticity. The two sequels throw that element entirely out the window in favor of violence and over-the-top action setpieces.
In 2007 when Stallone announced he would be returning to the role of John Rambo in a fourth iteration, fans were cautiously optimistic. Twenty years had passed since “Rambo III” and many of Stallone’s fanboys from the 1980s had grown up and had families now but Stallone proceeded with the film anyway and it’s a good thing he did because after “First Blood,” it is, by far, the best of the sequels. Stallone learned from director Ted Kotcheff that realism was integral to any movie, even an action film like “Rambo” and he returns to Rambo’s roots by inserting him into a situation he initially wants nothing to do with but then realizes that the people being persecuted remind him of when he was being brutally abused by the corrupt police department in Washington State and decides to step in and help them, where he had no help himself.
As the movie begins, we learn that John Rambo now lives in Thailand and earns a living offering boat rides to locals and tourists alike. When a band of missionaries, led by Doctor Michael Burnett (Paul Schulze), asks to be transported to Burma so they can give humanitarian aid to a village who has been persecuted by the sadistic and ruthless Major Pa Tee Tint (Maung Maung Khin), Rambo agrees. On their journey, the boat is stopped by a band of pirates who demand Sarah Miller (Julie Benz), the only female in the group to come with them. When she refuses, the pirates try to force her but Rambo intervenes and kills them. Michael despises violence and when they reach their destination, he demands that Rambo leave them there as he wants nothing to do with him. He obliges and some time later, the pastor of the missionaries’ church visits Rambo and informs him that the missionaries were all taken hostage by Major Pa Tee Tint. He asks him to help a small band of mercenaries get to the village where they are being held captive. Rambo agrees and drops the mercenaries off at their drop point and then offers to help them but their leader, Lewis (Graham McTavish), refuses, not aware of Rambo’s abilities. They leave but Rambo stealthily follows them and when they are eventually overpowered by Major Pa Tee Tint’s men and taken prisoner, Rambo must once more step into the fray and do what he is best at.
Stallone imbues the film with enough real-world commentary on the plight of refugee camps throughout Burma and neighboring countries, at times you almost feel too uncomfortable watching the movie as it feels too real but in the end, this is a Rambo picture and when he picks up his bow and arrow and an assortment of other weapons, you know he means business. Stallone painstakingly builds the film’s tension gradually and every time we witness Major Pa Tee Tint execute a missionary or order his men to wipe out a village, you know the inevitable showdown between him and Rambo will be legendary. And believe me, the last act of this movie is brutally and realistically graphic but also rightfully warranted. When Rambo takes charge of a Browning .50 Caliber Machine Gun, he doesn’t just shoot bad guys, he eviscerates them, completely obliterates them, sometimes just leaving just a body part, an arm, a leg, a torso. It is a ferocious firefight to the death that leaves no stone unturned. Rambo is indeed back and with a vengeance. This 4K release comes on the heels of the theatrical release of “Rambo: Last Blood” which hits theaters September 20th, and states it will be the final movie in the franchise and I hope it is because while I have always been a fan of Stallone, and Rambo, it’s time to hang up his guns and knives and retire, while he still has some life left in him.
Now available on 4K Ultra HD™ Combo Pack (plus Blu-ray™ and Digital) and Digital 4K Ultra HD
