I've heard rumors of another Rambo film for over ten years now. I have heard the character would be married with a child, who would be abducted by a former Vietnam comrade. Then I saw a treatment for John Rambo working as an environmentalist for the United Nations when terrorists attacked. Then we've got Rambo helping a former soldier clear his name after he was framed by his own government. To say the least, all of these ideas were no good. With the recent Live Free or Die Hard we were also at risk of seeing a PG-13 Rambo. After having seen Rambo twice last night, I can safely say that this film is the best in the series since the original.We open with actual news footage of the crisis in Burma. We are shown the recent protest by Monks, in which soldiers opened fire and even burned the Monks alive. We are shown refugees, and even treatment of them by the soldiers themselves. Then we open to a truck full of prisoners who are taken to a rice field. The soldiers plant land mines along the field and force the prisoners to run across it. Some make it, and some do not. The survivors are then shot to death. It was a powerful way to begin. We then meet up once again with John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone), who has been living alone in Thailand for the past twenty years. He is a snake wrangler who keeps to himself for the most part. Rambo is approached by Christian missionaries, led by Michael Burnett (Paul Schulze). The missionaries need passage into Burma along the river to bring medical supplies, food and religion to the refugees. They need Rambo's boat in order to do this. At first, Rambo wants nothing to do with this. His view of the situation is captured perfectly when Michael states they don't have weapons, to which Rambo replies, "then you're not changing anything." Rambo finally agrees after Michael's wife, Sarah Miller (Julie Benz), convinces him that saving lives won't waste his. So Rambo and the missionaries travel down the river to Burma, where they are dropped off and allowed to travel through to the village they seek. Ten days go by and they are never heard from again. At this point, all of the missionaries have been taken prisoner along with the villagers. Rambo is alerted by a Priest who has hired Mercenaries to their fate. He needs Rambo to take the mercs to the spot in which the missionaries began their journey. The rest of the film is exactly what you'd expect from a Rambo film, plus so much more.
Not since First Blood has a Rambo movie been so realistic. Gone are the days of one man versus an entire country. Unlike Live Free or Die Hard, our main character's age is taken into consideration, so we never get scenes in which John Rambo appears to be a superhero. In fact, much like First Blood, this film has Rambo keeping it fairly simple. He uses a handgun at one point to dispose of Burmese pirates, and then a .50 Caliber to fuck up everyones day. This time around Rambo is a lot meaner. He reminded me a lot of Clint Eastwood's character in Unforgiven. Just a mean old bastard when the time calls for it. We also learn that Rambo is no longer tormented by his past, which we saw a lot of in Rambo III. He has accepted that God made him for one reason, and he embraces it.Brian Tyler takes over the musical score for the late Jerry Goldsmith. One thing that always stood out for me in these movies has been the music. Brian Tyler does an amazing job in keeping with Jerry Goldsmith, and never straying too far. The original Long Road Instrumental theme is well played in this outing as well.
Stallone has played up the violent aspect of this film big time. This isn't anywhere near the amount of violence we're used to in a film like this. At some points in the film, it is hard to believe that what were watching is an actual 'R' rating. We see children burned, stabbed, and shot. Limbs are chopped off. Heads are decapitated. It's a massacre that truly makes you wince at some points. The violence is needed to show a true life crisis however. Stallone has stated that it would be a disservice to downplay anything happening to the Karen people. Nothing goes unpunished in this film, however. The Burmese soldiers are a bunch of evil bastards, and when Rambo starts to hand them their asses, you get a huge adrenaline rush. In both showings I went to, the audience members were cheering the deaths of these soldiers.
Much like Rocky Balboa, Rambo is the perfect bookend to the franchise. First Blood is a classic, but the sequels (which I liked) strayed a bit too far. With this new entry, you can watch the first and last and be satisfied, much like you can now do with Rocky and Rocky Balboa. The ending to this film also sets up two events. It's the perfect full circle for the character without truly giving it the finality that we saw in Rocky Balboa. So if Stallone wants to carry out one more mission with John Rambo, it's completely within the realm of possibility.
It is also important to note just how crucial it is for this story to be told. The main villian is portrayed by Maung Maung Khin, who is an actual survivor of the genocide in Burma. He wanted the part so badly because he felt it was important for this story to be told. After completion of the film, his family was thrown into prison by the Burmese government. Thrown into prison just for bringing this civil war to the American public.
Rambo was a great action film. Due to the iconic character's status in American pop culture, and the importance of the storyline, it shows that even at 61 Stallone can make a bigger and better movie than the younger stars we have now.
