Rambo
Directed by Sylvester Stallone
Running Time: 1 hours 33 min.
 
John Rambo has retreated to northern Thailand, living a solitary and peaceful life in the mountains and jungles. A group of human rights missionaries search him out and ask him to guide them into Burma to deliver medical supplies. When the aid workers are captured by the Burmese army, Rambo decides to venture alone into the war zone to rescue them.
 
Review 1 by Tom Hoover | Review 2 by Tad Largent
Soundtrack Review: N/A


Review 1 by Tom Hoover

Sly should have stopped with Rocky Balboa. The encore for Stallone's other successful franchise, the John Rambo series, comes up short.

We all know that when you go to a Rambo movie, you're to check your brain at the door. At least, that's been the common mantra. I disagree, however, as I feel that the character of Rambo himself has enough depth and pain within him to make for an interesting story arc, as was the case with "First Blood." Unfortunately, we're miles away from that one. Those who chalk this film up as favorable, mindless entertainment are only making excuses.

Essentially, this film is a blood bath. Sure, there's a plot but it's paper thin and poorly acted. The central trigger (no pun intended) for this particular Rambo feature involves aid workers who are captured by the ruthless soldiers of the Burmese army, who themselves are in the midst of a genocide campaign. Rambo, who has relocated into northern Thailand, feels responsible for the fate of the missionaries since it was he who dropped them off behind enemy lines in the first place. Aligning himself with mercenaries, who were also recruited for the rescue attempt, Rambo basically takes on an army of over 100 soldiers in his quest to rescue the innocent aid workers. The resulting journey leads us into a brutal landscape of cinematic carnage the likes of which I have never seen...and I've seen Saving Private Ryan. Twice.

The first, obvious set of problems with this movie began with the flimsy dialogue and acting by the thespians who made up the missionary group. Specifically, the female lead was utterly atrocious in nearly every capacity, creating an unbelievable character that I didn't buy for a second. She is also meant to be a love interest of some sort for Rambo, and that fails miserably as well. But that didn't stop the plot from moving ahead with it!

The second, and perhaps most fatal flaw in the film, is Rambo's motivation -- I never felt like he had a strong enough reason to lay it all on the line in the way he did. In the previous movies, there was some serious revenge cooking with John and that's what sparked him in his soldiering. Here, there is a loose thread that draws him into a conflict and it never felt like it was enough motivation. There were so many directions that plot could have gone yet the path of least resistance was chosen. No risk, no reward rings true with this installment.

All my griping aside, there are some bright spots in the movie. For one, the mercenary team was a good addition to the story and the actors who portrayed these soldiers for hire actually brought some charisma to the table. Their inclusion in the story led up to the films highlight reel, which was the rescue sequence at the Burmese camp. This 15 minute segment is easily of a 10 star grade and offered genuine tense, exciting moments! This was what I was waiting for the whole time! Had the rest of the film been measured in this style than I would be singing the praises of "Rambo." Instead, the film offered further disbelief on levels you could never comprehend as the story progressed to the final, climactic battle sequence. Suffice it to say, it was during these moments that I felt as though Charlie Sheen was on the screen doing a spoof of the character. Surprisingly, the finale montage on the screen offered a slight hint of poignancy as Rambo's personal code was finally accepted by the survivors of the battle and all that they ever set out to do was questioned.

I have to say, "Rambo" was a jarring disappointment; I honestly don't know what Stallone was hoping to do with this specific comeback trail. The violence was extreme and quite over the top, to the point where it was unnecessary and almost disrespectful. I was really hoping that this film would have added a mark of quality to the series but instead it adds a badge of dishonor to it. If there is indeed another sequel, I hope Stallone hones in on what made this character work in the first place because this ain't it.

 
Grade: 5.5 / 10

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Review 2 by Tad Largent

As with last years “Rocky Balboa”, Sylvester Stallone returns to a familiar role with this years “Rambo”. Originally titled “John Rambo”, this marks the 4th time that Stallone has brought the character to the big screen. It also marks the first the time in 20 years he has played the character since “Rambo 3” came to theatres in 1988. While much of the world has changed in the last 20 years, John Rambo has not. To that end we should be thankful. Rambo was never much of a character with depth as he was a misunderstood Vietnam War vet returning home unable to adapt to the world again. While each film has had a theme in terms of its message or who the bad guys are the character has the same message. Quoting the newest film gives you that characters message “Killing is as easy as breathing if you are pushed hard enough”.

The movie takes place largely in Burma or near its border. Rambo is again a loner for the most part catching deadly snakes during the day to sell them and make a living. As usual someone comes asking for his help. Julie Benz ( TV’s “Angel”; “Dexter” ) leads a group of church missionaries wanting to make a difference in the world by helping Burma refugees. Reluctant to help at first, Rambo is swayed by his conversations with Sarah ( Julie Benz ) and ultimately helps them get up river.

For those that don’t know Burma has been a war zone for the last twenty years. The people in that country have suffered greatly through civil war and terrible crimes against humanity. Stallone gets extra credit for trying to bring attention to this with this film. Ultimately this leads to the group trying to do good getting caught in the middle of that said civil war.

Time passes and Rambo is told by the pastor who sponsored the trip that the group never returned and he has hired mercenaries to go find them. He asks Rambo to take them to the same place he dropped off the missionaries. At this point of the film we begin to see the Rambo we all love and know. The man who went from not caring, to the man who’s going to make a difference. The group of actors playing the mercenaries are standard and not really important save for Matthew Mardsen who plays the character known as “School boy”.

In the end, conflict ensues and brings about a non apologetic 40 minutes of pure violence. Even I who have seen numerous “R” rated violent films began to flinch at the destruction brought forth to human bodies. It was, as I can attest very intense. It also does not take away from the film. I loathe the critics who have bashed the film to this point as just a violent bloodbath. I think for what was happening, It was very real and very necessary. I applaud Stallone for fighting to keep it in the film.

While not “First Blood”, this film is a close second as the best of the series of Rambo films. Its easily enjoyable as a Rambo film, and equally stomach churning.

***1/2 ( out of 5 stars )

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