‘Rambo’ Review

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     When Sylvester Stallone decided to bounce back into the ring in 2006 for one last round of the Rocky Balboa persona, his intentions weren’t to surprise us with how an “old man can still take a punch,” but merely to put a more satisfying cap on the boxing legend (‘Rocky V’ certainly did no justice). But as the sixty year old actor closed the door on his career defining role, he had another thing in mind; even though the last one was successful, it’s still been twenty years, maybe it’s time to give John Rambo one last war. It may not be the greatest run for the rampant guerilla expert, but it is by far his bloodiest, in what could easily go down as the most violently action packed movie of the decade.

     Having traded his guns for fishing poles, and isolated himself into the northern jungles of Thailand, retired Vietnam veteran John Rambo (Stallone) enjoys a quiet life as a Salween River boatman. When a group of missionaries approach Rambo hoping that he can help them get up river to aid a desperate tribe, he blantantly refuses, warning them of the warzone chaos that surrounds the Thai-Burma border. However, even Rambo knows that these young aid workers stand no chance of survival without his help, so he reluctantly gives into their request. Two weeks after they arrive, Rambo learns that the fellow embassies of the workers have lost all contact with their friends and are backing out of the peace-keeping mission. With no one left to help, and no one willing to take a stand, John Rambo comes out of retirement, and launches a one man war with the Burmese army as he attempts to rescue the workers, and several others from execution.

     The thing that I always remember about every chapter of the Rambo series is how short and sweet each one of them manages to be. Running a short frame of 93 minutes, like its predecessors, ‘Rambo’ shoots by in a jiffy with the same rollercoaster action and explosive entertainment that fans are used to seeing from this courageous hero. Whether via land mines, bow and arrow, his “good luck charm,” or a stunningly brutal 50 caliber shot from point blank, you can rest assured that even at sixty, Rambo is a ruthless machine, and there is no such thing as a fight too big, or too violent, for this warrior.

     Following the death of Richard Crenna, this new edition to the series is the first one in which Rambo doesn’t have his guiding mentor Colonel Trautman by his side. It’s kind of a sad transition when you’ve got the guy who can blow everything up, but not the guy who can kindly negotiate with the enemy. I guess at this point, it makes sense to let an aging war hero go at it alone. And besides; it’s easily no secret, to anyone who witnesses this wild ride, that Rambo isn’t the one who needs protecting here.

     For me personally, I can honestly say that I’ve seen plenty of over the top carnage in film, and there may not be too many messes that my eyes can’t look past, but with the amount of bloody war violence, and a few brief sexual assaults thrown in, this latest Rambo installment may actually turn away a few heads, but it certainly won’t be because anyone thought this wasn’t a film worth making.

     Stallone’s first initiative may have been just to cap another legendary lid (he originally was going to call this film ‘John Rambo,’ an homage like the last Rocky movie), but Stallone has now gone public in the aftermath and said that this may not quite be Rambo’s last shot. The adrenaline, and the excitement of any Stallone action flick will always have its legendary kick to it, but if Rambo fans have any say in it, this Vietnam guerilla may be just getting started!