Rambo

When people first heard that Sylvester Stallone was pulling some of his iconic characters out of retirement, the majority of people seemed very skeptical – with good reason. He managed to make Rocky Balboa into an enjoyable film and one that fits perfectly with the rest of that series. He was able to do what a lot of people thought was impossible, and that’s silence his harshest critics. Well, the second half of that Stallone-character resurgence is now here, in the form of a new Rambo flick. While it’s nowhere near the same quality as Rocky Balboa, it still manages to prove a somewhat worthy entry into the series.

It’s been about twenty years since we last saw John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone), and in that time he’s set up shop in Thailand, quietly going about his life, while still trying to deal with his demons. A group of Christian missionaries track John down with the hopes that he’ll bring them up river to the war-stricken country of Burma. At first he refuses, and it takes a painful fifteen minutes or so for them, specifically Sarah (Julie Benz) who reminds John of what it means to help someone, to convince Rambo to take the job. Honestly, I was really scared for this flick early on. The first twenty minutes has some of the worst acting and dialogue I’ve seen in a long time. Thankfully, after Rambo brings the group to Burma things begin to get more Rambo-ish. After he drops them off the inevitable happens - the group gets taken hostage. So like the Rambo flicks of the past, this outing becomes a rescue mission.

Rambo is joined by a group of mercenaries who seem to think that he is nothing more than a tour guide. The mercenaries are as clichéd as they come, complete with a loud British guy who is constantly reminding people that they’re in for some serious shit. It doesn’t take long for Rambo to prove himself to the group, and it’s the best scene in the entire flick, when Rambo pulls out his trusty bow and arrow and shows the mercenaries what he’s made of.

I would have to say that the action this time is a lot more direct and in your face. Essentially Stallone just wanted to pile up as many dead bodies as possible, throwing any subtlety out the window. It’s true that this is an action flick, one that directly pays homage to the over the top flicks of the 80s. But at the same time, the original First Blood did what few action movies of its time did, and that’s being able to create just as much tension as blood and bullets. People have seemed to forget about that, Stallone included.

While it was really entertaining to watch Stallone kick ass again, it would have been nice if he actually embody some of the qualities of Rambo from previous flicks in the series. Watching Rambo kill hundreds of people using a giant machine gun, might be cool to watch, but having him set up traps and attack with stealth would have been a whole lot better. The other gripe I had with Rambo was the lack of any real villain. There is a face to the chaos, but we never really get to find who he is, and his ultimate demise is a bit anti-climatic.

Overall, despite its flaws Rambo still manages to entertain. Fans of over the top action flicks of the 80s are sure to get a kick out of seeing Stallone return to the iconic role.