Rambo Reviews

An average movie

Posted : 1 year, 6 months ago on 24 November 2011 01:17

Following his renewed success with 'Rocky', it wasn't really surprising to see Stallone coming up with a new installment for his other star-making franchise (actually, he wanted to make this one before 'Rocky Balboa' but well...). The first thing that stroke me is how the movie is different than the current action flicks. Nowadays, the violence in those movies is toned down as much as possible so they can get a PG13 rating. Here, Stallone goes for the completely opposite and it is easily one of the most violent action movies I have ever seen. I always found it rather annoying when they remove the violent bits but I found it rather sad and depressing to see all these innocent people getting slaughtered over and over again. It felt like watching an action movie produced by the makers of the 'Saw' franchise. Furthermore, it is your typical predictable Rambo story with some really terrible dialogs and I wish they put at least one memorable supporting character. To conclude, it wasn't bad at all but I can't say I enjoyed it but since I didn't really enjoyed the previous Rambo flicks, I guess I wasn't the best audience for this movie.

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Rambo review

Posted : 1 year, 10 months ago on 19 July 2011 09:57

First of all, let me start by saying John Rambo is a masterpiece. They don't make them like this anymore. It is a return of the classic action movie of the 80's and 90's but with a touch of modern directing. Some will say it is gory, some will says it has no plot. But let's be honest, nobody wants a dramatic twist or a deeper meaning when they go to see Rambo! And even if you want to, you can still find it in traces. John Rambo is a killing machine but he is also a guy with strong moral values so if you are really looking for a message it is there to be seen. Other than that it is a full blooded action movie that will strap you to your seat for whole 95 minutes!

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Graphic, intense thrill ride! Best of the Rambo's!

Posted : 3 years, 4 months ago on 1 January 2010 05:12

I can see why people hate the Rambo franchise because Sylvester Stallone is one of the worst living actors but he is really good for the Rambo character as far as appearance is concerned. Also because it has light lack of story and characters (other than Rambo) but at the end of the day, Rambo is a film full of action with a very enjoyable story. It actually like the Rambo series. None of the stories in all four films aren't that powerful but Rambo 1 and 4 made a lot of tense to me whereas 2 and 3 didn't. It was a very violent film like they all are. The violence is very realistic because a weapon comes at someone so quickly and sudden. Most violent of all of Rambo films so far with a lot of blood and guts. Rambo's more violent than ever. If there is going to be a Rambo V, then I could be rather excited about it. Weird that there is completely thrilling action and then once it finishes, the film ends pretty quickly. I was thinking that it would be a disappointment especially after a Rambo film hadn't been seen in 20 years but it turned out to be a success.


Stallone shines up Rambo after his disasterous and awful performance in Rocky Balboa (Rocky VI). Stallone brings a new Rambo. I saw a heard, deadly Rambo but also saw a Rambo that has a nice helpful side. Rambo has always worked alone in previous three films but works with a group in this one which makes him slightly different. Still typical Rambo appearance but voice is a lot deeper and Stallone makes Rambo a more bulging and a bigger build. He looks fatter aswell. Rambo has slightly less use of knives but used guns and arrows more now. He never seems to stop. He continues to save people and kill the people responsible. I really used to hate Sylvester Stallone but I sort of like him as Rambo. I couldn't believe how different Rambo looks in the fourth compared to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd film.


Sylvester Stallone directed this film pretty well. It is the only Rambo film that he directed and he showed he can do it. The script was definitely the best written of all four. It was very well handled and there weren't many flaws at all really which in a way surprised me. As I said the violence was very realistic to watch and was very comical aswell as real effective blood. Villains capture women and throw them into crowds for them to be either raped or just killed. Action is outstanding with lots of great cinema effects. Music score sound the same as it always did. Theme played at end of film. It ended like it was the end for Rambo and ended like he could be back for more action. A lot like Indy 4 as far as fourth in a franchise and third in franchise was almost 20 years earlier is concerned.


The fourth Rambo is the best of all four. I was especially pleased with this one because Rambo III was awful and it rose up again. Should be considered on the list of top action films of 2008.

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Bandana Bravo...

Posted : 4 years, 6 months ago on 28 October 2008 07:12

''Y'know what you are, what you're made of. War is in your blood. When you're pushed, killing's as easy as breathing.''

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.

Sylvester Stallone: John Rambo

Julie Benz: Sarah Miller

This is a pure unstoppable action film right from the word go, hugely violent DO not see if you're squeamish...
One of the things i interesting things about it is the fact that there is minimum dialogue in the film, though there is obviously dialogue but nothing all together noteworthy.
But that's a good thing the Rambo character was never really much of a talker anyway, he doesn't need to say much of anything the content is just read in his physicality and facial expressions, making this film at times feel like a silent movie. You can just easily see even from certain things he says that John Rambo is kind of tired, bored, a bit lonely though it doesn't bother him much, still carries those internal post traumatic war scars, but most of all carries an anger within himself. From the world he doesn't like how things have changed and are going but most of all feels frustrated at himself knowing all of his actions in his former mercenary role throughout the years haven't changed anything. You can just see he's a man just waiting for a chance once more to put things right as well as finally find his sense of inner peace and just a home to come back home to. Well at least that's how I saw it. I'll admit despite Rambo's age he can still kick butt, he may have been out of the game for a while but has came back strong.

One of the other things I like about the film is the gritty realism, it makes this film a bit unsettling at times because everything that happens in it actually feels real, making Rambo feel all the more like a character that can exist. From the cinematography which is shot in documentary style makes the envorment and everything that happens in the film feel palpable. The actions scenes are brutally honest, I've seen a lot of violence in certain movies but this one just about takes the cake, we see it as both grotesque but also at least when the good guys wield it beautiful, love it or hate it or both it's what it is. Like when there are certain gun shots bodies get shredded or blown apart literally just a lot of crazy carnage, so word of warning don't eat or drink anything at those scenes if you can't handle it.

''Live for nothing, or die for something.''

The film relies on suspenseful build up before any action is taken. We at first see some scenes where the evil army is doing a lot of senseless awful things like any real corrupt army would. We hate these guys and that's the point, I just know these guys are just asking for it; it made me just wait at certain moments at the edge of my seat thinking Rambo's coming, he's coming any minute now, and when Rambo comes in at the right moment when the situation cuts real close to the edge, I'll just say it feels great and the bad guys get what they deserve.
I'll just say a few of my favorite scenes, one of course is that memorable moment when Rambo is making a Machete before going into action and then is giving a speech to himself sort of a post modern philosophical mantra: "war is in your blood and when your pushed killing is as easy as breathing."
A suspenseful moment when of course there are some villagers that are forced to run in rice patties and some of those evil army men play a sick game with them buy planting a few land mines in them. When the villagers get through alive, we see the bad guys trying to force them to run again. And at the right moment suddenly Rambo pops out and shoots arrows at the evil solders though the head and other vital places. I sincerely heard a bit of cheering when that happened.

''Maybe you've lost your faith in people. But you must still be faithful to something. You must still care about something. Maybe we can't change what is. But trying to save a life isn't wasting your life, is it?''

But of course my favorite moment is in the last half of the film when it leads to probably one of the longest, bloodiest, battle sequences I've ever seen, it's typically total carnage. When Rambo takes a machine gun turret and is just mowing down each and every evil army man coming his way, and I mean they come from everywhere it's literally a continuous almost never ending action.

Well, I've said enough I'll just say it was great seeing John Rambo once again for the last time fighting defending all that is good in his final war and won. I'm going to miss him but in the end of the film I'll just say he finally comes back home.

''You know what you are. What you're made of. War is in your blood. Don't fight it. You didn't kill for your country. You killed for yourself. God's never gonna make that go away. When you're pushed, killing's as easy as breathing.''

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A masterpiece of action cinema

Posted : 5 years, 1 month ago on 21 April 2008 04:09

"You know what you are. What you're made of. War is in your blood. Don't fight it. You didn't kill for your country. You killed for yourself. God's never gonna make that go away. When you're pushed, killing's as easy as breathing."

John Rambo has always gotten a bad rap, as he's perpetually misconstrued by both the supporting characters in his films as well as the cynical movie-goers of the outside world who dismiss him as a joke. This is, of course, because the iconic action hero is best remembered as a cartoonish, buff instrument of American vengeance from 1985's Rambo: First Blood Part II and 1988's Rambo III. Due to this, people have forgotten that the first outing of John Rambo, 1982's First Blood, was an action-drama dealing with America's post-Vietnam disillusionment and one man's failed fight to reincorporate himself into society. For 2008's Rambo (a.k.a. Rambo IV), Sylvester Stallone (who co-wrote and directed in addition to starring) returned the character to his roots; emulating the tone and emotion of First Blood in order to craft a gritty, poignant war picture that doesn't skimp on the action. What's truly daring about Rambo - and what a lot of critics have missed - was Stallone's decision to resurrect the ironic warrior to lament his soul rather than celebrate his strength.

The story, expectedly, is simple and direct. Twenty years have passed since John Rambo (Stallone) saved Colonel Trautman from Russian forces in Afghanistan, and he now lives the life of a recluse in Thailand desperate to evade his personal demons. As the film opens, a group of Christian missionaries approach Rambo seeking passage into the heart of Burma, as they wish to bring medical supplies and prayer books to the war-town country. Rambo reluctantly accepts the offer, but is wary of the dangerous terrain. Days after, Rambo learns that the missionaries were captured by the Burmese military. Choosing to assume his psychologically tattered soldier mentality and launch into battle once again, Rambo joins a group of mercenaries as they head into Burma on a rescue mission.

Stallone chose to preface Rambo with authentic documentary footage depicting the actual situation in Burma, which has endured what is described as the longest-running civil war in history. This horrific footage effectively places the story in a real-world context - it's made clear that the atrocities taking place in Burma are real, rather than part of the screenwriter's imagination. In this sense, Stallone and co-writer Art Monterastelli utilised Burma as a framework within which they constructed a typical action movie. Yet, within the simplistic framework there are layers of complexity that may be easily missed. For instance, the Burmese soldiers appear to be the epitome of one-dimensional evil since they slaughter villagers and enjoy gang-raping women. However, the documentary footage prefacing the film reveals that thousands of these soldiers are kidnapped boys who are forced into the army and dehumanised into soulless killing machines.

Ultra high body counts have become a staple of the series, and Rambo does not disappoint in this sense. The levels of gore push the R-rating to the very brink, yet the unremitting violence is not as joyously self-indulgent as previous Rambo adventures. See, there's more to Rambo than just carnage. The film builds with a palpable intensity, and the first half depicts Rambo reluctantly working his way back to his former self to confront the life he tried to leave behind. Through depicting the Burma atrocities in explicit detail, the film additionally offers a social commentary and manages to shed light on the realities of life in the country (the film has done more for Burma awareness than the UN). Thus, this entry to the series is more about authenticity and gritty realism, mirroring the tone of First Blood. Rambo is not perfect, of course - it's largely generic (at times painfully so), the dialogue is risible on occasion, and the tonal shifts can be problematic - but the positives outweigh the negatives.

Yet, all of this is probably looking too deeply into what is a taut, expertly crafted shoot-'em-up of pure awesomeness. You attend Rambo movies to watch the titular badass laying waste to hundreds of bad guys, and this fourth instalment offers exactly that. In prior Rambo sequels, Rambo was dropped in some hellhole to rescue a bunch of people before he breaks them out, kills the bad guys and escapes. Rambo '08 stays true to the formula, except - as previously stated - there's a lot more grit. Stallone is never shirtless at any point, and the cheesy music was replaced with Brian Tyler's harrowing, exceptional score. Rambo even works as a member of a team, as opposed to taking down hundreds of soldiers single-handedly. Up until Rambo, Sly had never directed an action film, but his excellent handling of the material here belies his inexperience. Sly may have utilised a shaky-cam approach, yet the style benefits the picture and is at no point distracting. And my word, the picture delivers in terms of action - the final battle is a celluloid tribute to the blood-soaked mayhem of the '80s. For all the criticisms Rambo endured, the violence is deserved: it characterises the villains, and provides the audience with a sweet sense of vengeance.

Sylvester Stallone is cold as ice in his performance as Rambo, and he brought to the role a sense of menace that has been lacking in previous entries. John Rambo is truly scary here; he's a powder keg waiting to explode, and he certainly does explode once the action shifts to the camp where the missionaries are held captive. It's not an Oscar-worthy performance, but it is more nuanced than most will admit. Julie Benz is also effective as a Christian missionary named Sarah. While Rambo jumps through hoops for Sarah, she is not a love interest. Sarah is Rambo's prime motivation for battling the Burmese army, but it's because she profoundly touched his soul. In the supporting cast there's also Matthew Marsden and Graham McTavish, both of whom are standouts as mercenaries. There are others in the cast, but suffice it to say every actor hit their mark.

Infused with a poignant social commentary to provide sufficient context for the action, Rambo exists to call attention to the atrocities in Burma in addition to providing a fitting end for John J. Rambo. In First Blood, Rambo's breakdown in the film's final minutes left us with the sense that he wanted to discover who he is and put the past behind him. This theme was never brought full circle in the following two sequels, but Rambo '08 does exactly that: providing the ending that fans have yearned for since the commencement of the franchise. One could argue I've read too much into Rambo, but I believe critics are not reading enough. It would be a shame for a viewer's preconceptions to overwhelm Stallone's achievements, which goes for both the cynical critics looking to be critical as well as the action fans seeking a fix. There is a beating heart at the core of Rambo, whether you wish to notice it or not.

Interesting to note, Sylvester Stallone's director's cut of Rambo is the superior edit. It fleshes out the characters more effectively, and the film as a whole feels more cohesive and complete. For my full analysis of the extended cut, see http://www.listal.com/viewentry/944709

8.3/10

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Rambs to the slaughter

Posted : 5 years, 2 months ago on 16 March 2008 10:51

An excuse for colossal amounts of violence and gore - and I love it! If it wasn't for Stallone this film would be relegated to the depths of B-movie basements as there isn't really much in the way of plot or message.

Troubled former soldier - John Rambo - is back. After living a peaceful and modest life in an unassuming Thai village he is approached by Christian missionaries who request he take them up river to help the natives of war-torn Burma. Against his will he helps them, but gets news weeks later that they never returned. Cue a band of missionaries who are sworn in to try and rescue them, reigniting Rambo's taste for blood and forcing him to add to his mountainous kill count in spectacular style.

This film draws attention to the conflict in Burma with brutal realism and that seems to give it a poetic license to go all out with the killing sprees. Fine by me!

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[Endless bodycount]

Posted : 5 years, 2 months ago on 9 March 2008 10:25

From watching the overly violent trilogy, expections were high too see simular carnage. And after seeing it I can still say overkill is not in Rambos vocabulary.

After coming out the theatre my senses were bombarded with the amount of explosions, decapitated limbs, and mindless chaos. You find yourself wearing a sandwich board with the message 'i hate burma' on it, for the bad light that is shed on the brutal country.

Rambos kill ratio are just as ridiculous if not more proposterous than the last three but nostagic fun as we see 'John' helping out the 'do gooders' to help an abused village with haralious and explosive results.

I would suggest to anyone who have seen the likes of the outrageous Commando or Hardboiled to watch rambo if not for the oneliners but for counting the pints of blood he loses which is more than the average human being.


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What were you expecting?

Posted : 5 years, 3 months ago on 10 February 2008 04:45

Its Rambo... enough explaining! Would have been a hard job to do better than the original, that said i do like a good action flick still, but im a bit older than when i first saw the original so this latest installment just didn't do it for me.

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Rambo review

Posted : 5 years, 3 months ago on 2 February 2008 07:33

I cannot believe, how extremely great, this film is. John Rambo, is back, and he is bad-ass. The action, is spectacular, and some heads were even chopped off. This is such a great film. If you do not enjoy watching films, that have very gruesome scenes, then do not watch this. If you love intense action, from beginning to end, with a lot of blood and violence, then this is the film for you.

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