Rambo (2008) Lionsgate/Action RT: 91 minutes Rated R (strong graphic bloody violence, disturbing and grisly images, rape, language, brief nudity) Director: Sylvester Stallone Screenplay: Sylvester Stallone and Art Monterastelli Music: Brian Tyler Cinematography: Glen MacPherson Release date: January 25, 2008 (US) Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Julie Benz, Matthew Marsden, Graham McTavish, Rey Gallegos, Jake La Botz, Tim Kang, Ken Howard, Paul Schulze, Cameron Pearson. Thomas Peterson, James Wearing Smith, Maung Maung Kin. Box Office: $42.7M (US)/$113.2M (World) Body Count: 254
Rating: *** ½
Rambo, the fourth and most violent entry in the series, is a splatter flick disguised as an action movie. When I say “violent”, I’m not just referring to all the shooting and killing. That’s every Rambo movie after the first one. I mean violent as in graphic bloody scenes of people being blown to bits, impaled, decapitated, disemboweled, burned alive and tortured in gruesome detail. I mean people’s heads literally being blown off. I couldn’t believe my eyes. It’s a textbook example of a bloodbath. It’s neck-deep in blood, gallons and gallons of it! I heard some viewers actually got sick and puked while watching Rambo. For an admitted gorehound like me, that’s the best endorsement I could ever hope to hear.
Twenty years after he took on the Soviet Army in Afghanistan, we find disturbed Vietnam vet John Rambo (Stallone) living in Thailand making a living catching poisonous snakes (for snake fights) and giving people rides up and down the Salween River in his boat. He leads a quiet, simple life even though horrific things are happening in nearby Burma. Sadistic Major Pa Tee Tint (Kin) leads an army that routinely raids Burmese villages, forcing innocent people to cross marshes rigged with land mines and kidnapping teenage boys to enlist (forcibly) in his army. If anybody deserves the full Rambo treatment, it’s this sick SOB.
A group of missionaries, led by Michael Burnett (Schulze, Don’t Say a Word), tries to hire Rambo to take them into Burma to provide humanitarian aid to the Karen tribespeople, a predominantly Christian group that faces brutal persecution at the hands of the Burmese military regime. Initially, Rambo refuses their offer, but another missionary Sarah (Benz, Jawbreaker) convinces him to take them where they need to go. Soon after Rambo delivers the missionaries to their desired destination, they are kidnapped by Tint and his army during a violent and bloody raid and held as prisoners. Their church pastor, Reverend Arthur Marsh (Howard, The White Shadow), asks Rambo to ferry a group of mercenaries into Burma to rescue the missionaries. He takes the job and ultimately joins their fight. Come on, did you really expect him to do otherwise?
The plot of Rambo isn’t that complex; it’s essentially Rambo fighting another war and killing a lot of enemy soldiers on his own. Only this time the killings are shown in graphic detail. In addition, there are many scenes depicting the brutality against the good people of Burma. These scenes are quite disturbing. Admittedly, the Burmese situation is not as well known as the POW situation in Vietnam or the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, but Rambo makes the viewer aware of the awful situation in another part of the world. It doesn’t stop to explain the political complexities; it treats the subject in a superficial manner. It’s fine by me. Who wants complicated politics interfering with the violence and bloodshed they came to witness?
There’s plenty of action in Rambo with the title character taking out evil Burmese soldiers en masse. He racks up an all-time high score with a kill count of 254. The climactic fight is a real doozy with Rambo gaining control over a jeep-mounted .50 caliber machine gun and mowing down a large group of enemy soldiers. In fact, he doesn’t just simply mow them down;, he blows them to pieces! This is NOT an exaggeration, Rambo is really that violent. The MPAA originally slapped it with an NC-17 rating, but writer-director Stallone managed to argue successfully for an R without making a single cut. I’m wondering how many preteen boys had nightmares after their fathers took them to see this movie without their mother’s knowledge. Moreover, what father in his right mind would take his 11 or 12YO son to see Rambo?
My only real complaint about Rambo is Stallone is clearly too old for a role like this. He visibly aged in the two decades between installments. He was over 60 when the movie was shot. Yeah, I know Charles Bronson and Clint Eastwood made action pictures when they were in their 70s, but Stallone looks tired and worn down. He attempts to add depth to his character by having him confront the possibility of returning to America after all these years. While interesting, we all know Stallone’s acting range is rather limited. As such, it doesn’t hit home like it should, not even when he mentions his father still living on the family ranch in Arizona.
The underlying philosophy of Rambo appears to be live for nothing or die for something. He realizes he’s been hiding for too long and it’s time to stand up and take decisive (and bloody) action for those that can’t adequately defend themselves. It’s the same philosophy that guided many an action movie in the 80s. Rambo upholds that same spirit with a vengeance. It’s not always pretty to look at. Those with weak stomachs have been duly warned. For the rest of you, Rambo is a damn good action movie and freaking great splatter flick.
