Criticult.Com

Finally got around to watching Rambo yesterday. A fairly slight movie plot wise. The story offers no real surprises and unlike Rocky Balboa it never feels necessary but it is still pretty impressive. Stallone directs with a lot of confidence and the movie looks and feels more realistic than the other sequels, bringing it a bit more in line with First Blood. It is an uncommonly violent movie. The war violence is at the same level as the opening sequence in Saving Private Ryan. People get exploded by high caliber gun fire, mines, rockets, etc and in large quantities. Then there are the multiple stabbings, gang rape, maimings, and one unlucky fellow literally has his throat ripped out. NOT one for the whole family.

The scant plot concerns a group of missionaries, including Julia Benz from Dexter and Angel, hiring John Rambo in Thailand for transport into Burma to bring aid to the villagers in the war torn country. The missionaries are captured, and the leader of their church asks Rambo to take some mercenaries to the site where he dropped off the unlucky doctors to get them back. All manner of hell commences to break loose.

It’s an entertaining movie that makes you feel guilty for being entertained. On one hand you are actively rooting for the disembowelment of the EVIL Burmese Army bad guys. On the other, you know they are going to get theirs so all the atrocities are just window dressing to get to the action. It's a strange film to sit through and I'm still not sure if I liked it or not. I know it's not going in my "probably will buy someday" pile but I could see myself watching it on HBO in a year.

If you are a fan of the first and 2nd movie or have a Sunday to spend an hour and half it’s worth a view. It’s not a particularly pleasant movie and is utterly devoid of humor but it is far less cheestastic than the first 2 sequels.

Interestingly, Rambo shows the acting range of Stallone quite well when comparing it to the 2006 Rocky Balboa. There is not a hint of Rocky in this performance. Whereas Rocky is not the smartest guy on the block, he has a big heart and it shows. He’s all big gestures and a friendly, unhurried way of speaking. Rambo is an intelligent guy that is almost incapacitated by regret over what he IS and as such very nearly incapable of showing feeling off the battlefield. I believe his first line of dialogue is "Fuck the world." He speaks little, but when he does it is clear he is still haunted by the same old ghosts.

Stallone steps into the role like no time has passed and the world weariness he brings to the character is well earned. The first explosion of violence from him is shocking in the suddenness and finality of it and really makes you take notice.

Then the movie goes off the rails with total mayhem but for a bit there you could see the movie it wanted to be underneath the bloodshed.

Labels: movies, Rambo, review, Stallone, violence, war