Speaking as someone who hates “First Blood,” and managed to completely dislike all of the subsequent “Rambo” movies, I’m surprised to say that “Rambo” or “John Rambo” isn’t a bad movie. In fact, it’s good, it’s really good. Much like the previous “Rocky Balboa,” Stallone seeks to send off his iconic character through the means of a stern and classy storyline that closes all arcs, and leaves our tragic hero with dignity and a sense of closure. How this will play with the studios who want more “Rambo” movies, one can only imagine, but for what it is, it’s a neat little farewell to a very silly action hero.
This Rambo is a man who is already older, wiser, and wants nothing more than to be left alone to work his way through the rest of his life. But as well know, that’s easier said than done when violence comes knocking on his door in Burma, where Burmese soldiers have begun wreaking havoc on villages while missionaries seek to help the ravaged innocents. While I’d love to pretend this is a socially conscious sequel as everyone else has convinced themselves it is, “John Rambo” really just uses this Burmese scenario as a means of providing a modern villain without resorting to camp. Rambo is very well characterized as a relic of the military who realizes that he has no purpose or true means of a calling and is reduced to a snake wrangler for an underground snake charming circuit in the jungle.
Stallone is rather muscle bound here and takes to the role without really missing a beat but also attempts to personify the role through the vein of the Man with No Name who simply can’t stay out of the way of bloodshed a la “Unforgiven.” Stallone directs the film with enough competence to stay out of the way of the eighties pop kitsch tone and really keeps the story a dramatic and tense little entry into the series. The landscapes are murky and desolate, and the constant battles are kept down into the dirt to exemplify Rambo’s comfort amidst chaos and carnage. While Stallone does play the violence for over the top gore, as is the pre-requisite, it only really helps to identify the character of Rambo who sees murder as a mere bodily function.
One that he feels comfortable doing in spite of his own self-hatred for constantly having to commit it. The 1982 bush whacking beef cake is gone in favor of a more humanistic shell of a man who has admitted that in order to stop the violence, he has to commit violence and may always be an island onto himself. Frankly, Stallone really does sell what could have been a disastrous film, with a tone that’s much more suited to adults rather than pandering to MTV crowds. Though not as good as “Rocky Balboa” you have to appreciate his enthusiasm in sending his career off with a bang. From Stallone’s performance revolving around grunts and grumbles, to a self-important plot, right down to a series of bloody action sequence, “Rambo” is an entertaining, bloody send off to a rather corny character.