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I
really missed the big galoot...
Do you want to know how good "Rambo" is?
Well, if it had been released in 2007, I
would have had it ranked just outside my Top
10. It is somewhat embarrassing to admit
that because, let's face facts, the
franchise had become a joke after the 1985
and 1988 sequels. Those two efforts had
completely undermined and overshadowed the
brilliance of the original, "First Blood".
This latest effort from actor / writer /
director, Sylvester Stallone, is a
gut-twisting, soul-pounding action adventure
that will have the squeamish running for the
aisles. It is so intensely violent that it
boggles the mind how Stallone managed to
avoid an NC17 or an X. Then again, with the
MPAA's hypocrisy never in doubt, I am not
that shocked.
Years after our last encounter with the
lonesome warrior, we find him living as
peaceful a life as possible on the banks of
a Burmese river. John Rambo has severed all
remaining ties with the outside world,
choosing to survive with his knife, his
arrows and his boat. That existence is
turned upside-down when a peace group
consisting of doctors and missionaries ask
for his assistance in getting up river, deep
the heart of a genocidal Burma.
Rambo's initial reaction is to shun the
group, telling them to "Go home... nothing
can be done here." His defiance lasts only
until Sarah (Julie Benz), a fair-headed
beauty, guilt-trips him into doing something
more with his life. She says, "When you're
trying to save a life, you're not wasting
yours."
I suppose that if there is a theme
underlying all the extreme violence and
carnage of this story, it is this -- "that
it is better to die fighting for something,
than to live fighting for nothing."
When the peace mission goes horribly wrong
and a village is massacred, "Rambo" and a
team of mercenaries are called upon to go in
and rescue Sarah and her colleagues. What
ensues is an astonishing sequence of
brutality, the likes of which has never
really been seen in a mainstream release. I
am pretty good at holding my lunch under any
circumstances, but "Rambo" pushed my
boundaries to the limit. There are some
scenes which obliterate the senses in every
way. If you are looking for a visceral
cinematic experience, make sure to see this
film on a massive screen with a cranked-up
sound system. The 19-inch Sanyo will not do
this film justice.
I loved every single second of this bloody,
disgusting barrage. The scenes were directed
superbly, keeping the audience fully aware
of the unfolding events without any of the
typical confusion seen in most action
flicks. The visuals and the sounds combine
to literally move you in your theater seat.
"Rambo" places you in right next to the
explosions... right next to the relentlessly
rhythmical bass-line of gunfire. There are
no cut-aways in this movie.
With all that praise heaped on the action
scenes, it might be easy to overlook the
unexpected. The acting, the dialogue, the
music, the cinematography -- each and every
aspect of the film is far better than you
would typically suspect from this franchise.
Stallone and Benz are wonderful in what
amounts to an unspoken attraction between
two very different people. Their scenes
together are among the strongest moments in
the movie. Stallone manages to do here what
he managed with "Rocky Balboa" -- he returns
to the roots of the character, creating two
finales that rival the originals in both
franchises. They are both so supremely well
done that one can easily forgive the
directions they took during the mid to late
1980's.
Listen... I went in to this film expecting
very little. I hoped for some action, some
brooding Vietnam resentment, and some of
that familiar Rambo theme music. I got
everything I asked for and a whole lot more.
Without giving anything away, there is a
moment, late in the film, when Rambo stands
atop a hill, staring down at Sarah -- That
moment got to me the way I never expected
possible from this character. It is a very
lonely moment. I felt for the guy. But I
wasn't crying... that was just popcorn
seasoning that got in my eye. I swear!
©
Written by TC Candler |
Director
Sylvester Stallone
Cast
Sylvester Stallone
Julie Benz
Running Time
91m
Rated
R
Official
Website
n/a |
