Rambo

Rambo



Rocky Balboa and John Rambo were always going to draw a crowd no matter what number you stuck after their names. The characters are iconic favourites and Stallone can trust them to secure his retirement fund.

Rambo or Rambo 4 or even John Rambo (the title changed a few times before release) picks up the titular character trying to escape the horrors of war in a small village downstream of Burma. He lives out his twilight years catching snakes and uttering monosyllabic grunts.

All’s well until a group of Christian do-gooders arrive asking him for transport into Burma. At first he’s adamant he won’t do it, but after some charming, he reluctantly concedes.

The inevitable sequence of events takes place. The do-gooders are captured by the evil Burmese soldiers. And, boy, are these guys evil. They shoot up the whole village killing men, women and children without a care in the world. It’s up to Rambo and a group of Mercenaries to go into the shit and rescue the churchy folk.

Rambo being Rambo, he inflicts maximum carnage on the Burmese soldiers with his bow and arrow, a truck mounted machine gun and a twenty-inch combat knife. Satisfying.

The villains are painted in the darkest shades of black, making it impossible not to delight in their graphic and timely deaths.

Stallone looks like a guy who’s eaten Sylvester Stallone; he’s plain massive. The fact that he’s in his 60’s now doesn’t stop him from playing the ultimate killing machine, pitch perfect.

The rest of the cast are interchangeable faces and only serve to bask in Rambo’s shadow. For this film has only one title, only one character and only one real reason for watching; John Fuckin’ Rambo.

Let’s hope we see a fifth, if this is the quality we can expect.

Verdict 9/10
Sometimes a tad too graphic, but appealing to the desensitized amongst us.