In the Rambo universe this is the best Rambo movie of the lot. Admittedly we're talking about a limited and perversely esoteric universe, but, hey, that's a given going in.
Why does this film enjoy this lofty perch? It's hard to put your finger on it, but I say it's Sylvester Stallone's relative evolution and maturity as a film maker. Stallone built into the story and into the Rambo character itself some understatement and subtleties not before seen. Understatement and subtleties were never Rambo/Stallone's main calling card, preferring instead brooding and vengeful extreme blunt force trauma, and make no mistake, we get heaping portions of the latter here too, but Stallone layers a little texture into the plot and into John Rambo not much before seen. "Not much before seen" rather than "never before seen" because in truth the first Rambo film, First Blood, did contain texture to the story and to the character, but it was of a different sort (Rambo as mentally unstable, a victim of an unpopular war). Besides, since that first entry Stallone took the franchise and character off in a different direction.
The story begins with Rambo living somewhat contentedly in semi-retirement as a snake hunter and riverboat operator in Thailand. The inner-brooding Rambo, and maybe even traces of the inner-simmering Rambo are still there, but he seems to have to some degree come to terms with himself and the world. He is approached by a team of American Christian missionaries to take them upriver into Burma. The team's leader, Michael Burnett (played by Paul Schulze) earnestly tries to persuade Rambo to take them, but Rambo is having none of it. During this early scene some of Stallone's newly found understatement and subtlety shows itself. Michael, negotiating with Rambo to take them uppriver, tells about their humanitarian mission, while Rambo is tending to his caged snakes. While tersely telling Michael that Michael can't make a difference, Rambo unobtrusively feeds a little white mouse to a snake. Where the old Stallone would've highlighted this act, focused the camera on it, and then made an ostentatious display of the snake devouring the mouse, the mature Stallone does not. The focus is on the conversation and the mouse is in the background, and it happens quickly. We the viewer are left to ponder what we fleetingly saw, and only later realize the conceit of the metaphor.
Rebuffed, Michael gives up. Undeterred, the only woman in the group, the comely Sarah (played by Julie Benz), picks up where Michael left off. She pleads with Rambo in just about every way possible to take them to Burma. Rambo still says no. More than once he tells her to "go home." After pleading doesn't work, Sarah resorts to basically stalking Rambo. In a conversation on the dock in a monsoon-like rain Sarah is able pierce through Rambo's impenetrably hardened exterior, touching him inside. "Maybe you've lost your faith in people. But you must still be faithful to something. You must still care about something. Maybe we can't change what is. But trying to save a life isn't wasting your life, is it?", she asks him. There's something about Sarah that reaches Rambo unlike anyone else, this Rambo or any previous Rambo. And we know at this point that Rambo has in some manner bonded with Sarah, because he finally relents.
As an aside, I briefly wondered if this wasn't a set-up for some sort of love interest for Rambo, however counter-intuitive and implausible given their age differences, but at the same time it seemed possible, being uncertain about the state of Stallone's ego nowadays. Sarah informs Rambo that she and Michael are engaged, and that changed the dynamic, but didn't necessarily dispel the notion. Instead, it was Sarah's persistence and ability to reach Rambo on a purely human level --in no way sexual-- that dispelled it. At one point she says to Rambo, "You have family back home?" Rambo: "Father, maybe. I don't know." To which Sarah says, "Aren't you curious to see how things might've changed back home?" That simple exchange left Rambo at least contemplative, working on the soft inner Rambo, the Rambo of First Blood, who couldn't find his way home after all he'd been through.
The first action scene follows soon, when they are overtaken by well-armed Burmese river pirates. The pirates quickly focus on Sarah, with obvious malevolent lascivious intent. At crunch time, with no way out, Rambo kicks into action, dispatching the numerous pirates with extreme and bloody prejudice in seconds flat. At this point we know that Rambo hasn't lost any bit of a step since we last saw him. We also now see that Rambo has bonded with Sarah, and that he's got her back forever and ever.
Rambo ultimately drops the group off in Burma, where they'll go overland to their destination, and leave that way too, so they bid themselves adieu. But we know it's not really adieu.
What follows for the next 60+ minutes is pretty much your standard issue search and rescue operation, Rambo style. Modern special effects galore. A veritable blood-fest . The film, despite its sensitivities and appeal to the soft side of Rambo, is perfunctorily taken out of the chick-flick genre. A little different twist though: Rambo works with a team of hired mercenaries, led by former SAS commando Lewis (played by Graham McTavish). Also of note is former SAS sniper extraordinaire, "Schoolboy" (played by Matthew Marsden), a loyal and efficient operator who has Rambo's back. Rambo shows himself a capable team player and leader, in addition to being a one-man doomsday machine.
At the end, we see Rambo back in Arizona walking up the drive home to his father's ranch, presumably for the first time since he left oh so many years ago.
Is this the end of the franchise? Maybe. Probably. We'll just have to wait and see. I'm betting it is. Rambo at rest.
Why does this film enjoy this lofty perch? It's hard to put your finger on it, but I say it's Sylvester Stallone's relative evolution and maturity as a film maker. Stallone built into the story and into the Rambo character itself some understatement and subtleties not before seen. Understatement and subtleties were never Rambo/Stallone's main calling card, preferring instead brooding and vengeful extreme blunt force trauma, and make no mistake, we get heaping portions of the latter here too, but Stallone layers a little texture into the plot and into John Rambo not much before seen. "Not much before seen" rather than "never before seen" because in truth the first Rambo film, First Blood, did contain texture to the story and to the character, but it was of a different sort (Rambo as mentally unstable, a victim of an unpopular war). Besides, since that first entry Stallone took the franchise and character off in a different direction.
The story begins with Rambo living somewhat contentedly in semi-retirement as a snake hunter and riverboat operator in Thailand. The inner-brooding Rambo, and maybe even traces of the inner-simmering Rambo are still there, but he seems to have to some degree come to terms with himself and the world. He is approached by a team of American Christian missionaries to take them upriver into Burma. The team's leader, Michael Burnett (played by Paul Schulze) earnestly tries to persuade Rambo to take them, but Rambo is having none of it. During this early scene some of Stallone's newly found understatement and subtlety shows itself. Michael, negotiating with Rambo to take them uppriver, tells about their humanitarian mission, while Rambo is tending to his caged snakes. While tersely telling Michael that Michael can't make a difference, Rambo unobtrusively feeds a little white mouse to a snake. Where the old Stallone would've highlighted this act, focused the camera on it, and then made an ostentatious display of the snake devouring the mouse, the mature Stallone does not. The focus is on the conversation and the mouse is in the background, and it happens quickly. We the viewer are left to ponder what we fleetingly saw, and only later realize the conceit of the metaphor.
Rebuffed, Michael gives up. Undeterred, the only woman in the group, the comely Sarah (played by Julie Benz), picks up where Michael left off. She pleads with Rambo in just about every way possible to take them to Burma. Rambo still says no. More than once he tells her to "go home." After pleading doesn't work, Sarah resorts to basically stalking Rambo. In a conversation on the dock in a monsoon-like rain Sarah is able pierce through Rambo's impenetrably hardened exterior, touching him inside. "Maybe you've lost your faith in people. But you must still be faithful to something. You must still care about something. Maybe we can't change what is. But trying to save a life isn't wasting your life, is it?", she asks him. There's something about Sarah that reaches Rambo unlike anyone else, this Rambo or any previous Rambo. And we know at this point that Rambo has in some manner bonded with Sarah, because he finally relents.
As an aside, I briefly wondered if this wasn't a set-up for some sort of love interest for Rambo, however counter-intuitive and implausible given their age differences, but at the same time it seemed possible, being uncertain about the state of Stallone's ego nowadays. Sarah informs Rambo that she and Michael are engaged, and that changed the dynamic, but didn't necessarily dispel the notion. Instead, it was Sarah's persistence and ability to reach Rambo on a purely human level --in no way sexual-- that dispelled it. At one point she says to Rambo, "You have family back home?" Rambo: "Father, maybe. I don't know." To which Sarah says, "Aren't you curious to see how things might've changed back home?" That simple exchange left Rambo at least contemplative, working on the soft inner Rambo, the Rambo of First Blood, who couldn't find his way home after all he'd been through.
The first action scene follows soon, when they are overtaken by well-armed Burmese river pirates. The pirates quickly focus on Sarah, with obvious malevolent lascivious intent. At crunch time, with no way out, Rambo kicks into action, dispatching the numerous pirates with extreme and bloody prejudice in seconds flat. At this point we know that Rambo hasn't lost any bit of a step since we last saw him. We also now see that Rambo has bonded with Sarah, and that he's got her back forever and ever.
Rambo ultimately drops the group off in Burma, where they'll go overland to their destination, and leave that way too, so they bid themselves adieu. But we know it's not really adieu.
What follows for the next 60+ minutes is pretty much your standard issue search and rescue operation, Rambo style. Modern special effects galore. A veritable blood-fest . The film, despite its sensitivities and appeal to the soft side of Rambo, is perfunctorily taken out of the chick-flick genre. A little different twist though: Rambo works with a team of hired mercenaries, led by former SAS commando Lewis (played by Graham McTavish). Also of note is former SAS sniper extraordinaire, "Schoolboy" (played by Matthew Marsden), a loyal and efficient operator who has Rambo's back. Rambo shows himself a capable team player and leader, in addition to being a one-man doomsday machine.
At the end, we see Rambo back in Arizona walking up the drive home to his father's ranch, presumably for the first time since he left oh so many years ago.
Is this the end of the franchise? Maybe. Probably. We'll just have to wait and see. I'm betting it is. Rambo at rest.