Rambo
Seeing Stallone return to playing one of his most iconic characters ever certainly arouses the old curiosity, and the first issue off the bat is his age, which has been much talked about: Thankfully, the older, craggier Rambo suits the character fine, since Rambo was always meant to be somewhat of a grotesque figure. Now finally, he actually LOOKS that way, as opposed to the younger, movie star look he had in earlier incarnations of the role. We can actually FEAR Rambo more at this point and what he’s capable of, while still being in awe at his killing machine prowess. The film’s real gift though, is in its intelligence combined with easily the most intense violence the series has ever seen: Credit must be given to Stallone for portraying the atrocities in Burma with a completely unflinching eye, holding nothing back as we see men, women, and children being brutally slaughtered. This also brings to mind the central question of the film, as personified by the Christian missionaries: Is it actually WORTH trying to make the world a better place, whether thru peaceful means by bringing medicine and supplies, or by unleashing men like Rambo and the mercenaries to kick ass and take names against evil armies that will inevitably continue growing in reinforcements?? Yes, in the context of the film Rambo saves the day and gives them their just due, and seeing things like the Burmese general preparing to rape a young boy and helpless girls being forced to dance at gunpoint for the soldiers before being gangraped certainly brings a justification for his actions, but really the question can be applied to any number of places in the world where man’s inhumanity to his fellow man occurs on a daily basis, whether it be Iraq, Somalia, Vietnam, or any number of lesser known corners of the globe. Some of the dialogue with the mercenaries reflects this, as they wonder if it’s worth the trouble of bailing out the missionaries when maybe they shouldn’t have bothered trying to bring aid in the first place. Ultimately, it’s all up to the viewer’s own morality to decide if any of the answers are right or wrong, and therein lies the beauty of Stallone’s concept, forcing the viewer to think things thru while we see Rambo change from being a guy who is content to stay out of such conflicts, to ultimately deciding that it’s best to try to save the ones who were brave enough to enter this hellish environment completely unarmed. In some ways, the message of the film gets lost in the gory maelstrom of violence that closes the film, as thrilling and visceral as it is, but Sly deserves credit for coming up with a film that poses a very tough question with no easy answers…
9/10