Rambo (2008)
2008
R
92 Minutes
When governments fail to act on behalf of captive missionaries, ex-Green Beret John James Rambo sets aside his peaceful existence along the Salween River in a war-torn region of Thailand to take ac...
User Review
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Rambo returns to doing what he does best, soaking jungles in blood and guts. Admittedly, I've never seen any of the previous instalments, so I was unsure what I was letting myself in for. Safe to say that the certification it obtained was very much needed because this was extremely violent. Outrageously bloody, packed full of bullets relentlessly severing limbs and Stallone being a total badass as usual. Just a shame about the supporting characters and clichéd plot. John Rambo has been quietly living in Thailand, to which he is soon tasked with saving the lives of various captives from a group of savage Burmese military officials. Very few words are spoken by Rambo, as he lets his piercing arrows do the talking. Cracking craniums, detaching arms and slicing bodies in half. His weaponry is the stuff of Gods. Stallone puts the majority of the camera's focus into the blazing action and visceral savagery of these freedom fighters, often far too distressing to watch. Seriously. Inhumane actions that manage to convey some totally unexpected emotional impact. That's before Rambo continues his rampage across the thick jungles of Burma, making you fist pump the air as he decimates an entire squad like some sort of avenging deity. The "damsel in distress" plot is somewhat outdated and acts as flimsy motivation for Rambo, detracting from the true monstrous story at play. The innocent group of individuals wanting to help civilians and the mercenaries sent to save them were functional as characters, just slightly dull and unmemorable. A few stupid scenes, particularly the atomic bomb explosion, diminished the realism of its environment and possibly made me face palm. Also the CGI gore was noticeable at times, yet fortunately infrequent. The concluding thirty minutes of bodies flying in every direction and exploding like blood-filled water balloons can be mind-numbing, but I'll be damned if this wasn't some old-school fun.0 member like this review.
