“Live for nothing or die for something. Your call.” —John Rambo
Today’s quick review: Rambo. John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone), an American veteran living in Thailand, reluctantly agrees to escort Sarah Miller (Julie Benz) and the rest of her Christian aid mission upriver into war-torn Burma. But when their village is attacked and its occupants slaughtered, Rambo must lead a team of mercenaries to rescue Sarah and the other survivors from the clutches of a bloodthirsty army that has been terrorizing the region.
Rambo is a gritty action movie and war drama. Sylvester Stallone reprises the iconic role of John Rambo, now an older man leading a quiet life in Thailand. The fourth movie in the Rambo series, Rambo has a darker tone than its predecessors. The movie puts the horrors of war front and center, dropping its hero into a decades-long conflict where sadistic troops torture and murder innocent victims.
As an action movie, Rambo comes off as rather bleak. Gore abounds, but it lacks the sanitized quality of the earlier films in the series. Rather than soldiers fighting soldiers, Rambo focuses on the wholesale massacre of innocents. John Rambo and his allies eventually fight back, but even the cathartic violence of the second half of the film can’t wash away the grime. Rambo works well enough as a grim action movie, but it’s too heavy for escapism.
Rambo falls short as a drama. The setup has potential, but the film never follows through on it. John Rambo and Sarah Miller are supposed to be the heart of the story, but John is as laconic as ever and Sarah has only a few scenes before getting captured. What should be a rekindling of purpose in a jaded veteran comes off as a rote rescue mission. The basic structure of the plot works well enough, but the drama could have been much more personal.
Try Rambo when you’re in the mood for the darker side of the action genre. Its lackluster drama keeps Rambo from hitting the mark, but it does have enough gory action to satisfy action fans. Those hoping for a return to the nuance of First Blood will be disappointed. For a gritty survival movie with less action, try Deliverance. For a bleak political thriller that looks at life in a war zone, try The Constant Gardner.
7.0 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for violent but satisfying action marred by a poorly executed story.