ALERT: NORMAL GUY REVIEWS MOVIE! Film at 11:00 pm.
WHEN RAMBO DREW FIRST BLOOD
Even back in the 80's HBO was a premium channel. My family didn't have HBO when I was growing up, but my grandparents did. I remember spending the night at my grandparents' house when I was a kid in the 80's and watching RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II for the first time. I had never seen something so intense and powerful in my young life. My grandparents recorded it for me and I watched it all the time growing up. It isn't a stretch to say that Rambo II may be the genesis of my love of the Action film genre.
I saw the original FIRST BLOOD in my early teens. I was too young to understand the politics when I first saw Rambo II, but with the original film and its very different portrayal of the protagonist I first began noticing something was very wrong. Struggling with injustice, hypocrisies, and the evils of the world is, to me, the core of the franchise and the character. The previous four films all stem from real world events and issues of the time in which they were made. And in these footsteps so too does the latest and presumably last film in the series, RAMBO: LAST BLOOD.
In short, I loved this movie. Is it for everybody? Absolutely not. It is dark. It is dour. It portrays very real evils of the world without a shred of light. This film goes to levels that the JOHN WICK franchise wouldn't dare tread. The worst thing the John Wick films ever did was kill a dog. Rambo: Last Blood has an actual meaningful and soul-shattering death in it as opposed to the admittedly cruel and heartbreaking death of a puppy in John Wick. The death of John Wick's dog feels like the perfect excuse Baba Yaga needed to do what he secretly had been wanting to do all along. Whereas THE death in Rambo V feels like the only appropriate and decent response to the real world monsters who prey upon innocence.
This is why the film character of Rambo will always remain the untouchable and undisputed king of action movie heroes... in my opinion, of course.
THE PLOT
Rambo, upon returning home and reacquainting with family he hadn't seen in decades, finally finds a measure of peace in his life. His 18 year old niece, seeking a degree of closure, asks to see her child-abandoning father across the Mexican/American border. Knowing full well the area of Mexico in which her scum of the earth father lives, she is told not to go by her grandmother and uncle. Desperately needing answers, she sneaks across the border without their knowledge and is abducted by the cartels. Rambo crosses the border to find her and bring her home, but what he finds is far crueler and darker than anything he has ever seen.
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
If you're squeamish at all this movie may be too much for you to handle. Think of the movie LOGAN with arguably an even more brutal climax.
Let's provide context first. The original First Blood film is a very different film from what would come after. Rambo: First Blood Part II transforms the character and story into a more grandiose blockbuster action film, but with very real world concerns at its core. Rambo III feels like an extension of Rambo II, taking the epic action to the next level. RAMBO (2008 a.k.a. Rambo 4) dials back the Hollywood esthetics and transforms the franchise again into something very real, ugly, and intense. When I saw Rambo 4 I was blown away. It became a benchmark for action films and intensity. Horror films need to study R4 and take notes. To this day I still look at R4 as a high water mark for action films, pure and undiluted (meaning to humor, no romance, no other genres bleeding in like most blockbuster action films of today).
It seems movies nowadays have to make you laugh, thrill you, and excite you all in one film. Pure genre films seem to be a rarity today... but I digress.
It seems movies nowadays have to make you laugh, thrill you, and excite you all in one film. Pure genre films seem to be a rarity today... but I digress.
Anyway, Rambo: Last Blood once again changes things up from where we've been before. The previous film ended with Rambo finally returning home. We are shown a Rambo at home, not in prison or self-imposed exile or in a war-torn country. But even at home he's still at war with the traumas of his past, taking medications to keep his mind in order. At first glance it appears as if this "Man of War" has at last achieved peace. But even at home he finds peace is something that will forever be denied him. War and violence find him, as they always do, and they have taken a different shape: the Cartels. There is no happy ending for a man like Rambo.
While this new film reframes the landscape we're used to seeing him in, Rambo: Last Blood maintains similar esthetic to R4. It is dark, dour, and uncompromising. It's a pure hardcore action thriller. And when I say this movie goes dark, I mean it. So few movies tread this level of darkness. The setup of the Mexican cartels as pure evil is extremely effective. I wanted those cartel monsters dead in a serious way. If you ever had the idea that Hollywood had watered down Rambo into merely another popcorn franchise, this film is a stark wake up call. Rambo is more intense now than he's ever been and every bit the legendary figure he should be.
The story is straight forward and striking. The pacing is quick, the filmmakers not wasting a single moment. The lighting for the film is extraordinary too, in particular the scene where Rambo's niece confronts her father. And the contrast between light and darkness is beautifully rendered, both literally and figuratively. The build up to the film's climax is expertly done, by the end of the film both Rambo and the filmmakers hold nothing back. And Rambo delivers the justice in spades. Rambo threatens the final villain with a phrase that's usually taken figuratively, but this time Rambo meant it literally. And it is gloriously gruesome. I literally lurched out of my seat and applauded as Rambo dispatched the final villain.
I know I've droned on about this movie by now, but I really enjoyed this film. I think it might be my favorite movie of the year so far. Too few movies of late have carried this much power and gravitas. These last two Rambo films are nothing short of incredible.
I'll admit that this movie isn't for everybody and a far amount may not be able to handle it. But not every movie should be made for everybody. These filmmakers know exactly who Rambo is and what Rambo want to be. And in that individuality is where Rambo sets himself apart from the crowd to become something truly legendary. Okay, I'm finally done kissing ass now, I promise. Well, maybe...
The story is straight forward and striking. The pacing is quick, the filmmakers not wasting a single moment. The lighting for the film is extraordinary too, in particular the scene where Rambo's niece confronts her father. And the contrast between light and darkness is beautifully rendered, both literally and figuratively. The build up to the film's climax is expertly done, by the end of the film both Rambo and the filmmakers hold nothing back. And Rambo delivers the justice in spades. Rambo threatens the final villain with a phrase that's usually taken figuratively, but this time Rambo meant it literally. And it is gloriously gruesome. I literally lurched out of my seat and applauded as Rambo dispatched the final villain.
I know I've droned on about this movie by now, but I really enjoyed this film. I think it might be my favorite movie of the year so far. Too few movies of late have carried this much power and gravitas. These last two Rambo films are nothing short of incredible.
Overall Ranking: 8 out of 10
I'll admit that this movie isn't for everybody and a far amount may not be able to handle it. But not every movie should be made for everybody. These filmmakers know exactly who Rambo is and what Rambo want to be. And in that individuality is where Rambo sets himself apart from the crowd to become something truly legendary. Okay, I'm finally done kissing ass now, I promise. Well, maybe...
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