John Rambo

With a gap of 20 years between "Rambo III" from 1988 and "Rambo" from 2008, then expectations were quite high for me towards this movie. And having grown up as a teenager with the likes of the "Rambo" trilogy, then the 2008 "Rambo" movie was long awaited.

And now having seen "Rambo" a couple of times, I can with all sincerity claim that this 2008 movie was great. It is a good addition to the "Rambo" franchise, and it is right back in track and in tune with the old movies, although a hint of political correctness can be seen throughout the movie. But wanting to add a new layer to the "Rambo" movies, was an okay change of pace for director Sylvester Stallone (also starring in this 2008 movie).

In this 2008 movie the story takes place in war-torn Burma. Vietnam veteran John Rambo is living a reclusive life in Thailand, away from his past and the life of a soldier. But trouble always has a way to slither back, and manages to do so again when Rambo is tracked down and asked to help a group of mercenaries trek into Burma.

The story in "Rambo" was good, as it has been in the previous movies. But it is not the story which is the main attraction here, it is the abundance of action, of course. And "Rambo" offers more than enough action to satisfy us old fans of the franchise, as well as catering to a whole new audience.

The acting in "Rambo" is what you would and could expect from a movie of this type. You know exactly what you get here, and people do not disappoint. Sylvester Stallone does what he does best here in this 2008 movie, and he proved that he was more than up for the task of bringing new life to the "Rambo" franchise.

"Rambo" was missing Col. Samuel Trautman (played by Richard Crenna in the previous three movies). But given his death in 2003, it was of course not possible. I just think that the Trautman character was almost as much a part of the "Rambo" franchise as John Rambo himself. But of course, it is a matter of personal preference.

I thoroughly enjoyed this 2008 movie, and it is right at home next to the other "Rambo" movies in any movie collection.

Take the first 20 minutes of "Saving Private Ryan" - with soldiers limbs being shot off at the D-Day landing at Omaha Beach, add some magnificent jungle scenery and action a la "Tears Of The Sun, and put it all in " Blackhawk Down" mode with gunfire dominating the film....and you have the latest Rambo movie.

Hey, I knew it was going to be a tough, adventure story but this was a shock. I've never seen so many heads blown off, limbs blasted away with blood spurting out and holes blasted in the middle of chests and stomachs in one movie in my life.....and it's only 81 minutes long! (The last dozen minutes are ending credits.) Man, this is almost non-stop action and suspense/ Yeah, a bunch of it is overdone but overall, it still was an entertaining movie.

I know it sounds like some dumb Texas Chainsaw Massacre-type thing, but it wasn't despite the mayhem. There actually was a small story with a decent message about making your life stand for something. "Rambo Gets A Conscience" could be another title to this movie.

However, if you are the least bit squeamish about bloody violence, you better skip this movie. If you enjoy a good action movie and don't care if it gets a little gross in spots, this is your cup of tea......in spades. If you have any hostility in you, after 80 minutes of watching this, it should be gone.

After an absence of 20 years, Sylvester Stallone's "John Rambo" comes back to the screen. Rambo is the kind of guy you don't want on your college debate team but he's a number one draft choice on the field of battle. He's a man of few words and a lot of testosterone. With veins popping out of his arms like a 25-year-old bodybuilder, Stallone looks more juiced than Barry Bonds but at least it makes him look the part, even if he does have bags under his eyes. I liked Stallone's comeback in the recent "Rocky Balboa" better, but this was still an entertaining flick.

The middle-aged John Rambo was more realistic than the male missionary, "Michael Burnett," who was a bit obnoxious for who he was playing. I've met a number of missionaries and none of them act or sound like this guy, but that's the film world for you. The guy with the Australian accent who was the "leaders" of the mercenary group was a bit over-the-top and cartoon-like with the profanity. With him, and the Burmese rebel leader, you had no probably identifying who the a-holes were in this movie, and who were the good guys. They weren't too subtle about that. Then again, the action scenes weren't too subtle, either - but it was entertaining, in a sick sort of way.

One last thing that everyone should agree with: this was nicely filmed, with fantastic jungle scenery. Kudos for cinematographer Glen MacPherson and director Stallone for some incredible shots. I cannot imagine how good this must look on a high-definition disc.

There isn't a dull second in this film. It is full of memorable & cinematic "moments" and packed with insane carnage, all with tourniquet-tight editing (Extended Cut only hits the end credits at just over 90 minutes). Even the slow start is almost serene, using the Apocalypse Now ever-flowing, insidiously slow but constant stream to lure us into a deeper part of our own selves. To deliver us, along with a group of believers, into a true hell on earth.

"Nothing does change. It's what is."

As my first viewing now since having seen the first three, I can appreciate the way this film mythologizes the character. This is done in part through School Boy's reverence, which adds a great counterbalance to the chemistry of the cast. We also revisit the human core of the first installment, from the dialogue scene in the rain to the close up of his knife sinking with the boat-symbolizing the indefinite struggle of a PTSD veteran who has to live with the heavy soul of his past. And the St. Francis prayer recited in the backdrop of the weapon-welding montage: a prayer of opposites, of contradictions, of embracing humility and forgiveness in the face of evil. A prayer of philosophical inquisition-an appeal directly to God to help one understand and navigate the world around us with greater wisdom and clarity. It is a fitting theme for John Rambo.

"Where there is darkness, light."

Granted, the film is not a cerebral one, but it has some fitting choices for mood and set up. The peaceful stream to doom is abruptly juxtaposed by a sheer brutality that is so extreme, it can really only be matched by the unrestrained amount of violence onscreen throughout the last act. Could Stallone have capitalized on this earlier mood and went with more stealth à la First Blood? Sure, but given how perfect the pacing is and the pointed catharsis of the film's setup & violent delivery, I find it quite forgivable how shamelessly the film forgoes drama and suspense, all without betraying character. In this way, Rambo truly is a staple barebones action film. A fitting peak in the series as a manifestation of his inner war.

The baddies are paper thin and one-dimensional, but the Tatmadaw Burmese militia being a real entity and perpetrators of genocide gives the antagonists weight. The solid score from Brian Tyler is built around Jerry Goldsmith's classic theme from the earlier installments, yet polished free of the 80s vibe (Battle Adagio stands out as John Rambo's new theme). Visually, the post-production CGI blood is poor and detracting. I don't know how much of that can be attributed to the feature's comparatively lower budget having been independently made by Stallone. Nonetheless, I admire the man's passion for the legacy that his films leave for his fans.

David Morrell, the writer of the original novel "First Blood", has said this is the closest in tone he has seen any of the movies get to the character he wrote. Personally, I think Rambo 4 has the best of both worlds: a sincere depiction of an aged Rambo and the over-the-top action, brutality, and thrills of Rambo II & III. I'd even say it is the best of all the Rambo movies.

A straight action film only Stallone could deliver. Nobody else could direct such an uncompromising pursuit of battle. The battle sequences of this movie are glorious and violent in a way that is special, a new extreme level of tension was achieved in my opinion and I don't say this in blind excitement.

This movie delivers a movie-high that is not often attempted. Movies usually hold back or simply fail at achieving visceral action and instead try to balance themselves between action, plot, drama, comedy, etc, and in many cases in modern films this only lowers the quality of the experience. The downfall of Rambo you could say is its small concern for character drama, indeed the scenes looking at the female lead and the mercenary group are pretty poorly acted (though this allows the scenes to focus on Stallone's disregard for their antics, it can get annoying to sit through).

The mercenary group's character were so over the top in acting however it came off like farce to me which was actually really entertaining, seeing their macho lines fall dead in the air, Stallone giving them no respect.

The battles were glorious even if the film has flaws, but it focuses on the battle as it should, and achieves glorious cinematic victory. Great experience.

Just watch it, words don't justify it! People didn't believe Sly still had it, but they were so wrong. After the the great performance at Rocky Balboa I expected another great performance for him. But this was even better than I imagined. You don't have to be an Stallone fan to enjoy this movie. If you like action movies, this one is for you. A word of caution though, this isn't for the light hearted, there are some serious violence in this movie. I am gonna say this is one of the best action movies I have seen in a long time. But you don't have to take my word for it, just watch it. It's better than the previous Rambo films. Expcept for about 15 minutes in the middle, the whole film is action packed. You can't possibly be bored. If you hate action movie or if you have something against violence, this isn't for you. But if you are not, than sit back and enjoy the legend that is Rambo for one last time.