Rambo: Last Blood

Even though i enjoyed Last Blood i feel like the franchise could have comfortably ended with Rambo 4. Rambo had just fought in the biggest and most brutal battle of his life and then returned to his family home, it felt like closure. Last Blood feels like it wasn't originally meant to be a Rambo movie but it's still a hell of a good time for Stallone fans and fans of no bull action movies.

Apparently this movie upset some fragile critics who called it a "Trumpian fantasy" whatever the hell that is supposed to mean, i wish those losers would stop trying to create drama and controversy where there is none. The fact that the film made back almost twice it's budget in theatres is the sweet icing on the cake.

Anyway, this time Rambo is fighting a more personal battle as he attempts to rescue the daughter of a close friend who's been kidnaped by a sex ring in Mexico. Stallone as always nails it as the hard as stone warrior we all love but now he has an almost softer more emotional side to him which i really enjoyed. The action scenes are insanely violent with heads exploding from shotgun blasts, guys behind impaled on spikes, blown up with claymores, stabbed through various parts of their bodies and burnt to a crisp. It's definitely not for the squeamish but this is a Rambo movie, you don't watch one expecting sunshine, rainbows and tea parties. I mean, the final battle in Rambo 4 was like a level from Gears Of War ffs. Also Stallone is 73 years old and looks to be in better condition than most men half his age. He is JACKED and is still believable as an unstoppable force of nature. The story won't win any awards but it also doesn't pretend to be any grander than it needs to be. This is a straight up, grim revenge movie.

Most fans of the series have most likely seen it and don't need a recommendation but check this out if you like hard edged action and want a throwback to the glory days of American action movies.

Goods stuff.

A { - m i c r o - } review .

First and foremost : " Please { d o n ' t ⭐ } watch this with your { - M I N O R - } children/siblings/relatives/friends/wards, whether at the theatre - O R - in a home setting ". If { Y O U } are an - a d u l t - then in most, if not all, countries ; you could legally take her/him/them with you to the Cinema, ( even though the film is rated " R " ), but I beseech you, again, please... - just - d o n ' t . This is a complete & utter B L O O D B A T H 😱 of a film, not to mention that it incorporates, for the better part of the picture, what is ( tantamount )... to a BRUTAL 💥❕.... " FULL BLOWN, Drug Cartel { A N D } hard-drugs laced, s** trafficking documentary " .

Glad I got that out of the way. W E L L , so now here's the funny thing. I grew up absolutely, positively { L O V I N G ⭐❕} Sylvester Stallone 💎 , & films - L I K E - the Oscar Winning " ROCKY " , 'Escape to Victory', 'Demolition Man', 'Cliffhanger', 'The Specialist', 'Assassins', & 'Cobra' ; as well as - A L L - those truly { i c o n i c ⭐ } "Created or inspired by Stallone" F r a n c h i s e s . ( "Rocky", "The Expendables", "Escape Plan"... yup, I'm sure you get the idea by now ). I mean, come on, f r a n k l y ... What active, boisterous & generally "Energetic", self-respecting 'young-dude' . . . . . D I D N ' T ❔❕.

{ h o w e v e r } : the " S k y - H i g h " levels of SHEER BODILY DISMEMBERMENT, & just Outright All-round { c a r n a g e 😱 } in 'Rambo : Last Blood'... really did take me - v e r y - aback, indeed. This, the ' 5th And Final ' ( Thank Heavens❕) instalment in the series well & truly is a ' whole-another-A N I M A L ' . Y e t , in closing, ( & speaking - o f - those wonderful creatures ), I must note, & with " p o i n t e d { 👇❕} " Irony, at that ; the following . " Ever-mysterious-and-conflicted " will the { - h u m a n - } Animal.... always be " . And what is the reason I say this ? . Well , ' Tis because . . . even after having said { A L L } that :

I found myself Whooping for ' s l y ' Stallone thru the entire finalé , & with a " p a s s i o n " , at that { 💥❕} " . So if I'm to be { - R E A L L Y - } honest with myself , this film scores " 7.50 Crazy, Chaotic, Raucous, Rambunctious Marks Out Of 10 " .

Dark, brutal, graphic and extreme are some of the words I would use to sum this movie up. Pretty standard story but it does take us to some unexpected dark places. Sly does what he does best in a strong, silent brooding role. The big winner here is the action. As we come to expect the final climatic battle is very violent and graphic but executed very very well.

OK, so I have to admit: I can't help but love Sly Stallone. The guy just keeps coming back succesfully, against all odds. Who would have thought that he could pull off another Rambo flick at age 73? Well, I'm glad he did, because besides Liam Neeson, Denzel Washington and Mel Gibson, who are we gonna turn to for some old school, old-man-on-a-revenge-spree flick?

I was a big fan of First Blood, but didn't care so much for the second (too cartoonish) and third (too friggin' awful) installments. The fourth however, was just amazing. A slow build up, a suspenseful breakout and then cathartic violence. That last action sequence, where Rambo goes totally berserk and makes minced meat out of a whole army, I mean, come on, that was awesome.

The fifth Rambo is a little different in that it is more of a generic revenge flick in its setup. But only in its setup though. As soon as Rambo starts maiming and killing, this movie goes so far over the top you can't help but cheer him on. This is one bloody movie. Last blood it may be, but it is many a full bucket of it.

I also like how Rambo is more vulnarable in this flick. Stallone gets to use more of his acting chops in this one.

I know it's a lot to ask, and maybe I shouldn't even hope for it, but damn it, I sure would like another one of these.

Don't listen to the critics if you're a fan of Rambo you're gonna enjoy this a lot. It's not the best in the franchise but still very enjoyable. Without giving away spoilers here's a brief summary of the story Rambos niece is kidnapped by Mexican drug cartels and is up to Rambo to find her. So do yourself a favour and go and see this film.