Reviewing Rambo
I gave Rambo a chance because of how much I enjoyed the Rocky films – and the two couldn’t be more different. Rambo is closer to the Predator films than to any movie about underdogs and triumphing over obstacles – it’s a hyper-violent series that never really gives a happy ending. Rambo says in his final film that he’s “seen how black a man’s heart can be”, and I wonder if he’s talking about his own. Yes, Rambo is the guy we’re supposed to be rooting for. But from the very first film, he’s the kind of guy who resists arrest, assaults police officers, and deliberately destroys buildings in small towns owned by innocent people who don’t even know he exists. The first film really leans into the conversation of the traumas of war and how many soldiers can never really “turn it off”. That said, the series eventually turns into a search for evil people for Rambo to brutalize.
At the end of the day, I watch movies to be entertained and inspired. Rambo doesn’t seem set out to accomplish those goals. Rambo 3-5 in particular really delve into some of the darkest corners of men’s hearts. I know that child soldiers, human trafficking, and torture are real and all too prevalent in the real world. But that doesn’t mean I want to spend a Thursday evening watching it be depicted in graphic detail. There’s a time and a place to talk about the horrors of the real world – but there’s also a wise way to do it. I don’t know if the Rambo films are the best way.
I will say this – Rambo sticks to its guns with the idea that you cannot truly vanquish evil without becoming it. Ironically, the films simultaneously tell us that evil cannot be vanquished at all. No matter how many men Rambo tears to pieces, there always seem to be hundreds more just around the corner. As this hyper-masculine man grows colder and colder, he seems no closer to a world without the evil he takes upon himself. Maybe there’s a sermon in there – but I certainly wouldn’t use any clips from these movies to illustrate in front of a congregation.
First Blood (***1/2)
This film may have been about Vietnam at the time, but watching it in 2023 makes me think much more about how similar Rambo is to the self-image of dozens of mass shooters America sees every year. First Blood is thought-provoking, controversial, and not for the faint of heart.
Rambo: First Blood Part II (***1/2)
Melodramatic, hyper-masculine bravado at its finest. What’s not to like about Rambo bringing a knife to a gunfight?
Rambo III (**1/2)
While there’s still a nonsensical amount of Stallone being a literal one-man-army that will delight his fans, there’s also some of the darkest subject material yet for the franchise (child soldiers being one example) - and that definitely made it less fun for me.
Rambo (*)
A bloody, stomach-churning, malicious nightmare. Yes, this is exactly what they were going for. No, I would never recommend this to anyone ever.
Rambo: Last Blood (***)
While just as brutal and dark as any of its predecessors, the beating heart beneath this finale is evident enough to make it a fitting conclusion.