Rambo Returns — ‘Rambo: First Blood Part II’/ ‘Rambo III’ — Double Feature

Theme: “To survive war, you’ve gotta become war.”

Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) Credit: Tri-Star Pictures/ Carolco

Welcome back to Double Feature! Check out my previous double, on Alien and Lifeforce, here!

“They don’t make them like they used to” is an overused sentiment I think remains applicable to action cinema. It depresses me to be affirmed year after year, each time I watch a new action film. Despite sporting budgets that could feed a small village for decades, the latest in technology enabling creatives to put on screen just about anything the mind can imagine without even touching latex or getting a splinter, these modern action films, while impressive and still occasionally entertaining, lack the cohesion, charisma, sense of danger and fun, invention, scale, and yes, the staying power of actioners from decades past — *Goldfinger, The Dirty Dozen, The French Connection, Dirty Harry, Rolling Thunder, [First Blood](https://medium.com/movies-with-darren-zouga/first-blood-robocop-action-double-feature-982a96ed4c1f), 48 Hrs., [The Terminator](https://fanfare.pub/top-seven-schwarzenegger-sci-fi-films-b99c4c55f8bf), [Commando](https://medium.com/@darrenzouga/road-house-commando-80s-action-double-feature-50ba87267930), Police Story, [Lethal Weapon](https://medium.com/movies-with-darren-zouga/lethal-weapon-lethal-weapon-4-double-feature-4eae8155e563), Robocop, [Die Hard](https://medium.com/@darrenzouga/die-hard-the-package-80s-christmas-action-double-feature-0c26f695b208), [Terminator 2: Judgment Day](https://medium.com/@darrenzouga/visceral-action-in-terminator-2-judgment-day-18ec7faa4a68), Hard Boiled, [Speed](https://fanfare.pub/speed-1994-what-i-learned-from-this-mile-a-minute-thriller-d2d03a9f2e72), Leon*, to name a small few.

I could easily make a case for any one the above as the greatest action film of all time. But today, I’m pairing Sylvester Stallone’s notoriously jingoistic 1985 sequel Rambo: First Blood Part II (which turned 40!) with it’s even more maligned brother (“He ain’t heavy”) Rambo III, released in 1988. These derided movies prove, that ’80s pure action, even at its most basic, outclasses today’s action flicks any day.

Let’s get to the films.

Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985, Dir. George P. Cosmatos)

Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) Credit: Tri-Star Pictures/ Carolco

Starting off with a bang (literally, the first shot is of a rock quarry section being dynamited), we’re quickly reunited with Stallone’s iconic John J. Rambo, incarcerated for blowing up half a small, Jerkwater, USA town in the previous film. He’s serving time turning big rocks into little rocks. That explains how he’s been able to maintain the muscle tone, I guess.

He’s called to a fence by a returning Richard Crenna as his former teacher and Delta Unit commander, Colonel Trautman, who offers him a deal that will earn him a presidential pardon. Rambo declines, until he learns the mission — rescue American POWs deep in Viet Cong Country.

Rambo, a former POW himelf, queries, some hope barely glistening off in the distance of his eyes, “Sir, do we get to win this time?”

We’re then launched into the main titles, with the ultimate movie trailer line: “This time it’s up to YOU.”

Joking aside, for as blunt an instrument (at best) as the Rambo series is, the films always put entertainment first, and despite the questionable politics and various other unpleasantries, some, especially this one achieve that in spades.

Rambo is flown to Thailand, to the tune of Jerry Goldsmith’s exciting opening title theme. His score for the excellent First Blood, the first Rambo film, is my favorite score of all time, but his scores for these first two sequels are up there too — highly underrated action scores for highly underrated action films.

He arrives at a U.S. base, everyone’s sweating (Thailand’s hot, go figure), and Rambo quietly sizes up the situation — computers beeping and clacking, Coke machine full. We meet the bureaucrat in charge, Murdock (Charles Napier).

Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) Credit: Tri-Star Pictures/ Carolco

I have to say, this section’s far from promising. The camerawork is the opposite of interesting, and the framing unflattering. Stallone, presumably having just blown through a set of barbell curls, doesn’t seem to know what to do with his massive, swollen arms, so they just hang their awkwardly, like he’s a vulture — maybe this was a choice.

Thankfully, things quickly pick up, as Rambo is briefed and notes his reddest flag yet — the mission is not to rescue MIA POWs, but to photograph them. To bring back evidence that Americans are still being held captive, with no real promise of the follow-up steps.

Resisting a wink and a “yeah sure, I’ll go take pictures of them…” Rambo tools up. His trusty jagged blade makes a return, and this time, he’s also got a ton of lethal gadgets guaranteed for some explosive fun, including the best weapon ever in an action movie — a bow, with explosives-tipped arrows!

Oh, yes, there will be fire.

After parachuting into Vietnam, Rambo meets his contact, Co (Julia Nickson), who leads him to the camp, where they find POWs very much alive, emaciated and captive.

This movie gets a lot of hate for being nonsensical, jingoistic, brainless, and undeserving of following one of the moodiest, most personal action films of the 80s. I’m happy to sing Rambo: First Blood Part II’s praises, however, because it deserves it. In many ways, it is THE action movie.

Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) Credit: Tri-Star Pictures/ Carolco

The image of Rambo, shirtless, in the jungle, sweating, holding a bow and arrow is emblematic of the action genre.

This perfect action machine is shot by a seasoned Oscar winning cinematographer (Jack Cardiff!), edited by, among others, one the greatest action editors, Mark Goldblatt, scored by one of the greatest composers of all time Jerry Goldsmith; even its sound editing (by Fredrick Brown) was nominated for an Oscar, AND it’s co-written by two of my favorite action writers, Stallone himself, and James Cameron!

People forget this was co-written by James Cameron, and though he distanced himself from it, mostly commenting “I wrote the action scenes, Stallone wrote the politics,” his DNA is all over it, from the concise and effective storytelling, the fast-and-furious head-on personal combat scenes, and, of course, his signature tough fighter-woman with Co.

Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) Credit: Tri-Star Pictures/ Carolco

There’s a handful of touching scenes between Rambo and Co, such as when he explains the word “expendable” after he casually describes himself as such. Later, when she isn’t obliged to, Co tells him he’s wrong. You could see them ending up together, but it isn’t to be.

The piece of cloth he wears around his head this time takes on a different meaning, and people miss this. In First Blood, he was wounded by a ricochet and used some fabric as a bandage. Here, it’s a piece of Co’s clothing she ripped for him to use to cover up an arm wound.

When he rampages in the final act, wearing a part of her clothing, it’s like the two of them are going back into battle together again. It reminds us that everyone he kills, he’s getting revenge for her.

Rambo breaks my heart, and is much better than people think.

The villain here is no Teasle, but thankfully played by possibly the best ‘80s action heavy Stephen Berkoff (also terrific in *Octopussy and [Beverly Hills Cop](https://fanfare.pub/beverly-hills-cop-1984-my-favorite-action-comedy-turns-40-ec47ff40fcd9)*). He only gets one truly standout scene as Soviet Lieutenant Colonel Sergei Podovsky, but it’s great, and involves everyone’s favorite 80’s action trope — torture. Wait, just me?

Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) Credit: Tri-Star Pictures/ Carolco

“You may scream. There is no shame.”

There’s also the prison camp commanders Lieutenant Tay (George Cheung) and Captain Vinh (William Ghent) — the former buys it facing down the wrong end of Rambo’s arrow, to spectacular effect. But perhaps, the most stomach-churning, is the deceitful Murdock.

Following torture, Rambo agrees to contact the base when Podovsky threatens to blind one of the POWs. Murdock gets on, guilty, sweating even more than before, “Rambo, give us your position. We’ll come to get you.”

Then, with thunder and lightning dramatically added for effect, Rambo replies, veins popping and knuckles cracking as he grips the microphone:

“Murdock… I’m coming to get YOU!”

The main draw of Rambo is seeing this powder keg former Green Beret murder artist just go off, in his element. The first time around he let his pursuers live, but this time… it’s war.

Rambo III (1988, Dir. Peter MacDonald)

Rambo III (1988) Credit: Tri-Star Pictures/ Carolco

Trautman tracks down Rambo, last seen leaving the U.S. base in Thailand claiming he’ll live “day by day,” or as Jules Winnfield would say “…walk the Earth, like Caine in Kung Fu”). Rambo is re-introduced, buff and sweaty as ever, gearing up to clang sticks with a tough Thai local. He takes as good as he gives, and emerges victorious. Of course.

Rambo’s using his fight-earned cash, and his bare hands, to help Monks repair a temple. Trautman approaches him with another mission, into the heart of Afghanistan, at the time engaged in a war with Soviet Russia. Rambo declines, but rescinds once he’s approached later and learns Trautman went in without him and was captured, possibly killed.

Rambo leaves the temple, explosive arrows in hand, and… glowsticks?

Rambo III (1988) Credit: Tri-Star Pictures/ Carolco

Mousa: “What does it do?”

Rambo: “It turns blue.”

Cue Guinness’ “most violent movie ever made” (at the time), scored by the legendary Jerry Goldsmith, again, delivering a terrific score.

The score reflects a return to the more dramatic, pensive roots of First Blood — there’s an effort to say more, and for the first time, Rambo finds himself in the middle of a real-world, real-time international conflict.

This backfired, however (the film cost over twice as much as its predecessor to make, but earned a little over half as much), since the conflict was reaching its end, with the Afghan resistance winning. The tide was also changing regarding the relationship between the U.S. and Russia. And of course, the “gallant” Mujahadin, with whom Rambo partners up, would later be associated with the Taliban. Nowadays, with the international view of Russia being possibly worse than ever, Rambo III doesn’t seem as out-of-touch as it did back then.

As for the Mujahadin controversy (something James Bond narrowly avoided the year prior with The Living Daylights), I’ve always found that criticism dumb — the Taliban didn’t exist yet.

In the film, Trautman refers to the conflict as Russia’s Vietnam War. It’s interesting to draw this comparison and have the supposed image of right-wing conservatism join up with the Viet Cong stand-in. What does this say?

Rambo’s there to save his friend, and sees firsthand the spineless slaughtering antics of the stationed Russian forces. Everyone hates a bully. I certainly do.

Rambo III (1988) Credit: Tri-Star Pictures/ Carolco

This is at the heart of why I tend to overlook the supposed politics of the Rambo films. At their heart, they’re about broken, hurting humans fighting hard, but mostly just trying to survive, and occasionally needing a shoulder to cry on, and someone to tell them they’re not expendable.

Rambo III, coming out on the heels of the massive phenomenon that was Rambo: First Blood Part II and at the height of Stallone’s Hollywood career was afforded a huge budget — in fact, it was for a brief period the most expensive film ever made. And it shows.

The breathtaking expansive vistas of Thailand and the sweltering photography of Israel (specifically, Jaffa and Tel Aviv) standing in for Afghanistan are so lush and vast, the word “epic” inevitably comes to mind.

Rambo III (1988) Credit: Tri-Star Pictures/ Carolco

And then there’s the firepower. Clearly seeking to outdo its predecessor, and perhaps every war movie ever made this side of Apocalypse Now, Rambo III has the pew-pew boom-boom market cornered. There’s soldiers on either side armed to the teeth, machine guns, grenades, helicopters, and this time, tanks!

It’s invaluable how just aesthetically, Rambo III stands out as a Rambo film, swapping out the “jungle” for the desert, though in reality it’s always made the film more of an easy target.

This film sees Rambo perhaps better adjusted than ever. I think this is a residual effect of Co from the previous film. He no longer sees himself as expendable. I’m not sure how to feel about some of the character’s moments of humor. They feel right for Stallone, but not for Rambo.

The action is not as slickly covered and edited as its predecessor. It has more singular bursts of action than all-out sequences that build as they go. Still there’s plenty of explosions, more impressive aerial work, hand-to-hand combat, and best of all, we get more instances of Rambo sneaking around, in the dark, clinging to tanks from underneath, and even climbing up a mountain barehanded.

He pulls some dirty tricks with a glowstick in a cave at one point that alone is worth the price of admission.

Rambo III (1988) Credit: Tri-Star Pictures/ Carolco

The main villain, Soviet Colonel Zaysen (Marc de Jonge) is fine, but sadly forgettable, and there’s no Co this time. But we do spend more time with Trautman, going into battle with Rambo for the first time since the Vietnam War) which is fun, as is Rambo’s sweet rapport with a young Afghan boy, Hamid (Doudi Shoua) who’s likely seen more war and death than Rambo ever will.

Don’t believe the derision, Rambo III is a first-rate action film, and for my money, a worthy First Blood sequel.

There you go, a Double Rambo all the way across the sky, for a “Your worst nightmare” (hopefully not) Saturday movie night in!

Make it a Triple Feature with: First Blood (1982). You could keep it going with 2008’s Rambo, but I think these three are better together. 2008’s Rambo is kind of a drag.

Thanks for reading!

What do you think of these Rambo films? What are your favorite action sequels? Let me know in the comments!

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More Double Features:

https://medium.com/@darrenzouga/list/double-feature-9b7c497c625e