Plot
John Rambo is released from prison by the government for a top-secret covert mission to the last place on Earth he'd want to return - the jungles of Vietnam.

Release Year: 1985

Rating: 6.0/10 (54,298 voted)

Director: George P. Cosmatos

Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Charles Napier

Storyline
John Rambo is removed from prison by his former superior, Colonel Samuel Troutman, for a top-secret operation to bring back POW's still held in Vietnam. Rambo's assignment is to only take pictures of where the POWs are being held, but Rambo wants to get the POWs out of Vietnam. Teamed up with female Vietnamese freedom fighter Co Bao, Rambo embarks on a mission to rescue the POWs, who are being held by sadistic Vietnamese Captain Vinh and his Russian comrade, Lieutenant Colonel Padovsky. Rambo starts killing every enemy in sight while still focusing on his intentions to rescue the POWs. There are also corrupt American officials involved in the mission, including Marshall Murdock, one of Rambo's superiors.

Writers: David Morrell, Kevin Jarre

Cast:
Sylvester Stallone - Rambo
Richard Crenna - Trautman
Charles Napier - Murdock
Steven Berkoff - Podovsky
Julia Nickson - Co
Martin Kove - Ericson
George Cheung - Tay (as George Kee Cheung)
Andy Wood - Banks
William Ghent - Vinh
Voyo Goric - Yushin (as Vojo Goric)
Dana Lee - Kinh
Baoan Coleman - Gunboat Captain
Steve Williams - Lifer
Don Collins - P.O.W. #1
Christopher Grant - P.O.W. #2

Taglines: They sent him on a mission and set him up to fail. But they made one mistake. They forgot they were dealing with Rambo.

Release Date: 22 May 1985

Filming Locations: Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico

Box Office Details

Budget: $44,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend: $25,520,843 (USA) (27 May 1985)

Gross: $300,400,432 (Worldwide)

Runtime: 96 min

Trivia:
During a conversation with Co (Julia Nickson), Rambo says '...I am expendable'. Twenty five years after the release of this film, Stallone directed an ensemble cast in a film titled 'The Expendables'.

Goofs:
Incorrectly regarded as goofs: The Russian helicopter that Rambo captures is, in fact, a Bell UH-1N Twin Huey/B-212 which is used by the American forces, not the Russians. It could however have been captured by the Vietnamese from the Americans and repainted.

Quotes:
[first lines]
Prisoner guard: Let's keep those hammers working!

Dragon Fly. Wolf Den..colorful names.....You may scream, there is no shame.

Rating: 9/10

First Blood and Rambo are completely different movies. They have same two characters bu that is where the similarity ends. First Blood was a tightly wound excellent action picture directed very well by Ted Kotcheff. Rambo is an action extravaganza that is not to high on the psychological element the way the first one was. They are both excellent films but I find them entertaining for different reasons. One of the reasons that I find Rambo so damn entertaining is because I enjoy that Rambo is now larger than life. He is the ultimate fighting machine who's only desire is to win a war that someone else lost, and if winning means he has to die then he'll die, no fear, no regrets. That is what makes Rambo the ultimate fighting machine and the ultimate movie character.

I love this movie. I love how far fetched it is. I love that Rambo can withstand hours of torture and then have enough energy to escape into the jungle and take on the whole Vietnemese and Russian army. That is what makes this movie so damned entertaining. When I was 14, this was my favourite movie, and it took a great many films and years before it was dethroned. I think I can enjoy and appreciate movies like Apocalypse Now and JFK better than when I was 14, but my love for Rambo and films of its kind will never diminish. This movie is amazing from start to finish.

Rambo's mission in this film is to go back to Vietnam and see if he can find a certain camp that may be harbouring POW's. But if he finds these men, he can only take pictures. He has a problem with that and when he does find one he is left behind by the "stinkin bureaucrat" named Murdoch who orders the mission aborted before Trautman can pick him up. It is while Rambo is captured that the movie becomes tight, tense and incredibly entertaining. Rambo is also fun to watch on a physical level. Stallone was in the best shape of his life in 1985 as he simultaneously made Rambo and Rocky IV. He is huge, ripped and strong as hell in this movie and it is his psychical presence that adds to his persona. He single handedly goes through a whole army and lives to go get the bastards that left him behind. Rambo is one of the old school feel good summer type movies.

Rambo does not claim to be JFK or Mississippi Burning in the sense that it wants you to leave the theater with a message. It has its own beliefs that is for certain, but what Rambo does just like Raiders does is, it entertains. It has you rooting and cheering for Rambo and dissing and swearing at the bad guys for 90 minutes. It is so much fun that I highly recommend this film to anyone who likes to be entertained. Leave your politics for some other movie, that is not what Rambo is about. It is about being entertained and wearing your emotions on your sleeve. That is what is beautiful about this movie. It doesn't apologize for being a bit over the top. Neither should you, for enjoying the film. It is a true wonder. A great piece of entertainment.

Comments: