STALLONE IS JOHN RAMBO!!!

Forget everything.  Forget EVERYTHING.  The bad writing, the bad acting, the ridiculous plot, everything.  

Stallone rips a man's throat out with his bare hands.  He hacks a man's head off with a machete.  He guts a man and kicks him down a hill, sending intestines flying everywhere.  It is the best theater experience I have had for quite some time.

Rarely have we seen such bloodletting.  With Rambo behind the .50 cal, men are destroyed.  We see arms, legs, heads, fly off.  A truckful of men explode like ripe tomatoes.  A boat with gunner on board fares little better.

Rambo is back, with a marginal script, a ludicrous plotline, a fuck you attitude and an atmosphere straight out of First Blood.  Stallone grunts his way through his lines, the plot moves unerringly towards a slaughter, and the bad guys are bad bad BAD!  The movie is an hour of horrid slaughter of the innocents followed by a half hour of horrid slaughter of the guilty, and goddamn does it work like a charm.  This movie is so good that it feels like one of the wonderful movies that my generation only got to experience on VHS.  The visuals are raw and functional; every other aspect, from script to acting, is the same.

Do not expect anything other than a sequel to First Blood.  With gruesome violence, a war mentality, and a mono-syllabic star, you know what you're getting into.  Enjoy it for what it is, and it's the best of the action films, embarrassing attempted trash epics like Shoot 'Em Up and Crank.  This is how it really should be, down and dirty with no apologies.

Hey,

Yeah, I liked it too. Although apparently not as much as you.

The tone of this one is definitely more inline with First Blood then Part II or III, which you seem to like a lot. I personally really liked Part II, with it's ridiculous plot and bad acting. I figured something like that wouldn't go over as well today but was still kind of hoping he'd do something like that.

So, while I was kind of let down by that, this movie was still a really good movie for what it was. Story wise it was very minimalist, but that was kind of refreshing. They get you to really, really, hate the bad guys. Then Rambo takes them to school. Simple, but satisfying.

Visually, I don't think I've ever seen gore on this level. The second half of the movie is full of people getting ripped up right and left in a kind of semi-exaggerated way. Think Kill Bill lite, so it's kind of rooted in reality. Then multiply the quantity of kills by like 200. I haven't seen that many Asians die since Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

I also agree that Stallone is good in it. He's super intense and a bad ass. I'll second your STALLONE IS JOHN RAMBO claim.

This was super base film making. A raw and visceral experience. But for what it was I think this served it well. I enjoyed it and I recommend it. However, First Blood Part II is still my favorite one.

I don't understand why it's getting such bad reviews. One thing that occurred to me though is that the film does kind of have a politically incorrect moral lesson. I thought it was kind of funny though. What ever to each his own.

sheepwalker

This is the first Rambo movie I've ever seen, and it won't be the last. The last half of the movie is nonstop violence and gore. I didn't think the plot wasn't as bad as some have een saying, and I thought the acting was actually pretty decent. The directing was realling good, I love the gritty style that is used. With that said... even though the plot isn't horrible, it's not great either. I can tell Stallone really wanted this movie to be gripping, but the action is what carried this movie. Good stuff.

~Zack~

Stallone is John Rambo, so yea, 3rd me on that

I mean honestly, who else has brought back franchise characters and still make u believe they are still them, no matter how old they are.

I like everything about it, I only had wished for longer story. Recommends!

Sorry, guys. You will probably disagree with me, seeing as how it seems like you all LOVED it. I do feel that it was the best "Rambo" film yet, which says alot considering that it has been 15 years since the last one came out. I credit Stallone for making what would be considered a cheap shot -- making second-rate sequels f starring yourself, directing yourself, and creating vehicles for yourself just for the sake of keeping your career above water -- and instead, making two of the best films on his resume. First, he did it with Rocky Balboa, preserving the series' phenomenal spirit. And now, his Rambo features one of the most raw battle sequences I've seen in a long while.

Yet still, I find the lack of substance both disappointing and tragic... I wanted an AWESOME action film a la Bourne Ultimatum; instead, I got a meandering plot mixed with hardcore action. The payoff was great; the overall product, however, was just okay.

6 out of 10 for me. Again, I enjoyed the battles; 2-D supporting characters and low-rate plot just ruined it for me.

I will post a more officiated review later; I've already sent it to Don.