John Rambo is back and older than ever, a limitation Sylvester Stallone has never let get in his way in the name of filmmaking.
Rambo: Last Blood tells the tale of veteran Green Beret John Rambo, a man who has seen enough war to fill four previous films, now taking on a threat to his own home while facing his past and a Mexican drug cartel. Or so the trailer tells us. Arming himself with knives, guns, bows, and a booby-trapped house that Kevin Macallister would be jealous of, Rambo plans to end anyone who crosses him. Needless to say, this might be a bigger blood bath the last movie in the series, Rambo (2008).
The premise is ridiculous given a man of seventy-three is taking on an army of gunmen and when told of the new film I admit a snicker past my lips. However, and this is a big however, the trailer looks kind of amazing in the way a one might find any outlandish action movie where fools get wrecked by swinging rake traps and farmland rigged with sky-filling explosives. This is not to let the unbelievability be a reason to let a janky movie off the hook, but with so many of Stallone’s ventures, you know what you are in for.
The saving grace of later day Stallone is his care with iconic characters he takes pride in. Creed could have been a mess, though Sly took realistic measures to make Rocky Balboa into a modern-day version of what that character might have become while still keeping the heart of the original. Lest we forget, First Blood (1982) where we are first introduced to John Rambo as a delicate character study of a soldier who came home only to be persecuted for his service, pushed to retaliate and eventually break down with serious emotion. Taking the character forward, the trap of 80’s over-the-top action movies morphed him from the core purpose of Rambo’s catharsis and making him a killing machine. Hopefully, Rambo: Last Blood will show Rambo the same respect of character as with Balboa, though with a smidgen of the old ultra-violence he is known for.
The title, I will say, is a tad on the nose but, hey, that might be the least of its problems. We’ll just have to wait and see when Rambo: Last Blood hits theaters September 20th, 2019. Until then, check out the trailer and judge for yourself. Rambo: Last Blood is directed by Adrian Grunberg and stars Sylvester Stallone, Paz Vega and Sheila Shah.
Could this be Rambo’s redemption after a mediocre later series of films? Share your thoughts below.
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