 | |  |  | | Media: | HD DVD | | Country: | France | | Studio: | Studio Canal | | Cert: | Unrated | | Discs: | 1 |
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Screen captures are for illustration purposes and may not originate from the item reviewed. | | Rambo: First Blood Part II Review| HD DVD review written by Simon Crust, published 14th May 2007 | Supplied for review by  | After taking a look at the HD DVD versions of First Blood and Rambo 3, it is only natural then that I should be given the opportunity to complete the trilogy. As I cast my mind back to those past reviews, it occurs that neither film was as bad I as remember, in fact, in the case of First Blood, I was quite enthralled by how well it held up. However, Rambo: First Blood part 2, is exactly how I remembered it to be, loud, brutish, completely ridiculous and laden with political ham fistedness. It clunks along until its inevitable crass ending. How a third part was commissioned after this tragedy is anyone guess, but then we were mid eighties and within the Regan years; the clearly defined ‘goodies and baddies’ and a holier than though attitude from the central character (“Do we get to win this time?”), perhaps I should be thankful that it all stopped at three. But, of course, we all know that’s no longer true, no, Rambo comes back to our screens next year, lets hope he manages better then this inept instalment.
The plot of this film is basic stuff (not quite for the time though); Rambo is released from prison after accepting an assignment in Vietnam to find possible war prisoners. When he finds said prisoners and tries to return with one as proof, he is abandoned and left to be captured. Due to his unparalleled combat skill, Rambo manages to escape, take on the might of the Vietnamese and the Russians armies before unleashing bloody hell and managing to rescue all the captives and finishing off with some (not so) poignant sentiments.
There is quite a lot bad with this film and not all of it can be written off by the era it was made, for example, the character of Rambo; gone are the depths he ploughed in the original, here, he is a mouth piece for an aggrieved nation, with his chance to return to a war that America was still reeling from. But more than that he becomes a kind of superhero, championing all that was wrong and flying the flag of patriotism; his final speech meant to inspire and smooth over the horrors. It doesn’t work. I’m not sure it really worked upon its release; I can remember feeling cheated with the cheese of it all in 1985, but now it is pure dross. The whole character reads as invincible – America against the world – which is crass; and his abilities are so profoundly absurd as to beggar belief. His choice of technology, a bow and arrow, an advance over a knife I guess, used “because it is silent” (tell that to the foley guy, it was louder than most of the AK-47’s) and its never ending supply of arrows – pretty good shot too, better than a pistol at 50 yards is a ludicrous choice, there purely for the spectical. And as for being quicker with a rocket launcher than a flick of a switch, well ……
If he is the stereotypical unstoppable hero, then so to is every other character stereotypical; Trautman represents the establishment, up in arms but powerless to do anything about it, never takes his coat off either, Murdock the conspiracies, devious and cunning, trying to fool the establishment, the Vietnamese are represented as nothing but evil and there to be shot, add some Russians because they are the BAD guys (1985 remember) even the love interest, added, probably, as a last resort (certainly looked that way) one sentence and a kiss, there only as a plot device to incite the rage against the enemy. It is almost comic book in its plotting, and could have worked, on some level, if it wasn’t so clunky. It chops and changes, moving from one scene to the next with an explosion as exposition. Written by Sly, himself, and James Cameron, you would expect so much more, but alas this is popcorn for idiots and should be treated as such. The only redeeming features about this film? Jerry Goldsmiths score, sweeping and emotive enough and it also the looks good, Jack Cardiff proving that even if a film is crap it doesn’t have to look like it. Certainly the weakest of the Rambo trilogy and one that I think should be forgotten.
Movie score : 3 | | 731 word review written by Simon Crust. |  | To comment on this review, click here and post a reply.
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