RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
Stallone's Rambo is doing hard time for his crime of nearly destroying the Pacific Northwest (which by the way did not include killing anybody). His boss, Colonel Trautman (Richard Crenna), asks Rambo to go on a mission - find out if there are still POW's in Vietnam. Sweaty Marshall Murdock (Charles Napier), who loves his Cokes from an open vending machine (ah, our government at work), asks Rambo to photograph the POW's but do not get involved with the enemy and do not rescue any of them. Naturally, a musclebound hero who is, and I quote, "Joined the army 8/6/64. Accepted, Special Forces specialization, light weapons, cross-trained as medic. Helicopter and language qualified, 59 confirmed kills, two Silver Stars, four Bronze, four Purple Hearts, Distinguished Service Cross, Congressional Medal of Honor," just can't use a still camera without breaking it. Things get awry when Rambo arrives in Vietnam. We are talking mass casualties, serrated knives thrown against foreheads, explosive arrows that destroy most of the countryside, etc. I suppose anyone watching a movie like this knows what they are in for. But why does it have to be boring and with no discernible sense of humor?
Stallone merely appears like a stoic action figure - a noble hero who is doing the right thing. The government has no interest in rescuing these POW's, however, because it would mean they would have to admit to wrongdoing to a very unpopular war (they also did not obligate their debt of 4.5 billion in war reparations to the Viet Cong). My question is: if it is intended as a cover-up, why even bother with this mission in the first place and why send someone like Rambo? This is hardly the same character shown in "First Blood" - he is mad as hell and somehow is shoved with pious platitudes at the end of this film that nearly negate the whole experience.
"Rambo: First Blood Part II" has many explosions, many killings, heavy-duty tortures, and incredulous moments that make one shake their head in disbelief. Rambo jumping out of the water to grab on to a helicopter! Rambo camouflaging himself with mud and telepathically knowing where to stand exactly where the enemy will be in the thick of the jungle! None of it makes much sense nor should it taken seriously, nor is this jingoistic hero someone who I identify with or root for. But for some unknown reason, Rambo was taken seriously and became a pop culture sensation up until the release of the moronic "Rambo III." Consider viewing something else or read a book because, as Rambo says, "the mind is the best weapon." It is the best weapon, to use against pro-carnage swill like this.
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