New character details are present at first. Rambo has shorter hair, sans bandana, and rides a horse in his Arizona ranch. Peace seems to have settled into the character, well kinda sorta. There are endless tunnels throughout the property which can only occasionally trigger his PTSD! Rambo also keeps serrated knives and a healthy supply of guns nearby. That is expected from a Vietnam Vet and especially Rambo but peace can't last for long in this idyllic setting. He has adopted a family that includes the doting Maria (Adriana Barraza) and her ambitious granddaughter Gabrielle (Yvette Monreal) who wants to go to college. Rambo feels very protective of Gabrielle, seeing her as his own daughter. By the way, there appears to be no romantic partner in Rambo's life, a sight unseen since Part II.
Gabrielle wants to meet her real dad in Mexico yet this small-knit family is against it. Naturally Gabrielle ventures into Mexico and is kidnapped and placed in a sex trafficking ring lit like something out of TV's "FBI" with a garish green glow. So far, so good - a decent setup for this type of movie. Rambo gets wind of what is happening and the action, thrills and suspense start. For a while, I was actually absorbed by this movie despite featuring an army of angry, one-note Mexican villains that look virtually anonymous - not one stands out as memorably evil. Rambo's intent is to rescue Gabriella and kill all these guys in the most gruesomely violent manner possible. I was hardly appalled by the violence but watching Rambo employ horrific killing methods such as holding a beating bloody heart in his hand stops the movie cold. Did it need to be that grisly?
"Rambo: Last Blood" is not nauseating in its final brutal half-hour, just simply repetitious and numbing. Stallone has the killer presence as always yet some of his mumbling can be, well, just mumbling. I like the introduction of a Rambo retiring at his ranch but that is about as fresh as this old-hat, by-the-numbers action picture gets. Say goodnight Rambo.
