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Rambo: First Blood Part II
Rambo II
USA / Mexico 1985
produced by Buzz Feitshans, Mario Kassar (executive), Andrew G. Vajna (executive) for Anabasis, Estudios Churubusco Azteca/Carolco
directed by George P. Cosmatos
starring Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Charles Napier, Steven Berkoff, Julia Nickson, Martin Kove, George Cheung, Andy Wood, William Ghent, Voyo Goric, Dana Lee, Baoan Coleman, Steve Williams, Don Collins, Christopher Grant, John Sterlini, Alain Hocquenghem, William Rothlein, Tony Munafo, Tom Gehrke
story by Kevin Jarre, screenplay by Sylvester Stallone, James Cameron, based on characters created by David Morrell, music by Jerry Goldsmith
Rambo
review by Mike Haberfelner
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His shenanigans in First Blood
have landed Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) in labour camp, but his superior
from his army days Colonel Trautman (Richard Crenna) hasn't forgotten
about him, so when he learns about a camp in Vietnam that even ten years
after the war might still hold American prisoners, he sees to it that
Rambo is sent down. Thing is, Rambo is not to free any prisoners, just
take pictures and let the cavallery ride in later on. And the guy running
the operation, Murdock (Charles Napier) doesn't even believe there are
p.o.w.s in that particular camp, he just sends in Rambo to please his
superiors ... Once Rambo is behind enemy lines, he teams up with Co
(Julia Nickson), his contact among the locals, who helps him any which way
she can - before being gunned down by the enemy. Then Rambo discovers
there actually is a prisoner of war in the camp, and he frees him and
brings him to rendez vous point - but once Murdock finds out Rambo has
brought a passengers, he aborts the mission and leaves Rambo behind enemy
lines with nothing but himself to relie on. It's not long that the
Vietcong under Russian general Podovsky (Steven Berkoff) capture Rambo and
torture him a bit, but Rambo of course manages to free himself, free all
the prisoners of war, lead all the Vietcong and Russian soldiers into an
ambush, somehow get hold of a helicopter and ultimately fly everybody to
safety - to then give Murdock a well-deserved beating ... It's
weird how this movie turns the misfit and outcast from society from First
Blood into a war hero, but narratively it even makes sense, as
Rambo is afforded something of a character arc spanning the two movies -
which is even reflected in Sylvester Stallone's performance: Early on, in
Murdock's headquarters, he's insecure and irritated, like in the earlier
movie, but once back on the battlefield he's the master of all things ...
and frankly, that's where the movie gets rather boring, Rambo's just too
infallible, and there isn't a problem he can't fix with plenty of
violence, no wrong that can't be righted with machine gun, bow and arrow
or indeed knives. So as an outcome, the movie's pretty much something
that's big on explosions and on dishing out violence, but low on subtext
or anything even remotely resembling subtlety. It's just a patriotic
exercise of Rambo finally winning the Vietnam War for his country (rather
than losing the peace, like in First
Blood), but only on a very primitive, even primal level. In
short, not a good movie - but then again very interesting as a document of
its time.
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