BMTAA #7.1 Sly Stallone: Rambo First Blood Part II

Hey everyone. This edition marks the start of an experiment. Once or twice each week, this month, we are going to look at the films of future Assie Hall of Famer, Sly Stallone.

Stallone is a weird example of an actor/writer/director. He can be excellent or down right shitty. He has been involved with films that have been great and then turned into a down right cartoon of the original.

Which brings us to Rambo: First Blood Part 2.

The film opens with Rambo in prison. Now we are to believe this film starts essentially when the film was released (1985). Col Trautman has come with an offer for Rambo which would grant him an early release, after all

"...you can't possibly want to stay here for five years."

Now let's take a look at that.

In Rambo: First Blood, Rambo kills at least three or four cops, blows up a majority of the town and injures a bunch more.

For this, he got a grand total of

8 YEARS!

Now as you, our faithful listeners know, my co-host Adam is a lawyer. While he does not practise criminal law nor does he practice law in the United States and definitely not in 1985, Adam is quiet confident that due to the fact that

1) Rambo was not found insane

2) Those that Rambo killed were peace officers

3) His military background

Rambo should be at bare minimum be looking at somewhere around 60 years.

Anyways Rambo is apparently the best trained for a recon mission to see if there is still POW's in Vietnam. The operation is being run by a CIA like guy named Murdock. He's a smarmy asshole played by veteran character actor Charles Napier.

He parachutes in armed with some weapons and a camera (because he is highly trained with a camera) to take pictures of the POW camp. He hooks up with an anti Communist solider who also happens to be fairly attractive and a woman. The meet with pirates head down the river (if you've seen Rambo 4 you will find this slightly amusing now).

Now Rambo's mission is only to take pictures. He is not to engage the enemy.

Because, you know, when I send a man in who is described numerous times as "the perfect killing machine" and "bred for war", only knowing how to "survive" and "win", I expect him not to kill anyone.

Well you see, Murdoch doesn't think anyone will be there.

Rambo finds out there are POW's and goddamn it he's bringing them home and killing a fuckload of Vietnamese in the process.

Oh and the Russians. Because they are helping Vietnam by...well...um...I'm not sure but it does involve torture, cover up and murder.

And for some reason the main Russian bad guy...sounds very German.

Murdoch is a corporate asshole. He's covering up the fact that there are POW's there because it would be bad business.

But Trautman knows that Rambo is only made for destruction so when Rambo ends up getting captured by the Vietnamese/Russian Evil Doers, SHIT IS ON!

Rambo then:

1) Let's Murdoch know he's coming for him

2) Escapes with the help of the girl (all while killing Russians and Vietnamese)

3) Kisses the girl...awe Rambo's human

4) Watches girl get murdered by a solider

5) Takes a piece of her dress, makes a headband and then takes a neckless

6) Murders pretty much everyone and makes his woman's killer explode via explosive arrow

7) Nearly gets taken out by a bomb dropped by a Russian helicopter. This bomb is awesome as it apparently has the chemical reaction to make rock become explosive causing several rock to erupt into flame.

8) Steals a Russian helicopter

9) Frees the POW's by murder and exploding the camp.

10) Returns the POW's to the camp, shows Murdoch the fear of the God and wanders into the wilderness

Now some of you may be questioning my choice of Rambo 2 as a bad movie but yet still awesome.

This falls into bad for one main reason, which I fully acknowledge you could argue me on and possibly win.

Difference in tone from Part 1 to Part 2

The original Rambo First Blood is a very well written suspense story about a Vietnam vet being disrespected just for being a solider and due to being pushed ends up going post traumatic psycho on the town. The violence is fairly realistic and in some ways so ways the plot especially for the time period.

Rambo 2...not so much.

The script (written by James Cameron and then beaten up by Stallone) is decent and timely but the action in the last half of the movie is both awesome and ridiculous. Rambo uses explosive arrow heads to blow the shit out of everything including a man. The solider blows up in spectacular style that Robocop would be proud of.

And you've got to love a torture device made out of bed springs and some sort of amp switch.

Now instead of a fairly realistic portrait of a messed up veteran we now have super killing machine.

The best way I can describe it is imagine if Elliot Ness in the Untouchables came back in the sequel and started wearing the bat suit.

Sure he's still fighting crime but.... little different.

But still awesome.

Stay tuned for the next part in our Stallone Festival for Rocky's 3,4 and 5.