Rambo is one of the most classic action franchises of all
time. It is seriously weird thinking about just how influential the first two
entries are, setting the tone for a lot of action cinema to come out of
post-Vietnam America. The first remains one of the most brutal depictions of
PTSD to make it to the big screen, and the second basically set the blueprint
for every jungle-set military action-thriller to come after, up to and
including the also-highly-influential Predator.
The third film… exists, and even as someone who takes pride
in recollecting pop culture minutiae, I can barely remember anything about it.
Then there was Rambo ’08, which boosted the gore standard in a way that, given
what it was depicting, must’ve hit close to home considering it went on to
inspire real-life Burmese freedom fighters. Following any of that up was gonna
be a hard ask, and what we get here is… complicated.
