Support NeoGAF

[Explosive Zombie]

For me the movie was as much about the inner rage and darkness Rambo is holding in as it is about whether or not the cartel thugs deserve Rambo's justice. In that sense it's the most soul searching of the entries since part 1, once more digging into who Rambo is deep inside. The more justified his rage the less we can see it as a character flaw that he's gone so far.

 

[Airola]

Alternate opening spoilers:

Spoiler: Cool scene

A rescue operation during a heavy storm in the mountains at night. The rescuers are called off because a flash flood is approaching. Someone asks where's that guy with the horse.

Cut to Rambo looking all cool with a hat on the horse. He finds a dead woman. Pushes forward and finds a guy and another women, tells them to get on the horse. Guy asks about his wife, Rambo says he found her dead. Guy runs off to find her despite Rambo warning him.

The flash flood barrels down the mountain towards Rambo and the girl. He ties the horse to a rock, then ties himself and the girl to another one, facing the opposite direction to the flood. They're covered by water - cut to the rescuers and Sheriff.

A body is.loaded in an ambulance. Rambo arrives with the horse and the woman, has a short talk with the Sheriff about the guy. The guy is one of those dead bodies. Sheriff says Rambo tried to save him, Rambo mournfully agrees.

Some other guy talks to the Sheriff about Rambo, Sheriff delivers exposition: Vietnam did a number on him, he keeps to himself but sometimes volunteers for search and rescue because he's one hell of a tracker.

The context of that entire first act is informed by the rescue operation. It's a weight on Rambo's shoulder. I think there's a short flashback to it (or at least he remembers.some.lines) but I'm not sure.

I can't imagine the movie without it... It sets up the character really well, even without the Sheriff's exposition dump. Some of what Rambo says about the world echoes those events. There's an obvious parallel between the dead guy and the going to Mexico talk. I guess he sounds like a grumpy old man in the American version, but in my version all that stuff about learning the truth later was clearly meant to reference the opening.

Wait, some countries didn't have this scene at all?
How did the movie open then?

 

[-Arcadia-]

(Courtesy of The_Donald )

 

[Explosive Zombie]

Wait, some countries didn't have this scene at all?
How did the movie open then?

Was this opening stuff well done? In America it just opens with him riding a horse I think?

 

[Airola]

For me the movie was as much about the inner rage and darkness Rambo is holding in as it is about whether or not the cartel thugs deserve Rambo's justice. In that sense it's the most soul searching of the entries since part 1, once more digging into who Rambo is deep inside. The more justified his rage the less we can see it as a character flaw that he's gone so far.

Yeah, agreed.

What a surprise this movie was.

One viewer started to clap when the end credits started to roll and I really wanted to join him but as a shy Finn I couldn't make myself do it and so the few claps from that one dude quietly stopped

 

[EviLore]

Daily reminder that critics are worthless.

-Fascist
-Trump!!!
-Xenophobic
-Tone-deaf
-Xenophobia
-Racist
-Misogynistic
-Vile
-Toxic
-Misogynistic
-Racist
-Trumpian
-Reagan
-Xenophobic
-Racist
-Irresponsible
-Political climate
-Trumpian
-Trump
-Deeply racist
-Xenophobic

 

[Nightrunner]

LMAO all these critics are just sensitive snowflakes. All that talk about political culture and how "insensitive" the film is isn't criticism worth a dime. Great to see their voices matter less and less going forward.

 

[SirKicksalot]

Was this opening stuff well done? In America it just opens with him riding a horse I think?

There's a strange CGI push in shot

Spoiler: CGI shot

towards the coming wave, that reminded me of Snyder's camera rushing towards characters when they fight Doomsday,

but otherwise it's good.

Some people left during the credits and missed the real ending shots:

Spoiler: Ending

There's a montage of scenes from all movies, including Last Blood. They're slowed down using interpolation. At the end Rambo climbs a horse and the interpolated slow-mo kicks in while he's heading for the mountains, then it fades to black.

 

[Explosive Zombie]

That ending credits thing was in my version, I watched it, it was really well done. Really mad my version is missing the beginning, sounds like it even foreshadows the film's events.

 

[Airola]

Was this opening stuff well done? In America it just opens with him riding a horse I think?

Oh wow, didn't realize at all that I had the privilege of seeing the extended cut

At first I was afraid the opening is too dark (visually as it happens at night) and it would take time for me to get into the film but it was made pretty well and took me in pretty soon after my initial fears.


I don't know if the movie works better with or without the alternate opening but here is what I got out from it:

Spoiler

The corpse shown was pretty gruesome. It kinda set a tone that this movie is not going to be pretty.

When Rambo rescues the girl and tries to rescue the guy, I learned that he doesn't sugarcoat things but wants to say things as they are. He could've just been silent about the corpse but he just flat out told them the person they are looking for is dead and they have to leave with him immediately. The guy doesn't believe or doesn't want to believe she is dead so he just says he has to find her and runs off.

When he is thanked for rescuing the girl, he takes a bit of time to say "you're welcome." I took it as him having a bit of a hard time accepting thanks but he has learned to accept them even if everything didn't go well in his mission.

Hmm... what else... The rescue group thought "the guy with the horse" must've turned back because of the weather conditions (this happened right at the beginning before Rambo was shown for the first time). They basically think of him as just a normal old dude with some bad vietnam history who would not be up to do more than what the rescue group would be able to do. They are openly thankful for him though after they learn he had been of help even with that bad of a weather.

I thought it was kinda hard to understand the surroundings because it was so dark and when the action happened it was cut pretty quickly. I didn't actually even realize he tied them to the rock they were hiding behind because it was dark and was cut quickly. I often have hard time following action if things happen too fast. I only learned that detail from reading it in the above description.

It was a good scene overall. It managed suck me in the movie well. I really enjoyed watching him with the rescue team after he rescued the girl. Got me interested in the character right there.

 

[-Arcadia-]

LMAO all these critics are just sensitive snowflakes. All that talk about political culture and how "insensitive" the film is isn't criticism worth a dime. Great to see their voices matter less and less going forward.

It’s “The boy who cried wolf”.

If these reviews came out in 2012, I’d be seriously concerned that all these institutions were saying the movie was insensitive.

After a decade of this for every single little thing:

I just don’t care anymore. I’d be surprised if anyone outside of the people these websites are preaching to, does either.

 

[mcjmetroid]

-Fascist
-Trump!!!
-Xenophobic
-Tone-deaf
-Xenophobia
-Racist
-Misogynistic
-Vile
-Toxic
-Misogynistic
-Racist
-Trumpian
-Reagan
-Xenophobic
-Racist
-Irresponsible
-Political climate
-Trumpian
-Trump
-Deeply racist
-Xenophobic

Ya what's going on here? I never even heard "trumpian" before yet about 3 or more reviews used it.
Do all these guys have a massive underground meeting where they discuss how they will react to upcoming things?

 

[StreetsofBeige]

This franchise should have stopped at Rambo 3 in 1988.

Is Stallone broke? Aside from cashing in on more Rambo and Creed movies, he makes all kinds of weird shit the past 10-15 years.

 

[EviLore]

Ya what's going on here? I never even heard "trumpian" before yet about 3 or more reviews used it.
Do all these guys have a massive underground meeting where they discuss how they will react to upcoming things?

They probably follow each other on Twitter. Everyone has access to an easy-bake ideological bubble via social media.

 

[sol_bad]

This franchise should have stopped at Rambo 3 in 1988.

Is Stallone broke? Aside from cashing in on more Rambo and Creed movies, he makes all kinds of weird shit the past 10-15 years.

Are you serious? Rambo 4 and 5 are both great films.
If they stopped making Rambo after 3 the franchise would have been tarnished, I'm very glad that they made 4 and 5 as now the franchise has ended on a very high note. Yes, it's just an action series but Rambo's character is done really well in 1, 4 and 5. They forgot who he was in the 2nd and 3rd film.

 

[Tesseract]

rambo 2 and 3 are great shredded simulators tho

 

[godhandiscen]

Wow, I enjoyed this one.
I just despised the antagonist and i loved seeing Rambo prey on them.

I actually appreciate the story follows the progression of the character; it doesn’t hide the fact Rambo has aged and is coping with trauma. Like i mentioned earlier, the antagonists are despicable people who deserve everything that happens to them, and the last act of the movie is all about satisfying that thirst for revenge.

 

[Insane Metal]

It's fucking RAMBO. You just know there'll be death, blood and gore.

 

[MrRogers]

Just saw the movie and its great, best one since first blood, progressive agitprop critics are exaxtly that, they are fundamentally biased and anything against their narrative will be rated according to their white man bad/everything else good world view. Its out in the open and has been for years.

I urge anyone on this board to go back and watch/play movies and games that were dumped on by critics from the bubbled coastal and urban areas of the world, but yet have high user reviews ( that is until sites like imdb incorporate only approved user review algorithms, who just happen to be prog approved) Youll find great stuff there in, from this movie to kingdom come deliverance (game) , to dragged across the concrete (movie), to the upcoming Joker flick and The last night (game). While entertainment with prog approved themes will be grossly inflated, like Captain Marvel, New Stars wars and wolfenstein games. Or pure garbage like the new ghostbusters movie will be defended as a above average comedy... blahh.

Everytime a product emerges pay attention to the blatant bias in reviews. It was easy for Rambo last blood, as they literally use the word trumpian in their reviews, but more subtle words like problematic, privledge, outdated etc.. is all you need to see their hand.

 

[sol_bad]

I love Rambo: Last Blood and Captain Marvel.
What does that say about my political viewpoint.


Again, fuck whinging about political shit when it comes to movies. Just enjoy the story.

 

[Helios]

Daily reminder that critics are worthless.

It's Rambo, you absolute cucks. Nobody cares about your American politics. Is the action good?

 

[Starlight Lotice]

I didn't mind the film at all but it felt like they took the first half of Taken (but decided to kill of the Girl he was trying to save) and then decides to go all Home Alone at the end.

Should have been called "Rambo: Latin Blood" because that was all I saw...blood of Mexicans on his hands.

 

[Explosive Zombie]

"person kidnapped? ever heard of TAKEN!!" - yeah, that was a plot line long before Taken, heck you ever see 1985's Commando?

"he sets up traps? lol Home Alone!" - ever see First Blood? From 1982? Maybe Predator from 1987? And if you're going to say he wasn't at home (lol, nature IS his home) I'll ask if you saw 1971's Straw Dogs or 1972's Last House on the Left.

Also yeah, it's weird how he only called Mexicans in a film with a Mexican drug cartel as villains, should have definitely had some whites, Asians and blacks in the Mexican drug cartel.

 

[Javthusiast]

Mexican drug cartels who still murder thousands of people in their drug wars yearly being bad is racist now?

Well I guess it will make sjws happy to know those cartels are at least progressive:

How Mexican cartels' girl assassins bathe in the blood of their victims and have sex with their corpses

WITH her red hair flowing over her shoulders, pretty Juana looks like any other young woman in her 20s – apart from the fact she’s holding a machine gun. Though she may have an innocent face,…

www.thesun.co.uk

 

[cryptoadam]

So is this movie really Trumpian? Is it that triggering that a new term had to be created to describe the movie?

Is Sly the next to be cancelled?

 

[Explosive Zombie]

So is this movie really Trumpian? Is it that triggering that a new term had to be created to describe the movie?

Is Sly the next to be cancelled?

I don't think it's Trumpian. Unless you need to be a Trump supporter to believe drug cartels in Mexico are bad news. The film is more about who Rambo is as a person and if he can change than it is about any political statement.

 

[cryptoadam]

I don't think it's Trumpian. Unless you need to be a Trump supporter to believe drug cartels in Mexico are bad news. The film is more about who Rambo is as a person and if he can change than it is about any political statement.

Most of the reviews are calling it a MAGA fantasy, Trumpian, etc....

So of course MSM pushing an agenda and completely off base. Instead of reviewing the movie they decided to write a political op-ed masquerading as a movie review.

I bet when Dark Fate drops its going to have the opposite reviews, with the audience giving it rotten but the MSM raving about it, its female empowrment, its message about immigrants, and they will all probably love the scene when the T-Juan thousand kills the border patrol agents and I assume frees the aslyum seekers.

 

[MrCunningham]

Alternate opening spoilers:

Spoiler: Cool scene

A rescue operation during a heavy storm in the mountains at night. The rescuers are called off because a flash flood is approaching. Someone asks where's that guy with the horse.

Cut to Rambo looking all cool with a hat on the horse. He finds a dead woman. Pushes forward and finds a guy and another women, tells them to get on the horse. Guy asks about his wife, Rambo says he found her dead. Guy runs off to find her despite Rambo warning him.

The flash flood barrels down the mountain towards Rambo and the girl. He ties the horse to a rock, then ties himself and the girl to another one, facing the opposite direction to the flood. They're covered by water - cut to the rescuers and Sheriff.

A body is.loaded in an ambulance. Rambo arrives with the horse and the woman, has a short talk with the Sheriff about the guy. The guy is one of those dead bodies. Sheriff says Rambo tried to save him, Rambo mournfully agrees.

Some other guy talks to the Sheriff about Rambo, Sheriff delivers exposition: Vietnam did a number on him, he keeps to himself but sometimes volunteers for search and rescue because he's one hell of a tracker.

The context of that entire first act is informed by the rescue operation. It's a weight on Rambo's shoulder. I think there's a short flashback to it (or at least he remembers.some.lines) but I'm not sure.

I can't imagine the movie without it... It sets up the character really well, even without the Sheriff's exposition dump. Some of what Rambo says about the world echoes those events. There's an obvious parallel between the dead guy and the going to Mexico talk. I guess he sounds like a grumpy old man in the American version, but in my version all that stuff about learning the truth later was clearly meant to reference the opening.

Man, I didn't get that intro at all. Just the opening with John Rambo on the horse. I live in Canada by the way.

I saw this movie at a matinee, and my biggest complaint with is is that it was too short. really, the movie clocked in at a brisk 1:30 minutes. In some ways, I do appreciate shorter movies, and this one doesn't waste any time getting right to the point. That missing intro really would've made it better.

I really don;t give a shit about the anti-Trump/ pro-Trump garbage surrounding this movie. I think it is completely overblown. The movie does deal with a pretty realistic situation, with John Rambo getting caught up in a a sex trafficking ring. It is a very simple plot of Rambo rescuing a teenage Hispanic girl, but there is a twist to it.

The movie is pretty damn bloody, and has some gratuitous gore (which is good, IMO). I do like the scene where Rambo throws away his meds, which were making his docile, it leads to Rambo to go full "Rambo" in the end. Though I do feel like the last action scenes were a bit too drive-by for my likings. Sure Rambo's deathtraps were fun. But, I wish they could have drawn out the action with Rambo and the sex traffickers more.

It's a solid movie, but I would rank it below Rambo IV, and maybe First Blood as well.

 

[godhandiscen]

I feel that critics have jumped the shark.
Coming from South America, I learned to despise these organized criminal networks that enslave innocent people and are above the law. I have never felt more aligned with the revenge purpose of Rambo than in this film. I enjoyed every scene of violence in this movie.

I am sorry for American politics nowadays. Their blind hate for anything remotely related to the current president’s ideas will lead them to even condone sexual trafficking and slavery.

 

[Cravis]

I’m looking forward to this but I’m still not getting Rambo vibes from it.

I honestly think it should have ended with the last one. That ending shot of him walking up to his parent's mailbox was the perfect send off. He finally came “home.”

 

[sol_bad]

I think in retrospect, everyones favourite female actor on this forum, Brie Larson, has a point. We really do need more diversity in people who review films and Rambo: Last Blood is a perfect example as to why. A bunch of stupid white men are giving it bad reviews because they were offended.
bleh

And when I say more diversity, I don't mean minority groups within America but people around the world.

 

[Space Runaway]

Movie was entertaining enough though there's pretty much no action till the last 15 minutes and it's still paced like a 90 minute action movie, so it never feels like the story the level of gravitas it's going for. Still worth watching though maybe wait for video if you're not a big fan of Rambo or Stallone. The fact that people are calling this movie racist is really bizarre and you'd have to be pretty warped to watch this and come to that conclusion...

 

[TUROK]

I forgot to chime in about what I thought about the movie.

My expectations were low after everything I read about it from people who had actually seen it, but I ended up loving it. It was a pretty bleak and uncomfortable film, and I mean that in the best way. Just the worst that humanity has to offer and Rambo getting some rightful revenge on them. Part of me wishes that the series ended at 4 because it was such a nice sendoff to the character, but I loved seeing Rambo exact his pounds of flesh.

And as a Mexican dude, I'm so fucking tired of critics leveling accusations of racism towards movies that depict cartel members as *gasp,* bad people. It's intellectually lazy and patronizing.

 

[Bumblebeetuna]

It was a solid movie. It’s kind of like a Home Alone for gun nuts.

 

[Captain Zyrain]

The 4K disc is out now, but it seems to clock in at 89 minutes. I wonder if that is the version without the rain/rescue intro? I didn't get to see that here in the US, so I am hoping it gets released somewhere.

I remember they came out with an 'unrated' version of Rambo 4 at some point, so I wonder if they'll do that here?

I enjoyed the movie, it wasn't perfect or amazing, but it was a good Rambo movie. My only real complaint was how short it felt.

 

[Explosive Zombie]

It was a solid movie. It’s kind of like a Home Alone for gun nuts.

Person defends home? Ever heard of HOME ALONE (please say sike and that you've actually seen Straw Dogs)

 

[Caffeine]

idk he was just asking questions, they beat the shit out of him, he lives in a state where u can own firearms, these mexicans illegally crossed the boarder are known criminals and he lives in a state where self defense is warranted especially against armed individuals on your private property.

the people targeting it politically didnt watch last 4 rambo movies? these are the same people who also want to push gun control over all the mass shootings, where do you think the shooters are getting their illegally obtained AR from thats right the cartels that smuggle them in. this isnt a race war movie, no one gave a shit when rambo shot up vietnam.

 

[kunonabi]

The 4K disc is out now, but it seems to clock in at 89 minutes. I wonder if that is the version without the rain/rescue intro? I didn't get to see that here in the US, so I am hoping it gets released somewhere.

I remember they came out with an 'unrated' version of Rambo 4 at some point, so I wonder if they'll do that here?

I enjoyed the movie, it wasn't perfect or amazing, but it was a good Rambo movie. My only real complaint was how short it felt.

Us version is the cut one. the only full release I know of is the Australian blu-ray.

 

[Space Runaway]

The 4K disc is out now, but it seems to clock in at 89 minutes. I wonder if that is the version without the rain/rescue intro? I didn't get to see that here in the US, so I am hoping it gets released somewhere.

Yeah the extended intro is cut from the US, UK and Canadian releases. Maybe they'll double dip with the extended version in these regions down the line.

 

[Captain Zyrain]

Us version is the cut one. the only full release I know of is the Australian blu-ray.

Yeah the extended intro is cut from the US, UK and Canadian releases. Maybe they'll double dip with the extended version in these regions down the line.

Balls! Maybe I'll wait and see then. Figure the 4K UHD will go down in price soon too, all of the other Rambo movies are usually $8-$13 these days.

 

[888]

I am watching it now, I don't see how reviewers can call it anything that they do. It is your typical revenge film based around a real life issue that sadly brushed off to virtue signal about racism.

 

[Dazrael]

They should’ve left it at 4 films, this one felt unnecessary. First Blood was as anti-war a film as you could have, Rambo was obviously suffering from PTSD and his hounding exacerbated that. By the end he felt betrayed by the country that he loves and his treatment, he didn’t kill anyone.

The second film is where it started to go into silly territory but it still had a message to tell, that the US shouldn’t forget the people they left behind in the war. Don’t give him the medal, give it to the guys he just saved. Humbling stuff.

The third one is daft and doesn’t have a lot to say other than Trautman is his friend but the fourth one is surprisingly deep. He is still alienated by his country and amongst all the gore and carnage is actually taught that times have changed and it’s ok to believe again and go home. His trauma is dealt with here and the final shot of him walking to the ranch should’ve been the completion of the story. He finally made it home after all these years to start a new chapter in his life.

Then they made this film.

I don’t know what this film had to say, that he isn’t allowed to have peace and that war follows him around wherever he goes? What happened to the redemption arc in the previous film?

Spoiler

The film ends with his paranoia of the way people inherently are intact and he is once again left with nothing while becoming Jason Voorhees in the process

I’m pretty sure that you could give Rambo a happy ending and the fourth film was it. To make him go through the wringer again seems to have genuine disdain for the character. The perceived politics has nothing to do with it, it was just a film too far.

 

[Captain Zyrain]

I’m pretty sure that you could give Rambo a happy ending and the fourth film was it. To make him go through the wringer again seems to have genuine disdain for the character. The perceived politics has nothing to do with it, it was just a film too far.

I think 4 was a good ending, but I also enjoyed 5. I feel like clearly he *did* get happiness for however many years there were between 4 & 5, but even in that happiness there was clearly still darkness within him. He could shove it off to the side for a while, but it'd always be there. This story just comes up with 1 (last?) time for him to use his skills to "make things right" and (maybe) go out with a bang.

Is it necessary? I don't think so, but really what is. Is it more believable that Rambo would have gone home to the farm and just had nothing notable happen to him the rest of his days? No lasting impacts from all his adventures, actions, and misdeeds? I don't know.

I thought the whole hullabaloo of "racism" etc was extra specially stupid.

 

[Dazrael]

I see what you mean but there were no lasting impacts, he had come to terms with his issues and no one from his past came back to mess with him. If maybe Teasle turned up at his doorstep with a world of hurt then maybe there would be a point. But he had unconnected adventures with unconnected people all the while hammering home how dark he was inside.

If you look back at the start of First Blood he’s actually quite a jovial soul looking for his friend from the war, not a broken man. I like to think that he could go back to that while compartmentalising his damage. It proved in this film that he could still be social.