Rambo

Disclaimer: I am not the best person to be writing a critique for the concluding film in the Rambo series due to the fact that I have never seen any of the other Rambo movies. However, I plan to be fair to this movie based on it's pure entertainment value.

Now, there are very few movies out there that are a part of a long standing series that you can watch and enjoy without having some sort of allegiance to the series. For example, take the Lord of the Ring series. All three are incredibly well done films with outstanding entertainment value. However, if you had not already seen The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, would you be able to enjoy The Return of the King? I'm afraid not, because each film is connected to the previous one, tying them together for eternity. The same could be said for the Star Wars films, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Godfather series, and The Bourne Trilogy (along with hundreds of other sequels, trilogies, etc.). I think that there are only about a handful of movies that have ever been made as a part of a series that can actually be enjoyed without previously viewing the series as a whole...and this movie is one of the lucky winners!

Honestly, I have never had a desire to see any of the Rambo movies, and it was my husband's idea to watch this one...but I'm so glad that I did. Be warned: This is quite possibly the most graphic and bloody action movie I have EVER seen. But I just could not take my eyes off the screen! I did not have much hope that I would enjoy this film because I thought that it would be another of Stallone's failed attempts to revamp his dying career. However, I stand corrected. With this film, Stallone proves that he is not just a muscle man with a plastic face...he is actually a writer/director/actor with talent. Now, don't get me wrong...this movie will probably not receive an Oscar nod this year, and will not receive my highest rating either. But for an action movie, it was very well made. The plot was developed nicely and the directing was excellent... and the action sequences were simply superb! Typically action movies have gaping plot holes, but this movie flowed very well...I was impressed.

On an entirely different note, this movie makes me proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free. However, movies like this make me NEVER want to leave the US again. The doctor in the movie made me so mad...I hate watching movies (and even the news) and seeing people who think that they should be treated differently in other countries because they are American. If you choose to go into a country that is experiencing civil war, or any kind of war for that matter, you run the risk of being killed every second you are there. In addition, by entering a foreign country, you become subject to that country's laws...so no matter what rights you think you have in America, you no longer have those rights and should not expect to be treated as you would in America. I'm sorry for my soapbox, but the naive behavior from the Americans in this film made me a little upset. Which is why I appreciated this film...most of the naive people get killed, and the other ones will think twice before making the same mistakes again. In my opinion, this movie deserves 4 pigs...it was such a well made representation of the action genre that I couldn't possibly give it less.