Movie Review: Rambo
Directed by: Sylvester Stallone
Do you ever get happy over the smallest things?
I think that’s what happened with me when I watched Rambo. I began watching with zero expectations, I don’t mean none I mean so low as to be zero. I mean look at part of the plot outline, kindly provided by IMDB:
In Thailand, John Rambo joins a group of mercenaries to venture into war-torn Burma, and rescue a group of Christian aid workers…
Well anyway, the film was great. I thought Sly would be washed out and over done, like Arnie was in his last few films but I was wrong. Sly really does give the impression of an aged Rambo, as he’s supposed to. I got the uncanny feeling that it wasn’t Rambo on screen but Sylvester Stallone, as if he’d personally suffered everything Rambo had. Not only that but the film was unpretentious. It knew it was a Rambo film and never tried for more, it was liberated in some sense so every frame was right on the money.
It was enjoyable too because it didn’t have too much dialogue. Who watches action films for that anyway? The cheesy plot line that isn’t so unbelievable (see the quote) makes it laughable while at the same time pointing to contemporary, real life issues.
The first violent scene is well done and had impact. The film remains honest without being heavy handed.
I also think that maybe it was Sly’s destiny to be a director not an actor because the direction in this film was quite good, though certainly more on the reflective side than the pop culture side.
I enjoyed the film and I recommend it to anyone who likes good action films. Please note of course that the term “good action” is already a loaded term and almost an oxymoron.