[Metallicorphan is an Ass]

The last time i saw any Rambo film was perhaps 20 years ago,back in the late 80s,when Rambo 3 was released on VHS rental and my dad rented it out to watch,and we watched it together(as with all the latest movie releases)..i was 12 years old,and after loving....no adoring parts one and two,i remember pretty much,alas,hating part 3

with part 4(named here as plainly 'Rambo',i think in the U.S. it was named 'John Rambo')being on my to watch list,after seeing the trailers for it and it giving me the nostalgic feeling of numbers 1 and 2,i picked up the rambo box set DVD from HMV,parts 1,2,3 and 4


so,i began at the beginning




FIRST BLOOD




if you dont know the story(and why not?),it is a story of a drifter named John Rambo,who comes to a small town,originally to meet up with an old 'Nam buddy,only to find that his friend had died the summer before from cancer(or as Rambo himself puts it later on,'he died in 'Nam,but just didnt know it)


John Rambo(i wish i had a kickin name like that),continues through town only to attract the local sherrif of this quiet town,there the sherrif tells him that this is a peaceful place,and thats the way he likes it,and gives Rambo a lift to the edge of town,pretty much shoving Rambo out of his sight..and in the present situation,Rambo isnt in much mood to be nice,Rambo makes his way back into town,much to the dislike of the Sherrrif(who by the way is played by the ever brilliant Brian Denehey)..words are traded,and finally Rambo finds himself under arrest
In the cell back at the local police station,Rambo is treated poorly,and eventually(after having flashbacks of Vietnamese torture)He fights back,escapes and is on the run


he is hunted and followed and shot at to a local forest,and there he gets by on his training by hunting and setting traps for the local police who are the ones hunting him


eventually an old colonel named Col.Samuel Trautman(played by the late Richard Crenna),Rambo's old Colonel,comes onto the scene,and there he tells the local sherrif,that Rambo is trained for this,he is a vietnam war hero,he has won countless medal of honours..this is the point where the sherrif realises that he isnt up against just a drifter but a soldier,a survivor


its easy to see how the sylvester stallone bandwagon got so popular in the 80's,this is a fantastic performance from him,its up there with Rocky I and Rocky II,could anyone else play John Rambo?,no way,not a chance this is Sly stallones character,and no one elses(he also shares screenplay credits...same as he had with the Rocky movies)

Sly really seems to give his all especially at the end he gives a little speech,a Vietnam soldier speech...he tells of coming home after Nam,only to be met with harrasment from protestors who tell him he shouldnt of been out there in the first place,fighting a war they weren't wanted,its all pretty much in with what was said around those times,but all in all,whether you did agree or not with the Vietnam war,those soldiers were just doing their jobs....a trend that can still be used today,i myself am not up on the whole situation with the Vietnam war as i am on WWII..but,its made clear that its pretty much the same message for any war


if like me,you haven't seen this film for some time,if you get the chance,take some time out to watch it,it is still brilliant,and it gives me hope for the second film,that i also remember loving so much


5 metal orphans out of 5...it still kicks ass

[Metallicorphan is an Ass]

Rambo:First Blood Part II


John Rambo,because of the first films events is still serving 5 years cracking rock in the pound(how did he only get that much time?....cops died in the first one),there colonel Trautman(Crenna again)gives him an option,serve his 5 years doing what he is doing,or take up a mission to rescue P.O.W.s in Vietnam.....Rambo accepts



cue credits

the screenplay is wriiten by both Sylvester Stallone and James Cameron(i also remember Oliver Stone having a hand in it,but for some reason he didnt get credited...fell out with Sly i think)

john comes to his camp,only to find out from an acting superior,Murdoch(Charles Napier)that he is just to take photos of the Vietnamese base,and get out of there...and not to engage the enemy,Murdoch tells a lot about himself and Rambo see's through his Bullshit and tells his Colonel,that he is the only one he trusts

i saw it in the first film,as well as this one that Rambo's relationship with the Colonel,is very much metal gear solid,in fact there are times when i think that Hideo Kojima took a lot from the Rambo films,and made it his own

anyway,after a botched landing.Rambo finds himself miles from the original drop zone,and deep in the jungle,eventually he meets the Vietnamese spy and it turns out to be a woman,a pretty hot one as well...typical,couldnt be some monster from a lagoon could it..never mind


the female spy helps Rambo down river in a boat to the camp where he is meant to be,but without his equipment(and yup,i mean camera)he takes it upon himself to search the vietanmese camp for P.O.W.s...and low and behold,there is a bow on his back,where the fuck did that come from?..prolly the boat,i dont remember,i have been drinking while watching this



he finds a lot of P.O.W.s,living in shit conditions with rats and everything(similar to Moss Side here in Manchester),as he takes one P.O.W,he promises to be back for the others,the female spy see's them on their way,and does one herself(as in she takes off),Rambo and the P.O.W.make their way to the extraction point,where the American Helicoptor is supposed to pick up Rambo,but when hearing that Rambo actually has a P.O.W,Murdoch back at the base aborts the mission,therfor leaving Rambo and the P.O.W. to be captured

first scene to cut to is Col.Trautman pissed right off with Murdoch for aborting the mission and effectively screwing Rambo right over,and leaving him high and dry
cut to another scene where Rambo is pretty much low and wet,suspended in pig shit with leeches all over him(those Vietnamese,sure know how to torture),

the torture continues with Rambo strapped to an old metal bed being electrocuted(again metal gear solid 1)

meanwhile the Vietnamese female spy enters the camp disguised as a prostitute,from the local village(well,i'd pay!!)..and it turns out that the Vietnamese are actually in league with everybodies favourite bad guys,the Russians(WTF are they doing here?)..the head bad guy being the main bad guy from the living daylights(james bond film)

anyway,anyway...Rambo gets given a choice from the Vietnamese,either radio Rambo's base to tell them to not try anything like this again,or to see his P.O.W. friend get his eye poked out with Rambo's big fucking knife..Rambo agrees to the radio

he radio's in,and says'Murdoch,i'm coming for you!'(cut to a scene where murdoch shits himself)..at that point,Rambo with the help of the proststitue/female spy escape and go on the run,when they both reach a clearing the female spy asks Rambo to take her back to America and then kisses Rambo(what is she after,a green card?)..at that point the female spy gets killed...damn it,and Rambo was on a promise there as well!!

after burying the female spy(as being a necrophilaic wasnt really an option)Rambo is again a fugitive in the jungle,very much like the first film,where he has to use his wits to survive(he should be fucked!!)this calls for all the Rambo cliches,where he hides in mud,or appears/springs out of the water to kill off foes...he manages to steal a helicoptor,turns back and resuces the P.O.W.s and at the end he takes on what i think is a Russian Hind D(Wnchstr could tell you what it is)..and saves the day

the last half hour of this film is pretty laughable,over the top and in no way in any class of the first film,and was no where near as good as i remember it,but again still watchable at least for a 'turn of brain and watch' type film

it even has,like the first film a end of movie vietnam speech,but it doesnt quite hit home as much as the first films end speech does..shame

....it makes me shudder to think about what i am gonna think about number 3,after remembering how 'full of it' that film was,but watch i must!!

3 metal orphans out of 5....the film wasnt as good as i remember it,and the fact that the over the top gets out of hand,makes the film laughabale

[Metallicorphan is an Ass]

RAMBO III

let me just say that the first 10 minutes i was just laughing,not really at the film,more remembering HotShots 2,you can no longer watch this film without rermembering Hotshots 2,that film has killed everything serious about this film


It opens up,i think in Bangkok,where Col.Trautman is in a big hut with about another 1000 people watching Rambo in a stick fight,it shows him strapping his fists with tape before the fight and tieing the bandana onto his head....those two scenes alone made me laugh out loud remmbering Charlie Sheen doing the sme,in his own way though

Trautman is accompained with a guy called Griggs(Kurtwood smith),you may know him better as the father(Red) in That 70's show..or maybe as Clarence Boddicker from the first Robocop movie

Rambo wins the fight and makes of with some monks in a speedboat,Trautman and griggs track Rambo down to a monastery where he is doing odd jobs for the monks,there they tell Rambo about the situation in Afghanistan,where 2 million civilians have been the victims of everybodies favourite enemy(again)...The Russians
Rambo doesnt seem to give a shit,but its actually Trautman who will be going in there,and he wants Rambo to accompany him,but Rambo still refuses

Trautman tells Rambo<<<this is an important part>>>...that Rambo can't change who he is,he is a born killer,a soldier whether he likes it or not,and its about time he comes full circle..Rambo ignores him,and Trautman leaves

the inevitable happens,during Trautmans mission,he gets captured,by what seems to me the same Hind D helicoptor Rambo shot down in the second one
Griggs goes to see Rambo and tells him the bad news,Rambo wants in,Griggs tells him okay,but if he is caught then the U.S. will deny any aknowlegement of his existance..Rambo still agrees

so,there you go..Rambo gets over there with the supllies that Griggs has sent

before heading out to the Russian camp,to where Trautman is being held,the rebel Afgans plan the mission also with the help of a Russian who has defected
then Rambo bonds with the rebels,and plays their national sport,which in my eyes is prolly the worse sport i has ever been invented-while on horseback,you have to drag a dead sheep and throw it into one of 3 circles(the sheep looking like a very bad black wooly pillow).and yeah thats the rules

during the game the Russians attack in their Helicoptors,so lets say Rambo wins the game by default

at the time the film was one of the most expensive films ever made,and you can see how,there are some great arial footage,lots of explosions,and a miilion or so extras all running about the place


Anyway,after the attack,the camp is wiped out,hundreds are dead,and the Rebels can no longer get the Disney channel...this pisses Rambo off even more,and he decides to go to the fort and attempt the rescue...this involves lots of action,and i was actually really enjoying this third chapter.....right about until say,10 minutes from the end...



Rambo and Trautman,are trapped,and facing the entire Russian army(so it seems),tanks,trucks ,soldiers,ice cream vans,you name it..and of course the helicoptor,at this point,Trautman asks Rambo,what they should do(they being just the two of them,remember that)


Rambo replies....'FUCK 'EM',and they both start to attcak the Russain army

not really a reply i would of given,when asked what i would do,i would of answered 'CHEESE IT!!!',and ran my ass of back over the mountains behind Rambo

apart from that part of the film,the film was a lot better than i remember it being,sure its typical over the top bullshit,but i dont think it deserved the bad press it got at the time,i mean it was the 80's,and it was a Rambo film,what were the critics expecting??


3 metal orphans out of 5....first blood was great,part 2 nowhere near as good as i remembered,and part 3 bestter than i remebered,and therfor puts it pretty much on par with part 2,but i actually bought this boxset for the fourth film,and i am very much looking forward to it...but can Rambo still cut it,30 years after the last film?

[Metallicorphan is an Ass]

RAMBO



Rambo was written and directed by Sylvestor Stallone,oh and he also stars in it :p


not sure when this film is set,how many years after the third film,if he is meant to be the same age as Sly,i dunno


it opens up with Rambo now living in Thailand,hunting fish and snakes to sell them on,the snakes part is Rambos job at the local snake school,as he is doing his Job,he gets asked by some missionaries to take them up river to Burma,they want to spread the good word to the villages,they have seen the violance and they think they can change whats happening

Rambo refuses(have we been here before?)and tells them that if they havent got a gun they ain't gonna change nothing(which is actually a double negative mister Stallone...nice script!!)


the church group leave,leaving Rambo to his thoughts(which also happened in the third film when Trautman leaves Rambo to his thoughts after Rambo refused him),

later on the girl from the group comes back and actually changes Rambos mind

i am not gonna spoil much more as it is still a fairly new film,but i very much enjoyed it,the Violance is very much in your face lots of blood gore,and i am not just talking the odd bullet wound here,i am talking pretty much nearly drawing the line...you have heads exploding,limbs being chopped off,small children being shot dead at point blank range,or knifed,women raped,babies thrown into fires...you know,typical for the Church ;)


anyway,eventually Rambo drops off the do gooders,and makes his way back to his home(shack/whatever)it was around here that he sleeps and has a dream,its a great little montage of the first 3 films,very short and ends with the scene from the end of first blood,only it has Trautman shooting Rambo,and his words from the third film,saying its time to come full circle,you are a soldier,thats what you are!!



he awakes and some guy from the church(lets say,hes the pope),tells Rambo that the village where the missionaries were,has been attacked and they have been kidnapped,and Mercanaries ahve been hired,and they want Rambo to take them to the spot where he dropped the sunday morning gang off..Rambo takes them and eventually joins them



Rambo is a strange film really,i loved it..and at the very end of the film you have the Full Circle theme that Trautman was going on about in the third film


4 and a half metal orphans out of 5

if you get a chance to watch this one,do so,it is a good film,and gives me hope that perhaps we can see more of this sylvester stallone in the future(off course Rocky Balboa i also thought was good)..lets hope for more films of this caliber from him,and less of 'stop or my mom will shoot' type

it was good watching all the films again.....perhaps i ought to get my Rocky films down

[wnchstr96]

Metallic Endorphins, on Jul 18 2008, 07:13 PM, said:

Actually this so-called Russian Hind helicopter is actially a French-built Aerospatiale Super Puma with attached wings. Here's what it looks like without the Hollywood wings

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[wnchstr96]

Oh and here's a REAL Hind

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•  hind_a_s.jpg (9.1K)
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[Metallicorphan is an Ass]

ahh,well you may have to blame metal gear solid 1 for that,as it looked like the one from that

i knew that you would know though,LOL

[GiGi709]

I loved this show. It was so realistic I thought I was actually in a war zone. I thought they really pushed the envelope with some of the scenes, as Orph stated, but that is one of the things that made this such a great film.

Great review Orph!!

[Metallicorphan is an Ass]

thanks Gigi


there are rumours of a Rambo 5

do you think it should happen?,as i said i liked number 4 a lot,but the ending was cool and came full circle,so making a 5th one would kinda shit on the endning of the fourth one

Quote

“We’re bringing him back to the US.”

[Senor Burrito Tosser]

I remember watching it like it was yesterday . I had 2 chicks with me and we were drunk .
Oh wait that was Rambone .... nevermind .

[Metallicorphan is an Ass]

LOL,nice sand d....er,Senor Burrito Tosser,ha ha...knowing you,that probably WAS yesterday

[GiGi709]

I hope they do another one. Rambo showed he still has it so why not.

[Metallicorphan is an Ass]

i guess you can't argue with that,amybe he should make 6 movies so it ties with the Rocky films

[SkinToxicated76]

nice reviews Orph, your reviews has made me dust off my trilogy boxset, i know they have aged a bit but still hold there own as good films (i wasnt allowed to watch them as a kid). i think the key to films is the the character of Rambo, ok Stallone wont win any Oscars but really pulled off the soldier/tortured soul/man on the edge.

I had to laugh when Rambo Teamed up with the Afghans in Rambo 3, cant see that being a continuing theme today. Gotta be said you yanks really didnt like the Ruskys during the 80s, no offence

Rambo 4 was alot better than what i thought it was gonna be, man was it violent!

Orph, dunno if you are/were aware but the leader of the squad with Rambo in Rambo 4 was Mr Ackerman in Red Dwarf 8. Graham McTavish

[Metallicorphan is an Ass]

WHEN TWO TRIBES GO TO WAR!!!


saying that,we(UK) havent got a great deal of love for Russia right now,(apart Ron Wood from the rolling stones of course,ha ha),they keep on sending attack planes to the edge of our airspace and our RAF keep having to send our jets up there to intersect them,incase they cross over the line(part of our defense)...if you ask me,they are dipping their toe to see how we react,it was a bigger concern at the end of last year because all the shit with that Russian Spy who died here(apparently he was poisoned by Russian agents in our country),and Russia refuseing to hand over to us the prime suspect who did it

i love spy drama,it rules

Anyway...i only have season 1-6 of Red Dwarf,and havent seen 7 or 8 since first being on TV,been meaning to buy them

from that group photograph up above,the guy second from the right with the beard and the floppy hat on,i have seen him in something before but can't think what,and of course Skin, the guy on the far left was in Coronation street(manchester based soap)..as i think Sally Websters shag piece,not that i watch it,LOL


yeah ruskies,afghans and it looks like it could be Irans turn soon,because of their Nuclear programme,and we'll probably lend a hand ..i heard even France was getting in on the act,bravo Frenchies.................LOL,this planet has issues