Rambo 5

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by Wildcat

One way? Is that implying Rambo dies? I really, really, really hope not.

No reason to kill off the character entirely.

There's every reason to. He died in the book this was all based off of. Every movie after the first one has been a delayed execution.

[Wildcat]

Ah shoot. I never read the book but I hate when the hero get killed off or worse sacrifice themselves.

I understand it’s for dramatic effect but a movie or story can always be written around it. Especially this character. His whole thing is being unstoppable.

Part 4 was supposedly the last movie at the time and they kept him alive.

[Voltron]

I heard in this one, we find out that Rambo's REAL name is Huang Po and that he's been a dual citizen and firm supporter of the CCP his entire life. Also, he does a duet with Jackie Chan.


The movie will be subtitled in English for us.

[Andrew NDB]

The trailer, proper now:

[Autbot_Benz]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

The trailer, proper now:

Kinda get a Logan Vibe from this. Interesting Trailer

[Andrew NDB]

The director "hopes" this will be the last one. That means Rambo doesn't die in it, despite Stallone strongly alluding he does. Probably this is misdirection.

https://zeenews.india.com/hollywood/...r-2226133.html

[Andrew NDB]

New trailer:

[Andrew NDB]

As predicted, left wing critics are attacking "Last Blood" because Rambo goes after a Mexican cartel.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/sylves...ican-nightmare

And it's stereotypical to have cartel members with tattoos? What? It would be weirder if they didn't have tattoos.

Another one:

https://www.theguardian.com/film/201...t-blood-review

"Trumpian fantasy."

[oldmanwinters]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

As predicted, left wing critics are attacking "Last Blood" because Rambo goes after a Mexican cartel.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/sylves...ican-nightmare

Sheesh, I'll say, it's hard to find many comments specifically on the movie's flaws or merits while digging through all the politically-charged rhetoric about the movie's choice for antagonists:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/enter...nd/2379211001/

[Andrew NDB]

So, so retarded. Did the Mexican cartels carving up families and melting them in vats of acid (the videos are not hard to find, and there's always new ones) when they're not too busy human trafficking suddenly become less evil because we're in the middle of a border crisis?

[Autbot_Benz]

First Blood Author David Morrell hates this movie

_DavidMorrell
@_DavidMorrell
I agree with these RAMBO: LAST BLOOD reviews. The film is a mess. Embarrassed to have my name associated with it.
https://usatoday.com/story/entertai

[oldmanwinters]

Originally Posted by Autbot_Benz

First Blood Author David Morrell hates this movie

_DavidMorrell
@_DavidMorrell
I agree with these RAMBO: LAST BLOOD reviews. The film is a mess. Embarrassed to have my name associated with it.
https://usatoday.com/story/entertai

I always figured he held the same opinion about everything after First Blood. His commentary track on the first film DVD is very insightful. You can tell he has a begrudging respect for Stallone's movie franchise's success, even if it came at the expense of his original vision.

Doesn't surprise me that yet another "old Rambo" film would disgust him, especially if he holds similar political opinions as many of the reviews cited.

[Xav]

David Morrell did say he liked the director's cut of part 4. He actually did work on the story of Rambo 5 with Stallone but the producers wanted to do a movie about human trafficking. Here's his full comment.

Disappointed in RAMBO: LAST BLOOD (to put it mildly). NEWSWEEK asked my reaction. These are the ones I sent to that magazine.

"My problems with RAMBO: LAST BLOOD are twofold.

"One is that I felt degraded and dehumanized after I left the theater. In 2016 Sly and I had numerous lengthy telephone conversations about creating what he described as a “soulful” Rambo. Then he stopped communicating with me. One element of our conversations is in the new film (the search for the missing child as an example of the family he never had), but instead of being soulful, this new movie lacks one. I felt I was less a human being for having seen it, and today that’s an unfortunate message.

"On a second level—that of storytelling instead of theme—the film is a mess, resembling a 1976 James Mitchum (Robert Mitchum’s son) film called TRACKDOWN, which has almost the same plot, in which a Montana rancher gets even with sex traffickers (in this case in Los Angeles), who have kidnapped a young female relative. That film is typical of ultra-violent 1970s exploitation “grindhouse” films, the technique of which RAMBO: LAST BLOOD resembles. The sets here look cheap. The direction is awkward. The script is filled with explanatory dialogue (“she was like the family I never had” or words to that effect—we get it—explanation not required, and this from an actor/writer who prides himself on communicating visually rather than through unnecessary words). The music has that droning synthetic sound that TV dramas use to support needless, tedious dialogue. The characters are post-it-note caricatures. Rambo could be called John Smith, and the film wouldn’t change. It assumes the audience is familiar with Rambo’s background whereas anyone under 40 will wonder what on earth is going on with those tunnels. From multiple perspective, this film fails miserably. The best I can say is that the first two minutes were promising."

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.p...1450953612216/

[Sumac]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

So, so retarded. Did the Mexican cartels carving up families and melting them in vats of acid (the videos are not hard to find, and there's always new ones) when they're not too busy human trafficking suddenly become less evil because we're in the middle of a border crisis?

If they are not white, then they can not be evil.

[oldmanwinters]

Originally Posted by Xav

David Morrell did say he liked the director's cut of part 4. He actually did work on the story of Rambo 5 with Stallone but the producers wanted to do a movie about human trafficking. Here's his full comment.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.p...1450953612216/

Sounds like fair criticism to me. I felt like the John Rambo character storyarc tied up nicely at the end of the 2nd movie. Everything after that has just been franchise milking and lots of "destruction porn."

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by oldmanwinters

Sounds like fair criticism to me. I felt like the John Rambo character storyarc tied up nicely at the end of the 2nd movie. Everything after that has just been franchise milking and lots of "destruction porn."

I've dug into this. Morrell's grandson has been posting on Stallone's Instagram a lot... apparently Morrell had a version of Rambo 5 he wanted to do on a story level and Stallone had his back on it but the studio didn't like it. So there is an element of butt hurt at play.

[Wildcat]

I hate bumping topics but I guess it’s not too old. It is for this specific movie after all. I finally saw this. It was good and I’m really glad Rambo did not die at the end even if they don’t make anymore.

I have not seen the original 3 for quite awhile so I don’t think I can fairly compare all of them at the moment. I saw part 4 again somewhat recently. I think I liked 5 more.

One thing bothered me. The girl that helped Gabrielle find her father basically gives her to the cartel? I know she was drunk but she took her bracelet so she knew what was going on and who was behind it since she leads Rambo to him. What happened here? It’s just strange.

I don’t think it’s “destruction porn” but I will nitpick that a few times he kept killing someone after they were clearly dead. He blows a guy’s head away and then shoots him in the leg just for the sake of it. I get he’s just being Rambo but it’s kinda funny. He wouldn’t feel it.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by Wildcat

I hate bumping topics but I guess it’s not too old. It is for this specific movie after all. I finally saw this. It was good and I’m really glad Rambo did not die at the end even if they don’t make anymore.

Well, it's designed so that maybe he did. Or maybe he didn't, if Stallone wants more. My read is that he died on that chair and bled out and never got on that horse... because he shooed them away a couple scenes ago.

I have not seen the original 3 for quite awhile so I don’t think I can fairly compare all of them at the moment. I saw part 4 again somewhat recently. I think I liked 5 more.

I think I like them equally, for different reasons. 4 has the obviously higher kill count but it's Rambo in a very different place and time in his life.

One thing bothered me. The girl that helped Gabrielle find her father basically gives her to the cartel? I know she was drunk but she took her bracelet so she knew what was going on and who was behind it since she leads Rambo to him. What happened here? It’s just strange.

Yep. It would only be weird if it didn't happen everyday.

I don’t think it’s “destruction porn” but I will nitpick that a few times he kept killing someone after they were clearly dead. He blows a guy’s head away and then shoots him in the leg just for the sake of it. I get he’s just being Rambo but it’s kinda funny. He wouldn’t feel it.

Like 4, it is a great study in a film that devolves the bad guys and makes the audience really hate them, both in 4 and this based in real sh** that has happened (both in Burma/Myanmar a decade ago and Mexico everyday)... and then the big cathartic release at the end. The big setting things right.

[Wildcat]

I guess he could have died but the horse was probably around. It was his home. Animals know where they live. I don’t think it would have ran away.

The thing about the other girl didn’t make sense to me because she cared enough to help her find her father and then just backstabs her for no apparent reason?

Giving a scene like her trying on the bracelet for fun and they got separated in the crowd but was too drunk to notice it would have been better. She could still know who the guy was since he was well known but it’s portrayed as if she was sort of in on it.

If she was blackmailed into doing it that would have been a perfect quick explanation. She was acting kind of regretful when she met Rambo but taking the bracelet makes it seem otherwise. It’s a strange way to have written it.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by Wildcat

I guess he could have died but the horse was probably around. It was his home. Animals know where they live. I don’t think it would have ran away.

Naw. If his shooing them away didn't "stick" then all the gigantic explosions going off (like when he self-destructed his whole tunnel system) would have.

The thing about the other girl didn’t make sense to me because she cared enough to help her find her father and then just backstabs her for no apparent reason?

The reason seems clear. She is someone being paid to lure in girls for the cartel to be drugged up and whored out. It's her profession. And they're out there in spades in Mexico.

Giving a scene like her trying on the bracelet for fun and they got separated in the crowd but was too drunk to notice it would have been better. She could still know who the guy was since he was well known but it’s portrayed as if she was sort of in on it.

She absolutely was in on it. It's clear. We see it from the first scene with the two girls interacting. The cartel lure woman was friends with the main girl way back, but she is seething with envy about her privilege. She is justifying her actions to come in giving her to the cartel.

My only beef with this is that Rambo didn't just put a bullet in her head anyway. Especially when her intel didn't even end up saving the girl's life.

If she was blackmailed into doing it that would have been a perfect quick explanation. She was acting kind of regretful when she met Rambo but taking the bracelet makes it seem otherwise. It’s a strange way to have written it.

Maybe there was better ways to do what they were going for, but the bracelet seems a "simple" way to get around a lot of scenes of Rambo, like, doing more detective work.