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Rambo III (Special Edition)

Rambo III (Special Edition)

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Couldn't leave it well enough alone...
Review: Remember John Rambo? Last time we saw him, he was walking off to find himself in the Far East, turning his back on his commanding officer Trautman. Years later, Trautman finds him doing some handyman work at a Buddhist temple. The Colonel asks John to help him on a final mission to rescue some Afghani's held by the mean old Soviets. Rambo turns it down but when Trautman himself is captured during the attempt, John tells the monks he's gotta go. He teams with an Afghani tribe to free his friend and help the helpless.

Sylvester Stallone returns to the monosyllabic role of Rambo. Although he is physically up to the challenge, his acting shows exhaustion with the material. The same can be said for Richard Crenna's turn as Colonel Trautman. Amongst the many problems with this story is extremely ridiculous dialogue served in a shoddy script interpreted by an also-ran director, Peter MacDonald. His biggest crime? He has made a pretty boring action film. And audiences stayed away in droves making this one of the biggest flops in history. But, if the rumor mill is correct, we'll be seeing Rambo again.

This Special Edition DVD has an amazing audio transfer. The DTS can challenge even the best sound systems! Also, the widescreen video transfer is crisp and beautiful, capturing the "Afghani Mountains" setting (Filmed in Israel) and enough firepower to fill a Rambo flick. There is a timely new documentary looking at the Afghani conflict as well as a running commentary by Director MacDonald. This DVD was also made available in the Rambo Trilogy box set.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: We Never See These Kinds Anymore
Review: Rambo III is the prime example of the perfect action movie. Instead of the countless James Bond's where sex is the only thing on his mind, or the terrible John Woo action we see in laughable movies like Face/Off and Mission: Impossible 2. Rambo's are far more concentrated, it takes all of its action (And superb action it is) and focuses it right where it wants it so this movie does not become an over-blown piece of trash action movie like The Rock. Stallone is perfect in the Rambo role and displays awesome physical action to where we believe he is a one man war-machine, the story plays itself out well, ditching its Vietnam protest in the first two and giving something new with plenty of explosions and action to satisfy any movie buff. Its amazing to see a movie that is deemed by so many clowns here as an idiot-action movie become so much more. Rambo III is fantastic.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: The Trilogy We Should Be Ashamed Of
Review: Guilty pleasure. Two words that describe the Rambo trilogy. Who can't enjoy Sylvester Stallone's gigantic larger-than-life Vietnam veteran. He destroys everything and sight and can survive through huge battles. If you're sick of the same old Van Damme or Seagal movies, watch this one. Rambo travels to Afghanistan and saves a ton of people. Too bad Stallone isn't around anymore making movies like this.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: The Action Continues.
Review: In FIRST BLOOD, Rambo was fighting for his personal freedom against a ruthless cop. In RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD II, Rambo redeemed himself and his country by returning to Vietnam to rescue imprisoned American POW's. The Vietcong in the film were backed and financed by Communist Russia, foreshadowing events to come in RAMBO III. In this movie, Rambo's mentor Colonel Trautman (Richard Crenna) is taken prisoner in Afganistan while assisting the Afganian rebels against the invading Soviet forces. Rambo comes "out of retirement" from working in a Buddahist commune to rescue his old friend and teacher. In the process he becomes friends with the Afganian people and ends up kicking the tar out of the Soviet military.

There are a lot of inaccurate depictions in RAMBO III. However, the Rambo films aren't about staying true to truth and reality (well, FIRST BLOOD is an exception). They are about a new modern American superhero; a guy who is invincible, a one-man army who gets to blow lots of things up, kill lots of bad guys, all for the sake of truth, justice, and the American way.

I admit the film seems totally different since September 11, 2001. However, that makes the movie a little more interesting to watch. The past, including dated movies, can teach us a great deal.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: misplaced paean to the Taliban
Review: I really do love Rambo, America's archetypal outcast warrior! I've watched "First Blood" 1 and 2 probably a hundred times. But I hated "Rambo lll" right from the start. Its Wahabbist propaganda was merely ignorant back then, but in the wake of 11-September, utterly appalling now. It's impossible to watch the film without gasping in disbelief at the political lunacy of those days. Still, our tormented hero might be forgiven his misplaced zeal. Obviously Troutman never showed him any photos of 19-year-old Soviet conscripts dismembered and skinned alive, or of Afghan civilians murdered by the mostly foreign mujahedin who would eventually comprise the ruling Taliban. There aren't any female characters in the film. Even so, Rambo couldn't have foreseen that Afghan women under Wahabbist oppression would soon come to call themselves the "living dead". Particularly bizarre now is the scene in which Rambo gives a child-guerrilla his Buddha necklace. Ignore the fact that a devout Muslim would neither want nor wear an infidel image. And forget that the casually discarded pendent was Rambo's only memento of the brave Vietnamese girl who had died saving his life in "First Blood ll". Only remember for a moment the Bamiyam Buddhas, priceless ancient treasures blasted to smithereens by Taliban decree. Thanks to real-life Troutmans and the CIA, plentiful US funds, weapons, and training turned Afghanistan into Soviet Vietnam and propelled the rise of a certain young Saudi exile from mujahedin commando to terrorist mastermind. Meanwhile, real-life American Vietnam vets and their Soviet "afgantsi" counterparts have established international support groups. In the final irony, America now seeks Russian advice in combatting Rambo's erstwhile allies. This film's single star is justified only by its exploitation of Stallone's fabulous physique. Rumor has it Sly is considering reprising his famous heroic role. I hope so! Maybe the aging but always awesome Rambo, outraged by his former friends' fiendishness, will return to the caves of Afghanistan to kick some Al-Quaida butt! It could be called "First Blood lV: Rambo's Redemption".

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Dign finale for Rambo series
Review: This time Vietnam vet John Rambo(Stallone) must rescue his friend and mentor Col Trautman(Crenna) who is captured by russian forces in Afghanistan during the soviet invasion.

He teams up with mullaidin's rebel forces to locate and infiltrate the facility where Trautman and other prisioners are held captive.

Pure action with touches of plenty violence and signs of impossible tasks conduct the story make in cooperation with the afghan people.

A dign finale of the Rambo series after the previous low sequel.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: One of the worst war movies I've ever seen
Review: This movie was an embarrasment to the filmmakers. First of all, extremely unrealistic- Rambo shoots a few bullets at a Soviet helicopter and it explodes like a toy. Second, this film is very boring- for about 45 minutes, Rambo and his Afghan friends walk around with angry faces and discuss how awful the Russians are.
Third, I wonder why do Americans always hit their targets and Russians always miss?

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: They'll Be Pulling This Title Out of Their Dustbins
Review: They should have stopped the Rambo series after the first movie. The movies get worse with each subsequent release. The most ridiculous scene was when Rambo and Trautman decided to take on the entire Soviet Army by themselves. What hogwash! Apparently, only Americans can shoot straight, while the Soviets could never get in a good shot.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: HIGH-CALIBRE EXCITEMENT!
Review: One of the three best films in the RAMBO trilogy.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: They were right to stop it here
Review: This prequel is a lot like the first sequel(though why this deserved an 18 certificate unlike that one I don't know).Sure,there are some fantastic action sequences,with explosions,gunfights and chases galore.But Stallone is as mysteriously wooden as he was in the before sequel.In the original First Blood,he spent the majority of the film being wooden as well,but then right at the very end when the he runs into Richard Crenna's colnell character,he explodes into an endless turrey of emotions,which explain why he spends most of the film in a blank,trance-like state.Here,and in FB Part 2,he is simply deprived of expression throughout.Also,the movie lacks engaging dialogue and a solid central villain.Worth watching perhaps for the exciting bits,but you can leave your brain in neutral throughout.Don't forget Crenna made his own self mocking appearance in this film's parody Hot Shots!Part Deux.


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