Review: Rambo Sets the Tone for Action Stars to Come with ‘First Blood Part II’

“Rambo: First Blood Part II” takes the momentum of its solemn predecessor along with the shooting star that was Sylvester Stallone at the time and BAM! Three words: Box. Office. Magic. While maybe not tugging on the heart strings the way of his “Rocky” character, there is no denying that aesthetically speaking, Rambo kind of came to define not only Stallone, but action stars in general for years to come.

It’s hard to not frame Rambo in the same context as Rocky. Rocky was a hero; a national treasure. Rambo is a vigilante. This at least the way it looks on the surface. But John Rambo is a hero also. And in this film, he provides a voice to the voiceless. Vietnam War fallout left vets holding the towel and finding themselves discriminated against for doing what their country asked of them. A vicious cycle and a stark cry from the perception of vets of the either of the World Wars. Rambo represents this disenfranchised group of individuals who personified the “damned if they do/damned if they don’t” moniker. And with his chiseled physique and bandana, who better to hold the torch?

As the plot thickens here—and man does it ever—Rambo goes nuclear in the face of government cover up, conspiracy, and apathy. Do you know what differentiates a film like this from the barrage of nameless, faceless carbon copies to follow? If you said that this balls to the wall action extravaganza also has a legitimate story, that would be a bingo! Explosions, crashes, and hand-to-hand combat ass-kicking are all great and wonderful; but when they supplement a story that you get invested in—and more importantly, characters you are actually rooting for—it becomes the perfect combination that you need for a great movie.

My only issue with the Rambo franchise in general is that more or less, this is as good as it gets by a mile. When you compare to a franchise like “Die Hard” with those, there is one clear junker. However, with the Rambo franchise, there is only one clear classic. And while you can make the argument that the “Terminator” franchise is front loaded and consists of mostly uninspired drab after those initial classics, the same goes for Rambo. As great as “Rambo: First Blood Part II” is (and man, it is great!), the downside is that there isn’t a hell of a lot of meat left on the bone elsewhere in this franchise. Yeah, Rambo is always on a mission. But none of the other entries have the heart nor the blunt force of relevance that somehow this flick perfected. Honestly, it probably shot way too high. The bar has been set so high even Rambo’s bow and arrow can’t come close to touching it!

Bask in it. Take it in. And enjoy the hell out of it. Not only one of the best action flicks of the ‘80s, but one of the definitive measures of which all action movies to follow are compared.