Rambo: The Last Blood (2019)

The Last Blood's timing couldn’t have been greater. Sure, the world is going extremely green, a regret knee-jerk reaction of the end of 21^st century. It reared its ugly head at the time when the US of A is led by a very, ultra conservative President, and so fearfully hilarious that he makes George W. Bush look like Einstein’s man servant.

It comes at a time when the conservatives have had it up here (I am pointing at the neck, what were you thinking) with all that liberal shit. Big corporations are waving green flag, despite the fact that many are smiling in front and farting somewhere in the third world. Big names are using green to further enhance their political or entertainment industry career. Peace is the name of the game, and all of them are going gung-ho about wanting peace despite the fact that they are haunting their own families, severing ties with true friends and investing in greed, because the green that most of them believe in are…well…the greenback of course.

Rambo is a product of Reagan’s era, even and it has since become so ultra-super-duper conservative that the writer of the original First Blood novel, David Morrel, denounced it, nay hated it. The product now belongs to Stallone, which he uses like a thief who has gone legit, goes back to a dark alley to mug someone each time the personal economy cries red alert.

Stallone needs Rambo, like a mechanic, needs one old Volkswagen to tinker in the workshop to show that hey, business is as usual. Stallone took his own creation, Rocky, and expanded its wisely…and Creed (Rocky IIIA) is off on its own track, possibly creating another vile set of films that dilute in quality as Rocky gets considerably old enough to coach mobile life-support system in the ring.

It is not that the audience actually didn’t want both…at least the non-Americans still have some sort of affinity with those characters, especially those who grew up in the 80s…like yours truly. I liked Rambo when I was a kid, and when I grew up, I found the character appalling and immediately lost interest in those films. No revisiting. No reunions, except in 2008 when I got disgusted with Rambo 4, not because of the overt violence, and unbelievable action. No, those two ARE the characteristics you look forward to in that escapist angst-ride dumb flicks…I was appalled by the over use of CGI for the violent scenes.  

But that film hinted a swansong…Rambo goes back home.

Or so we thought, and we are back with Rambo at his home turf, doing what critics called adult Home Alone shit.  Except, oh come on, Rambo did it first in First Blood. In fact, Home Alone was kids’ First Blood for crying out loud, so give Morrel and Stallone some credit here, please.

I shall not detail the plot so much, except it involves Rambo going to Me-hi-co to rescue a gal, and things do not turn out hunky dory…and our friend does both defending and avenging stuff. More explosions, bodies getting stabbed, shot at and torn apart. The usual.

Having the expectation already, I was not appalled. But somewhere in the middle of it all…and you will hate me for saying this…I saw the heart...at least a little bit. There was something quite human this time about our blood thirsty hero. He has no romantic attachment to the gal, unlike the last time around when it was hinted. The girl in question was a friend’s daughter and he looked after her like one too. So, when (err…spoilers alert?) she kicks the blood bucket…you actually feel for him. Sure, many of his own have died around him…but he had shown some emotional attachment to the girl even if their scenes were short and quick. Stallone the underrated actor does emerge at times showing his acting chops (he was nominated for best actor in 1976 alongside Robert De Niro, for crying out loud).

The violence this time (thankfully? I don’t know, I feel guilty here) is much more realistic than the cartoonish previous installment. Some, you may have not seen before. Some, the usual stuff. The Home Alone schtick…or rather, the First Blood booby-trapping stuff appears more plenty here, and things start exploding and body parts start splattering and you finally do feel, well into the third quarter, that you are in a Rambo film.

So, it’s a “like it or loath it” film, except most with hate it passionately, I am sure. I liked it. I liked it because it delivered what I thought it would deliver. Stallone works for audience…his audience…may have long deserted him.

One thing though, Stallone does not have all the fans to thank for. He was self-made and is still instrumental in his own longevity. He wrote Rocky, and worked his ass off for all the action films that ensued, constantly tearing his skin and breaking bones. Then, when things have gone quiet, he brought back Rambo and with its success, wrote and directed the first Expendables, that has since become a franchise of its own. And now, he pulled Rambo out of the retirement within retirement.

Whatever it is, there is nothing to stop Stallone to keep bringing back those characters (Rocky is still around though not in his own films) …and if the audience is flocking to see him drawing blood…why should he.  

Will he be back..sure, when Stallone’s well is dry. He rode into sunset, literally, in this film…but sunset is too far away, he might find few bloods to spill in Hawaii or something…