Rambo Trilogy (1982-88)

Winning This Time

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Buy Rambo Trilogy on DVD

It's odd how badly these films have dated and how much they reflect the Reagan era. Though I remember liking First Blood back in the 80s, I couldn't sit through it again in this new letterboxed transfer. The film is just too somber and preachy -- though I do recommend skipping to Sylvester Stallone's final speech at the end, just to see if you can make out anything he says.

Rambo: First Blood Part II is another matter. It falls into that mysterious genre of "jungle" films and qualifies as a guilty pleasure, a good-bad "B" movie. While still laden with messages, this movie sets them aside long enough for Rambo to go tromping through the jungle and blowing up lots of stuff real good. In an odd twist of fate, James Cameron co-wrote the screenplay with Stallone, and the great Jack Cardiff (The Red Shoes) served as cinematographer.

In 1988, Rambo III was one of the most expensive movies ever made and flopped with a furious thud. It's a very bad film, but now has an interesting element when viewed in retrospect -- Rambo goes to Afghanistan to fight with the Mujaheddin against the Soviets. The disc even contains a humble little documentary about the history of war in Afghanistan and how Rambo III fit into that cycle.

The box set's fourth disc contains a seemingly endless amount of featurettes and documentaries, none of which particularly interested me. Artisan's DVD box set comes with a metal slip case that, if you're not careful, really scratches up the cardboard box underneath.

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Brian Dennehy, Chris Mulkey, David Caruso, Charles Napier, Steven Berkoff, Kurtwood Smith
Written by: Sylvester Stallone, Michael Kozoll, William Sackheim, James Cameron, Kevin Jarre, Sheldon Lettich, based on a novel by David Morrell
Directed by: Ted Kotcheff, George P. Cosmatos, Peter MacDonald
MPAA Rating: R
Running Time: 300 minutes (approx)
Date: August 22, 2002