He’s the man with a mug and muscles. A legendary collection of characters whose stories continue to hold their place in history and face the test of time. Surprisingly, he manages to continue putting those stars of decades past into the modern times so that they can continue to rake in the attention, fame, and potentially tell a story doing it. I’m talking aboutSylvester Stallone, the one-man action star who despite the passing years still does what he can to bring the boom. Tonight’s feature is an unretired action legend that decades ago sunk his knife into our hearts, and now years later, he’s trying to do it again with modern tools. What is in store? Well that’s where I come in to give some insight as Robbie K is back with another look at:
Film: Rambo Last Blood (2019)
Director:
Writers:
Matthew Cirulnick (screenplay by), Sylvester Stallone (screenplay by) |3 more credits »
Stars:
Sylvester Stallone, Paz Vega, Yvette Monreal
LIKES:
Stallone’s character still adapting
Great use of cinematography to get the feeling
Touching Side of Rambo
The Rambo Action Package At The End
Montage
DISLIKES:
Predictable
Lacking Depth
Wasted Characters
Lame Villains
First hour is cliché, simplistic build up
A Little Too Much Focus Of Blood
Inconsistencies in this film’s logic
SUMMARY:
Rambo has gone through some of the darkest battles and nightmares we only glimpse in films, so seeing his journey of moving past that is always nice to see. Last Blood’s attempt to push the character to new levels gets a nod of respect, especially seeing the doors to his inner character open to reveal the touching side of Rambo. Sure, you’ve seen this vulnerability at moments in the past, but for this film you really get an in-depth dive into this new side which will help you appreciate the legend even more. Much of this is due to the acting, which is okay but works, but I liked the cinematography and use of filming filters and techniques to help bring out that depth. Much of this most aren’t going to care about, so perhaps the use of the film technique is better suited for the carnage that Rambo films bring. True to the title, there is plenty of blood and gore to bring to the table, as modern technology and focus on violence comes rushing into the last fifteen to twenty minutes of the film. The loud wet smacks, the red carnage, the screams of agony, and intense focus will give you more than an eye full of Rambo’s tactics to fill you to the brim and really end on an exciting climax. Note: This is not like the 80s blood so those thinking of taking impressionable minds need to think five times before trekking this. When all is said and done through and the credits start rolling, the last montage of Rambo’s past adventures will seal up the deal in what may or may not be the last film of the franchise.
Now I’ll be the first to admit that a Rambo film is not always the fleshed out, Oscar Worthy pick that will shatter new levels. However, I do recall that at least the first two films had a decent story to drive the adventure and help begin to expand on our… hero. This film did offer a touching side, but Last Blood’s plot is very predictable, a linear voyage that lacks the depth that other installments do. To take sixty to seventy minutes of the film and not provide the John Rambo action sooner was well a little disappointing. This cliché, simplistic build up again had some heart, and is true to the character to some level, but the other characters they introduced were not utilized well. His family and a potential new friend “contributed”, but they just did not have the same level of involvement his usual supporting characters do. I would also say the villains did not quite have the same bite. Past rivals to John Rambo had military training, corrupt armies, or inside information for them to abuse. This one though, is just a bunch of greasy looking thugs, who certainly deserve the fight, but lack any bite to them and were quite unimpressive for the most part making the “battle” certainly justice filled, but again one sided and missing that exciting spark. The bloodlust the director and squad chose this time were a bit more of the plan than actual battling, and Rambo’s continued pushing of the red paint was quite overloaded for me, but may be right up the alley of others. What also took away from me was the inconsistencies in the film’s logic. Rambo’s choices in body armor, why they showed almost every grotesque way to kills, but then skip other kills, or even more so why the Mexican Cartel lacked brains in this installment is beyond me.
The VERDICT
Overall, Rambo: Last Blood has the same simplistic approach the rest of the movies have done, but they did not quite execute as well for me. The story elements were sacrificed for superficial components, and the definition of action packed is a little different from my worldview. Sure, it’s all about building up a justified tale of vengeance, and it does open up the side of Rambo that is outside the rugged stoicism that he loves. Yet, the modern take of extreme, weak villains, underutilized characters, and focus on the blood took away from the balance the first film did so well. Still, I’ll agree with my fellow reviewers that if you are a die-hard fan and want the modern technology to blend with it, this fil is for you. All others, I would hold out for, and for everyone please don’t take those that are too young to this blood fest.
My scores are:
Action/Adventure/Thriller: 7.5
Movie Overall: 6.5
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