John Rambo must confront his past and use
his deadly combat skills for one final mission. ACTION
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Rambo: Last Blood (2019)Directed by Adrian Grunberg
Written by Matthew Cirulnick and Sylvester Stallone Starring Sylvester Stallone, Paz Vega, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Adriana Barraza, Yvette Monreal, Oscar Jaenada Sequel to 2008's Rambo Based on characters created by David Morrell |
Eleven years later and there is a new Rambo out in theaters. The second of Stallone’s most recognized characters (the other being Rocky Balboa), it would be released to scathing reviews and not the hottest box office numbers for the franchise. Problem is, the reviews would not focus on the film and any of its technical merits; instead it would be attacked by social justice warriors complaining about the in-your-face gore and supposed xenophobic views. As a big Rambo fan myself, I still wanted to see it. Now that I have, it’s time to find out what I thought about the movie itself.
Following from where they left off back in the 2008 movie, our beloved main character is now working on his family’s ranch and looking after his niece. His peace is shortly destroyed once she goes to Mexico to look for her father and is soon kidnapped by a prostitution ring. Needless to say, Rambo must go back into action. This plot may sound a little familiar to you. That’s because it’s the same exact plot to the Liam Neeson actioner, Taken. While the plot is pretty unoriginal, it works for the most part. As for the violence, it’s awesome. Following the lead taken form the 2008 film, there are some seriously gruesome moments that pleased the gorehound in me. What this film doesn’t take from the last installment, though, is the character development. Rambo: Last Blood feels like there were several scenes cut during the editing process to get to the action quicker. There’s a reason First Blood and Rambo are my two favorites of the franchise. They gave me equal amounts action and character development. Unfortunately, this one goes in favor of the two 80's sequels. Last Blood is not nearly as bad as the reviews made it out to be. It’s a mostly solid, old school action flick which doesn’t hold back from the more graphic moments. Stallone still does a phenomenal job in the role of the title character who he’s played for decades now. I just wish they had spent a little more time on character development and story beats. For fans of this franchise, you can’t go wrong with this supposed final installment. |