"Killing is as easy as breathing... but take deep breaths slowly..."
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It was 1984, the year of reagan, michael jackson was on top of the charts, and madonna was crowned queen of the virgins. the cold war lingered, pepsi was the choice of millions, and saturday morning cartoons... were still saturday morning cartoons, and mtv, was still... well, music television. But for a 9 year old boy, in the fourth grade, it was also the belief that he could be someone else... imagination was inventive, without the video games, and toys of the now present day.
Roleplaying was a triumph, to re-enact your favorite villians or heros in the modern world, or galaxies far away. Although to that young boy, war seemed so far away and make believe, there was but one character seen on the rolling film, known as a vcr, that struck a nerve. Rambo.
Admittingly, Rambo: first blood part II, was the first film of the series (only being 2 parts up to that point) that i had seen. It had the explosions, the pain, the redemption, and patriotism, all bottled up in the form of this scarred individual.
Not to stray too far from this, as a nine year old boy having my father serve in vietnam... i was unfamiliar with the war. the film was a hollywood update of the emotional, and statement making of the first film, but i think the impact was all but relevant, just packaged a little different.
Fast forward... 24 years later. That boy of 9 is now 32, and i have recently just seen Rambo the fourth installment to the series.
My initial thoughts when hearing of a new rambo, and rocky for that matter were... not again... why?... and can it be done? Rocky Balboa has come and gone and it was achieved on an emotional scale closer to the first film than any of the ones following that picture. So i wondered if stallone could do it again. the answer is a reluctant yes.
I do not believe in writing spoilers... but there are good and bad issues with the new film that primarily takes this sheltered, isolated man, and keeps him in check with who and what he has become. A killing machine.
The review... The acting is not grade A. If you are looking for oscar winning talent, then pass on this. Stallone for his role, has very little dialogue but is acted best when nothing is said, because you believe him... you believe Stallone is this lonely soul fighting the demons within.
As you might have read... this is a bloodbath. It is not appropriate for children, but it is a subtelty in violence that keeps you rooting for the good guys, although sometimes that is not enough.
Overall, i rate this high on entertainment, but low on character build (although rambos character is fairly defined from the previous films.)like the first film this tries to find a line for statement but at times you are so swept away, or turned by the violence that maybe the statement or the point gets lost in the shuffle.
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