SYLVESTER STALLONE

Bil’s rating (out of 5):  BB.5

USA/Germany, 2008.  Lionsgate, The Weinstein Company, Millennium Films, Nu Image/Millennium Films, Equity Pictures Medienfonds GmbH & Co. KG IV, Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films, Rogue Marble.  Screenplay by Art Monterastelli, Sylvester Stallone, based on characters created by David Morrell.  Cinematography by Glen MacPherson.  Produced by Avi Lerner, Kevin King Templeton, John Thompson.  Music by Brian Tyler.  Production Design by Franco-Giacomo Carbone.  Costume Design by Lizz Wolf.  Film Editing by Sean Albertson.

Following the successful resurrection of the Rocky franchise, Sylvester Stallone got his dream of bringing back his other famous series come true with the return of John Rambo. Years after his last adventure in Afghanistan, Rambo now lives the solitary life in Thailand, working as a snake trapper who catches cobras to be used in prize fights. When a group of missionaries come to him for help, looking to give medical aid to people suffering the wrath of genocide in Burma, he initially refuses, but eventually the kindly personality of one woman (Julie Benz) wins him over and he decides to accompany them up the river in his boat. When the group find themselves in the deepest possible trouble, it is up to Rambo to once again win an entire war by himself; the fact that he is now seven hundred and sixty two years old has no bearing on his abilities, as this one has the highest body count of all the Rambo films. It isn’t a terrible movie, but it is a derivative one, lacking the excitement of the original and the gleeful silliness of the first sequel; Rocky Balboa did a far better job of capturing the old feeling, while this one feels like it’s just Sly going through the motions for some extra cash.