THE RAMBO TRIBUTE
Tagline: No man, no law, no
war can stop him.
Directed by: Ted Kotcheff, George P. Cosmatos, Peter
MacDonald
Starring: Sylvester Stallone
BUY THE RAMBO TRILOGY DVD SET HERE
READ
OUR SLY STALLONE INTERVIEW HERE
INTRO:
In light of the upcoming return of John Rambo on the
big screen via RAMBO (coming out this
Friday, January 25, 2008) all of us here
behind the REEL ACTION column on AITH decided to pay tribute to Sylvester Stallone’s iconic action
character.
I mean straight up, you think
“action films” first words that should pop into your noggin is JOHN F*CKING RAMBO.
No other fictional character within the action genre has left such a deep mark
on popular culture, surfaced so much in real life politics and has had this
much staying power. So here it is, our tribute to John Rambo.
THE MAN: FIRST BLOOD
By The Arrow
Funnily enough “all American
hero” Rambo’s real father was a Canadian author (born in Kitchener, Ontario,
Canada) named David Morrell who wrote the novel FIRST BLOOD (published in 1972)
on which the film was based on. In the book, the character was only called RAMBO
(Morrell took the name off a brand of apples) and yes RAMBO died at the end.
Once
translated to film, the “one man army” was given the name of John J. Rambo. The
character was born on July 6, 1947 in Bowie, Arizona from parents of
Indian/German descent. He joined the army on August 6 1969 and was then accepted
in the Special Forces at Fort Bragg, North Carolina to be trained by Colonel Samuel Trautman.
His specialty was light weapons and guerilla warfare while being medic, helicopter and language
qualified.
Once in
Vietnam, Rambo was captured by the North Vietnamese
and tossed into a POW camp (the camp that he re-visits and pays back in RAMBO
II). Rambo eventually escaped his captors and was officially discharged from the US Army on
September 17, 1974. Rambo had
to his credit 59
confirmed kills in Vietnam and was awarded two Silver Stars, four Bronze Stars, four Purple Hearts,
the Distinguished
Service Cross and the Congressional Medal of Honor. Yup the man got around!
Once back
on US soil,
Rambo drifted around, took bullshit job after bullshit job; living life with no
purpose. Finally, his aimless wandering brought him to
Hope, WA (shot in
Hope, BC) to find
his old Special
Forces buddy Delmore Barry who along with Rambo was the only member of their
unit (comprised of
Danforth, Westmore, Bronson and Ortega)
to survive Vietnam. Rambo finds out that Barry was sadly killed in Nam without
even knowing it. He died of cancer once home; a cancer caused by exposure to Agent Orange (herbicide and
defoliant used by the US Army in Nam).
Wounded and more alone
than ever, Rambo strolls on in the town of Hope and conflicts with its
“judgmental” and a-holish sheriff Will Teasle. Now armed with a new purpose; Rambo embarks on a private
war against the local police force. He not only fights for his life
but also for all of the Nam vets who partook in a war that they couldn’t win,
who got the shaft by their own government and got the cold shoulder from a lot
of the American
people once they returned. They drew first blood not him, they drew first blood…
Click pic to watch the First Blood Trailer!
READ THE R.A. FIRST BLOOD REVIEW HERE
THE SYMBOL: RAMBO
FIRST BLOOD PART II
By Eric Walkuski
There’s no question that the RAMBO series
has more on it’s mind than just thrilling action sequences and bulging biceps.
It’s evidenced in the sober, howl-of-pain conclusion of FIRST BLOOD, where Rambo
mourns his lost friends in Vietnam, and more so, the lack of respect and decency
that greeted him when he returned home.
There’s no getting around the real sadness
that surrounds the character in these films – the first two in particular (the
third pretty much gives up the inner-anguish and goes for the action jugular).
What RAMBO FIRST BLOOD PART II is about is re-fighting the Vietnam war, and in a
sense, winning it, killing commie scum, and giving the finger to all weak-willed
bureaucrats who betrayed and dismissed the soldiers who shed blood for their
country.
No, subtlety isn’t RAMBO’s strong point,
but so what? What Stallone and co-writer James Cameron were doing was creating a
fantasy in a sense – sending the ultimate patriot back into the hell he calls
home, where he’s allowed to fully become the super-war-hero that was only hinted
at in the series’ first chapter.
He’s the psyche of every enraged soldier
who fought winless battles in terrain they couldn’t possibly comprehend. And
certainly the most hissable villain in the picture isn’t the evil Russian
Lieutenant or Vietnamese captain, but the lousy government man (Charles Napier)
who could save him, but leaves him behind instead. Rambo saves for him his
greatest outburst of rage.
Politics aside (and I don’t particularly think this movie has a "liberal" or
"conservative" viewpoint. It wants nothing to do with either), does the flick
deliver on a visceral level? Well hell yes it does. It’s inherently thrilling
about seeing the man sprint, leap, and overcome the jungle, the way he handles
that gigantic f*cking machine gun, the way he looks his enemy in the eye and
sneers with contempt.
He doesn’t exactly laugh in the face of
torture, but he doesn’t let it phase him. The man’s a machine with a heart, and
an American classic, and there’s no way you can root against him…
Click pic to watch the Rambo First Blood Part 2 Trailer!
READ THE R.A. RAMBO 2 REVIEW HERE
THE GOD: RAMBO III
By Ammon Gilbert
After two films, we’ve seen John Rambo go from a simple man to a living legend, building up to him as a God-like hero/warrior in RAMBO III. Every storytelling aspect of RAMBO III depicts Rambo, not as a mere mortal, but as a God, capping off the trilogy with one larger than life entry.
From the film’s theatrical poster, featuring Rambo looming over the Soviet camp in the Afghanistan desert – he’s seen as a larger than life figure (in the poster, he’s essentially seen as a GIANT). Rambo’s muscles are rippling bigger and stronger than we’ve seen before, showcased majestically through the endless oiled and shirtless montages seen throughout. The imagery of Rambo gallantly riding a horse while surrounded by fire and explosions mirrors that of the ancient Greek Gods high on Mt. Olympus. And speaking of Mt. Olympus, when we first meet Rambo, he’s working high in the mountains of Thailand, with a great view above the rest of the city, looking down on the numerous temples below.
Rambo’s God-like persona is also echoed through the film’s dialog as well. Blatantly, like when the Soviet commander asks Colonel Trautman “Who do you think this man is,
God?” Trautman responds “No. God would have mercy. He won’t.” To the more subtle, when the Commander asks Rambo who he is, Rambo responds “You’re worse nightmare,” which reflects many viewpoints of those who have such a fear of God, that they literally can’t sleep at night because they’re afraid of being stricken down by Him.
And who else but a God could single handedly resolve the entire Soviet/Afghan crisis? By the end of the movie, the Soviet army has retreated (or been blown to bits) and things are set right again. While RAMBO III is the lesser of the series, it does showcase Rambo doing what he does best, and stays true to the character that was previously developed in PART II, if magnified ten folds over. FIRST BLOOD and RAMBO III are about as different as any two movies in the same series could be – which simply goes to show that the transition from being just a MAN to a GOD is a long road… when you’re
on your own.
Click pic to watch the Rambo III Trailer!
READ THE R.A. RAMBO 3 REVIEW HERE
READ OUR SLY STALLONE INTERVIEW HERE
STAY TUNED FOR PART 2 OF THE RAMBO TRIBUTE!