Release date: May 22, 1985 

No man, no law, no war can stop him.

This month’s Most Wanted Monday flick, as voted by you the audience was Rambo: First Blood Part II. Let’s just quickly look at the title of this film. It is all over the place, not making sense. The first blood was drawn in the last film. For the title of “First Blood Part II” to be logical, it would have to be drawn by the same person, again, before anyone else. But much like the 80’s the decade this film was made, nothing makes any sense at all. Hair is big. Men have no chest hair. Asians speak with american/broken english. And no one’s shirt fits right.

Directed by Goerge P. Cosmatos, the second instalment in the Rambo series was written by Sylvester Stallone, James Cameron (first draft) and Kevin Jarre. Rambo FBP2 stars Sylvester Stallone as Rambo, and Martin Kove, Julia Nickson, Steven Berkoff, Charles Napier,  with Richard Crenna.

The story picks up sometime after the Vietnam war, and Rambo is serving time in a labour camp when he gets a visit from Colonel Trautman. Trautman offers Rambo a chance at full clemency in return for a secret mission. Rambo is tasked with going back into Vietnam to find POWs (Prisoners Of War). His mission is to simply photograph the prisoners, if there are any, and to not engage anyone in battle. But in usual Rambo style, everything goes wrong and he must kick-ass and blow the joint up. After a predictable swerve, Rambo must fight off the enemy alone, while plotting his revenge against the main-hand that sent him into a political hush-hush, propaganda mission.

WHAT WORKED:

– The action. Like the 80’s. It’s big. It’s loud. It’s doing cocaine off of a black toilet in the back of a shady club!

– Stallone. He’s pretty much the only actor who did his job in this thing. A few lines, big muscles, and his foot firmly up bad-guy asses.

WHAT DIDN’T WORK:

– The score. There was some choice music during that didn’t fit many scenes. Bouncy music isn’t the best idea for a dark torture scene.

– The cleanliness level of Julia Nickson. She’s in the jungles of Vietnam where every man she interacts with is filthy with sweat, blood, dirt and 80’s, yet she’s always prim and properly dry. WTF?

THE LOWDOWN:

This movie makes the full circle from suck to success. Everyone is a flat character. No one has a change or even a revelation. It’s big. It’s loud. It’s simple. It does try to make a commentary on the Vietnam war and the American Government’s involvement/propaganda, but comes off slightly cheesy because of it. If you’re in a brain-fart mood this one is for you!

Rambo: First Blood Part II is So Damn Stupid It’s Awesome.