Rambo

Lets be honest, few people expected Sly to dig his way out of direct to DVD hell. Like many of his 80s cohorts, he seemed destined live out the rest of his days on the bottom shelf of video stores the world over. After last years well received Rocky Balboa Stallone decided to revisit his other iconic character, and as a film lover I couldn't be happier.

For those of a certain age, the names Arnie, Sly, Van Damme and Seagal will evoke certain feelings. Many of us have fond memories of sneaking down in the small hours of the morning to watch 18 rated action films on VHS while everyone else slept. Back then men really were men and heroes didn't need 24 hours to stop the bad guys. All they needed was a white T-shirt, a tight white vest, appropriate head gear and enough ammunition to blow away a small country.

The film finds a rather sombre John Rambo living the peaceful life he has so longed for. One day a group of bible bashers decided that what the Burmese people really need is a group of missionaries, and hire Rambo to bring them up river. Being a Rambo film things don't exactly go to plan and it's up to Rambo and a group of English mercenaries to the rescue.



What follows is 80 minutes of insane OTT violence and bloodshed the likes of which haven't since the inside of a cinema in well over a decade. Heads roll, children get skewered, villager get raped and into the fray wades John Rambo. Far from the caricature he has been depicted as, Stallone looks in great shape and the rumours of surgery gone wrong are just that. The acting is at times a little strained, but it's never less than believable and to be honest any film as insanely violent as Rambo can be forgiven for any acting shortcomings.

Rambo's biggest weakness is the abrupt running time, at only 87 minutes it is over quite fast, and the film feels like someone took the best bits of a two hour film and edited them together. The fact that the 87 minutes we get are so much fun is some compensation for this, though I have a sneaking suspicion that we may see a longer unrated DVD release.

It's not big, nor is it clever but what it is, is magnificent. It's 80 odd minutes that will have you punching the air, laughing so hard it hurts and as the end credits roll you may even have a tear in your eye. Since seeing it the opening Saturday, I have thus far managed 8 additional viewings and each time I've loved it, for not only does it make me feel like I'm a kid all over again, it also lacks any delusions of grandeur.