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List Price: $34.98 | | Label: Lionsgate
Salesrank: 5430
Released: May 27, 2008 |
| Our Price: $9.98 |
| Used Price: $11.75 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
The next chapter finds Rambo recruited by missionaries to protect them during a humanitarian aid effort on behalf of the persecuted Karen people of Burma. After the missionaries are taken prisoner by Burmese soldiers Rambo gets a second impossible job: rescue the missionaries in the midst of a civil war.System Requirements:Running Time: 93 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE/HEROES Rating: R UPC: 031398232940 Manufacturer No: 23294
Description of Rambo (Special Edition + Digital Copy):
If you've been wondering what ever happened to ex–Green Beret superwarrior John Rambo since he singlehandedly shot up a Pacific Northwest town (First Blood, 1982), returned to the jungles of 'Nam to free U.S. POWs held long after war's end (Rambo: First Blood Part II, 1985), and interrupted the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan long enough to blow lots of stuff up and rescue his old commandant from the Reds (Rambo III, 1988), then Rambo (2008) is for you. Without so much as a IV to dilute the brand name, Rambo--which is what most of us called the second, most iconic film in the series--may aspire to open a new era for a pop legend. But it's a thoroughly mechanical attempt to reanimate a franchise that, absent the anger, frustration, and self-loathing of the post-Vietnam years, has no meaning or purpose. For some time now Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) has been putt-putting along the Thai-Burmese border in a longboat, catching exotic snakes to sell. As for the 60-year civil war in Burma between the brutal government and the Karen independence movement, he ignores it. Enter a party of American missionaries whose dewy blond spokeswoman (Dexter's Julie Benz) asks Rambo to haul them upriver so that they can bring medical aid to the insurgents. After the requisite number of monosyllabic refusals, he does. Soon afterward the do-gooders are in a world of hurt, and he's summoned to lead a squad of mercenaries on a rescue mission.
As storytelling, the latest Rambo is the most bare-bones of the bunch. Rambo has little to say, so it's especially galling that Stallone, as director and co-writer, obliges him to have essentially the same conversation at three different points (the final distillation: "Live for nothing or die for something"). The Burmese army goons seem in competition to commit the most hideous atrocity (e.g., child skull-crushing underfoot), the better to justify the eventual, lovingly protracted spectacle of them being eviscerated by high-powered weaponry. Although shot in Thailand, the movie has mostly been photographed in brown, reducing any particular sense of place but, perhaps, perversely increasing our gratitude for the splashes of purple whenever hot metal tatters flesh. --Richard T. Jameson
Beyond Rambo
Complete list of Rambo movies on DVD and Blu-ray | 
Soundtrack | 
Rambo: The Complete Collector's Set |
Stills from Rambo (click for larger image) Rambo (Special Edition + Digital Copy) Reviews:
RAMBO! 
2008-09-01 - This is how all the rambo's should've been...you thought he was a bad mother in the first few, this one is full of violence and blood and graphic scenes. Definetly worth it if you love action!
Intense.
2008-09-01 - "Rambo" (2008) is the fourth installment in the Rambo franchise after "First Blood" (1982), "Rambo: First Blood Part II" (1985) and "Rambo III" (1988). I'm a huge fan of the first one, which I think is an action/adventure masterpiece, but the next two films are merely okay IMHO; although Sylvester Stallone never looked better and the locations are fabulous in these sequels, the stories are too comic-booky and the characters are cardboard. In other words, there's very little depth, if any. This third sequel makes up for all that because it's not cartooney at all and there's quite a bit of depth, albeit not much in dialogue form.
THE STORY: John Rambo is alone & bitter and living hand-to-mouth in Thailand when a group of Christian missionaries enlist him to take them into Burma (aka Myanmar) to aid a village of people. Rambo strongly discourages them in light of the political instability of the country, which includes heavy persecutions and mass slayings, but they insist on trying to help so he does it anyway. Weeks later he learns the missionaries have been taken captive so he goes back with a group of mercenaries to bring them out, if possible.
"Rambo" combines elements of "Apocalypse Now," "The Killing Fields" and the first two Rambo films and is ultra-serious & intense from beginning to end, not to mention it's probably the most violent film ever made. No lie. The picture powerfully illustrates the best and worst in humanity. The Christian missionaries are willing to risk everything to help the villagers, whereas the Myanmar militarists revel in slaughtering scores of unarmed people for "fun;" they're also shown abusing/raping women and boys. Obviously they've given themselves wholly over to the darkside of their natures. Such reprobates are only worthy of one thing: Utter annihilation.
Numerous important themes are addressed in the picture (besides the main theme noted above):
-- Bitterness/despair and deliverance. The beginning of the film shows Rambo in a complete state of bitterness: He's just existing. He has no friends. He doesn't talk much and, when he does, it's very few words laced with expletives. The male leader of the missionaries is completely unable to talk him into helping them. Two Biblical proverbs state "a gentle answer turns away wrath" and "a gentle tongue can break a bone." The female missionary (Julie Benz) knows this and skillfully talks John into helping them. Yet there's more going on here than just that. This woman with a heart of gold is Rambo's "golden connection" out of the horrible rut of bitterness he's fallen into. Despite his gruff exterior, she sees something in him, something in his eys -- a good heart, even greatness, a genuine glimmer however faint. Is Rambo helping the missionaries or is she the one helping him? John instinctively realizes the rope she's throwing him and takes hold of it. There's nothing sensual about their relationship, despite her (realistic) attractiveness; it's solely spiritual. She stirs in him the hope and faith he's been longing for for too long.
-- Violence is not always necessary. Although this is the most violent film ever made it skillfully shows when pacifism is appropriate. Note the incident on Rambo's riverboat when the lead mercenary continuously insults John and tries to provoke him into a fight. Rambo completely ignores him, choosing not even say a word. In other words, he refuses to allow someone to victimize him and draw him into a conflict that has no positive purpose. It takes true strength to do this and Rambo has this strength. Indeed, John treats the guy as if he's a bothersome gnat. What do you do when a gnat bothers you? Do you break out a machine gun or merely ignore it?
-- Total pacifism does not work. I'm a Christian and would like to point out that the New Testament does not support the idea of absolute pacifism. Jesus' ministry team had a treasury box with loads of money and some of his workers carried swords for protection from thieves and murderers. Also, Romans 13 clearly states the righteous laws of human governments are God-ordained for the purpose of punishing criminals, including the right to execute when appropriate. The vast majority of sane Christians realize this, but there are a few extemists who refuse to be BALANCED with the Scriptures on this subject and insist that conflict and especially armed conflict is NEVER appropriate. The lead male missionary in the film is such a person (which I found unrealistic btw), but he learns the error of his ways before the story is over. This is an important point: Some people are so morally degenerate and evil that execution is the only just ultimate reaction (notice I said "ultimate").
-- The possibility of Rambo's spiritual rebirth [SPOILER ALERT! Don't read this paragraph unless you've already seen the film and/or want to entertain possible insights]. Although the first two sequels are cartooney and lack depth they show Rambo searching for truth and flirting with religion and spirituality. In the second film he gets a Buddhist necklace off of the Asian woman he befriends (who, of course, dies) and at the beginning of "Rambo III" he is shown working at a Buddhist temple and helping out the priests there; later, he meets and wins the hearts of (moderate) Islamic villagers and gives his Buddhist necklace to a Muslim boy who helped him out. In "Rambo," as previously noted, the female missionary is key in John's positive transformation; at one point she gently asks him whether or not he has any family back in the USA. He mumbles that he might have a father, he really wasn't sure, and obviously didn't care at that point. She later gives him a cross necklace for helping them out (he wouldn't take money). Anyway, the end of the film shows Rambo back in America walking to his family ranch. Obviously John had a profoundly positive spiritual metamorphosis in the story. The precise nature and extent of this change is not known, unless there's (hopefully) a fifth film [END SPOILER].
"Rambo" was written and directed by Sylvester Stallone and filmed in Thailand. The locations are magnificent.
BOTTOM LINE: One reviewer said he went to see "Rambo" for some mindless action & laughs but was unexpectedly and deeply moved instead. The story only runs 80 minutes, not including credits, and it's ultra-intense from beginning to end. In fact, I don't suggest seeing the film right before you go to bed because you'll likely be too riled up by the onslaught of violence and intensity to sleep.
"Rambo" is easily the second best of the series, second only to the first one; even that's debatable.
Personal Grade: A
Movie: 4.25/5 Picture Quality: 4.5/5 Sound Quality: 4/5 Extras: 3.25/5
2008-09-01 - Version: U.S.A / Lionsgate / Region Free
MPEG-4 AVC BD-50 / High Profile 4.1
Protection: AACS
BD-Java: Yes
Running time: 1:31:31
Movie size: 26,384,185,344 bytes
Disc size: 46,855,015,149 bytes
Average video bit rate: 26.82 Mbps
DTS-HD Master Audio English 5516 kbps 7.1 / 48kHz / 24-bit / 5217kbps (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48kHz / 24-bit / 1536kbps)
Dolby Digital Audio French 640 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 640kbps
Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48kHz / 192kbps
Subtitles: English SDH / Spanish
Number of chapters: 16
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Version: Germany / Warner Brothers
VC-1 BD-25 / Advanced Profile 3
Running time: 1:31:13
Movie size: 18,359,592,960 bytes
Disc size: 20,119,118,800 bytes
Average video bit rate: 17.97 Mbps
DTS-HD Master Audio English 2653 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 16-bit / 2653kbps (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48kHz / 16-bit / 1536kbps)
DTS-HD Master Audio German 4432 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 24-bit / 4432kbps (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48kHz / 24-bit / 1536kbps)
Subtitles: English / German
Number of chapters: 12
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Better than expected 
2008-08-24 - I wanted to hate this movie so much, but came away having been throughly entertained (in an extremly violent way) for 90 minutes. It was a blood splattered 90 minutes but it was better than I expected.
Rambo has retired to Thailand, but he's still in top shape. Stallone of course is still in good shape aged 60. I won't discuss steroids at this point.... A group of missionaries are trying to helped the sick and wounded in Burmah. The people are living under a military regime which is brutal in the extreme. The missionaries are captured and Rambo ultimataly helps a group of mercenaries to get them out. The body count is vast, it might be a record for I know. If you have any problems with watching bloody scenes I'd give this film a miss as there are a great many which involve huge blood loss!
The ending is well done, taking you almost full circle back to First Blood from 1982. However making comparisons with that film are a mistake as it isn't in the same class. The main reason is a lack of another major character to support Stallone. In First blood we had the always excellent Brian Denehy as the local Sheriff, in Rambo there's nobody.
However overall I shall be quite happy to watch this again. Its not a great film but it is a lot better than I expected.
The Best Rambo yet
2008-08-23 - This is without a doubt the best movie in the Rambo series. It shows more depth to the character, than any of the Rambo's. The ending is how fans of he Rambo series would want it to end. It plain felt good.
The fighting scenes are graphic, but the movie rating should tell you this was going to be rough. It's an 'A' movie, and a good job from Stallone. If you're not into the genre, you're probably thinking 'What the heck does he mean 'A' movie. No way. Simple answer for those that feel that way, 'just don't watch it'! For those of us who are, watch it over and over. It never seems to get old.
