We return to the Rambo series, where we find our hero John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) recruited to save his best friend in Afghanistan.
I have come to recognize through the years that movies set in the 1980s usually feature some reference to global politics that play a vital role in the story and characters who are in it. Stallone tackled The Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States in Rocky IV, so he’s no stranger to Soviet Union conflicts, especially in Rambo III. This time he finds himself stuck in the middle of the Afghanistan conflict.
The Soviet invasion and occupancy plays a significant role in the story and will be the latest hurdle Rambo needs to climb to save the day.
The film works because the legend of the former Green Beret only grows in this one. It gets funny each time Rambo is recruited as a one-man wrecking ball, and those who help him don’t believe his capabilities. So far, all three movies have presented this dilemma in a new way, so I can’t wait to see what’s next.
I enjoyed the helicopter sequence in Rambo II, and it appears so did the general public, because it’s back in this third installment. Although this one didn’t end like the previous one, the crash (don’t be surprised) leads to an even bigger firefight that will rock the desert.
The desert battle may be the best part of the series to date. There are tanks, helicopters, machine guns, bombs, and soldiers on horseback. The whole time you watch people blow themselves up and die, you have to appreciate the authenticity of the entire thing. For generations, this is how the Afghan soldiers have fought against far more advanced countries. I applaud their efforts to keep it real, even though we all knew how it will end. 6/10
Ten Stars or Less 