Rambo III (1988)

 Rambo III (1988)

Like Rambo: First Blood Part II, Rambo III fails to capitalize on the goodwill that First Blood left with audiences back in the day and a more contemporary audience such as myself. It does have more action than the last film (and some of it does entertain), but Sylvester Stallone’s script is awful and his performance as the beloved John Rambo does not work as well. Not to mention all of the behind-the-scenes drama. I felt like this was just violent for the sake of being violent as the script does not have any levity outside of being forced. True fact: The movie had the highest body count until it was surpassed by the far superior sequel twenty years later. The basic premise is good, but the script and characters fail to bring the premise alive. I can barely even remember most of what happened right after watching it. Not good, folks.

Did I mention behind-the-scenes drama? The original director, Russell Mulcahy was replaced two weeks before the start of production. With John Rambo supposed to be fighting a bunch of tough-looking Russians, he instead got a bunch of boys that could pass as surfers instead of fighters. Honestly, that would have been more of an entertaining watch. The second-unit director, Peter MacDonald, was hired to direct. This is his first ever feature film and the lack of experience shows. There is more action and combat sequences, but they are not well-executed and memorable. Some action scenes towards the end do entertain but not enough to be truly satisfying.

After the events of the previous film, John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) has now settled down in Thailand. When he hears the news that his mentor Colonel Trautman (Richard Crenna) has been captured behind enemy lines in the raging Soviet-Afghan war by the ruthless Colonel Zaysen (Marc de Jonge), he must spring back into action. If John and his men are captured by Zaysen, the United States will deny any involvement. Not surprising for Rambo. But being the skilled expert he is, he will fight with no mercy. See, this is a simple plot that could have been exciting…but it just was not.

It is always a pleasure to see Sylvester Stallone kicking some bad guy’s butt especially in Rambo mode. While he does have some good sequences and good lines, this is his weakest Rambo performance. I can hardly recall Marc de Jonge’s portrayal, which means a forgettable villain. Stallone and Crenna do have good chemistry together, so at least that is a good thing.

Overall, I was not pleased with Rambo III. Has some good ideas, but the execution was not that good. And it all starts with the screenplay. Some good action sequences and a solid Jerry Goldsmith score (although rumored to be a recycled score) cannot save the film for mediocrity. Just stick with First Blood if you want to watch John Rambo at his best.

My Grade: D