User reviews

I'm really surprised at how little respect people have for this movie. I could be wrong, but it seems to be the ideal movie for any Vietnam vet looking for an outlet to his frustration. The government used Rambo the way many soldiers must have felt used. If this movie is nothing more than a tiny way of saying "we're sorry you had to go through that," then the movie deserves all the respect we can muster.

I actually had the pleasure to see this film in the theater on opening night. Granted I was only 6 years old at the time, but it's an experience I'll never forget.

Something happened. It might have been the thunderous roar that came over the audience after the opening sequence. Maybe it was the cheering, the yelling, people going insane. Shook the whole damn place. Now I can't explain to you what actually happened, I wasn't born a poet, but it was just incredible. Something that I have yet to see happen again with any other movie. Something only a Rocky or Rambo picture could ever do. It made me a believer.

One of my favorite scenes is when Stallone is slapped by one of the Vietnamese pirate's. "He sold us out…The bastard." Slap… No reaction, just a look that could cut through steel. And that's what Rambo is all about. He is every man. Or what every man wants to be. Not simply a hero, but a winner.

"Like you said Colonel, he went home." This picture basically invented the action hero. Why do you think the 80's were filled with the blood and guts routine. Countless spin offs would try to recapture the glory. All but a few would fail. I've even seen movies with direct quote rip-offs that actually steal several direct lines from this movie.

Is it Casablanca? No. Is it Apocalypse Now? No. Is it supposed to be? No. Stallone already made his miracle picture in 1976. It's called Rocky and it's one for the ages. Rambo: Does only one thing. Simply put, kick ass.

Sylvester Stallone returns to the silver screen in this second chapter of the Rambo trilogy. This time, he is released from prison under the condition that he return to the Viet Nam area to take pictures of suspected camps where American POW's are being held. He has to deal with having orders not to use deadly force and then having to dis-obey those very same orders or be killed. He has a new antagonist in the form of a Washington Bureaucrat named Murdoch who leads this fact finding mission. He soon realizes that no one can be trusted and even his former mentor Colonel Troutman (well portrayed by Richard Crenna) is in no position to assist him. What follows is battle after battle with Asian as well as Russian troops leading to an exciting climax where he confronts the REAL enemy. Add this one to your shelf of DVD's in the action section. This is a well directed and excellent film!

When I was a kid and I watched the first Rambo and this one, I thought the order was wrong. Here Rambo goes to war in the first one he came back from one. Well I was clueless what can I say. It's also not like I saw any social commentary or understood what PTSD is. I know I probably was too young to have watched them, but that I also did not know at the time.

Having rewatched the first three again recently, I remembered them and my memory got freshened up on a lot of things too. The action is pretty stellar in this one and we get some recognizable characters back and some new ones added. Now the main twist is very predictable, but the movie still works despite that. I remember the horror I felt when the slugs scene came up. But I learned about the salt "trick" too - not that I got a chance to use it (thankfully).

'Rambo: First Blood Part II' is Hardcore Entertainment, The cult-classic is full of thirst, rush, blood, gore & muscles. Also, Sylvester Stallone plays Rambo, a role that he has immortalized, remarkably, yet again.

'Rambo: First Blood Part II' is set in the context of the Vietnam War POW/MIA issue, it sees Rambo released from prison by Federal order to document the possible existence of POWs in Vietnam, under the belief that he will find nothing, thus enabling the government to sweep the issue under the rug.

'First Blood' was a fantastic film, that held your attention very well. Being it's sequel, 'Rambo: First Blood Part II', as told, offers hardcore entertainment & lives up-to the expectations. Though I have seen all the films from the 'Rambo' series, I consider 'First Blood' & 'Rambo: First Blood Part II' to be the best among all.

Screenplay by Stallone & James Cameron, is entertaining, fast & brutal. The Action-Sequences are superbly done and are full of blood & gore. George P. Cosmatos's Direction, is passable. Cinematography, Editing & Art Design, are decent.

Performance-Wise: As told, Stallone delivers remarkably as Rambo, a character that he has immortalized ever since. Richard Crenna is sincere. Charles Napier is as usual. Julia Nickson is impressive. Others lend support.

On the whole, If you wanna watch some unforgiving, hardcore action, then don't dare to miss this one. Thumbs Up!

Rambo: First Blood II (1985) is a Hollywood reactionary film that reflected the times. Raygun was in office and American was deep into it's patriotic phase (a phase that would start again following Iraq War, Part One and after 9/11).

After the events that have transpired in First Blood, we find Rambo breaking rocks (I am not making this up) inside a Federal Prison somewhere in Mexico (the entire movie was filmed there). Col. Trautman offers him a deal with Black Ops. He can either sweat to his heart's content for the rest of his life getting even bigger by breaking rocks or he can go to Mexico, I mean Vietnam and settle some old scores, I mean take a couple of snaps.

Whilst Rambo chooses the easier of the two options, the filmmakers give him ample camera time to show off his new ripped body he earned breaking rocks in the Federal Pen. But like all of these movies nothing ever goes like the way they're supposed to. Check out Rambo as he grunts and moans his way into American pop culture. Despite all of the cheesy flag waving and macho dialog, Rambo II is a fun popcorn movie. Especially when Charles Napier passes the torch to Sly Stallone. Martin Kove and Richard "Dicky" Crenna co-stars as well. Fun for all, they should have ended the series here but since this is the 80's, well.... Recommended for a few chuckles.

P.S. Check out the female lead in this picture. A Eurasian actress who almost becomes Rambo's only love interest in the series! She's kind of hot in a tough girl sort of way.

Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) is the finest pure bad-ass the best action film of the 80's of all time for me. My number 1 personal favorite film in the action genre I think it is one of the best action movies of all time. I love this film to death and it is my childhood film. Sylvester Stallone returns as John Rambo, the former Green Beret who is given the opportunity for a Presidential pardon if he accepts a mission to confirm the existence of American POW's captured during the Vietnam War.

Rambo: First Blood Part II influenced many of action films. Commando come out the same year and it was very competitive with Rambo but this movie won because it was more box office successful. I love this film to death It is the sequel to First Blood (1982), and the second installment in the Rambo film series In my opinion it is Stallone's best film.

"Sir, do we get to win this time? "

Awesome and very great intense underrated sequel . it Is a very joy great action movie . Action adventure fun with some substance. Different than the first one , but great as an archetypical good versus bad movie. Very decent, good movie, very entertaining, fast paced wonderful action Hard-R fight scenes and some nice one-liners war movie. There's no shaky cam or CGI here but real explosions. Bad-ass action film I absolutely love it to death! James Cameron and Sylvester Stallone wrote the script that is why this movie was such a bad-ass action. Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Aliens proves to be one of the best action movies from James Cameron he wrote and directed them, that is why Rambo: First Blood Part II was such a success. Brilliantly directed by George P. Cosmatos who later directed Cobra (with Sylvester Stallone again) Leviathan (with Richard Crenna again) and Tombstone.

Of course, this wouldn't be an action movie without some action. There's plenty of it, and it's perfectly done. Great action, a slick pace and a barrage of great moments (a random soldier being shot by an exploding arrow being my personal favorite) may not make this high art, but it does create a fun time at the movies, which is what movies are meant to do. It also helps that it has a great score, which sets the tone very well. You have ton's of explosions real practical effects. You see a lot of heavy weapons and they are used well.

Rambo uses a knife and kills the bad guys, well, he's Rambo and his knife completes him. Rambo uses Hoyt Archery compound bow which has been well know as the "Torque Bow" because of the high explosive arrow tips. I have never seen in any action movie a bow and explosives arrows. Rambo uses a flying helicopter kills all the bad guys blows whole base and saves POW's captured prisoners.

In this movie you have Russians and Vietcongs as the bad guys. Rambo blows up an enemy boat by pulling an RPG-7 anti-tank grenade launcher blows them to hell. Great explosion I have ever seen. Rambo blows up Podovsky's Hind helicopter with another grenade launcher M72 LAW.

Excellent solid cast Sylvester Stallone does great excellent performance as legendary John Rambo Vietnam vet. I love the character to death. Richard Crenna R.I.P. as Col. Samuel Trautman was excellent I really miss him. Charles Napier R.I.P. as Marshall Murdock was fantastic bad guy. The acting is fantastic from Richard Crenna and Charles Napier the politics were important, such as a right-wing stance coming from Trautman and his nemesis, Murdock, contrasted by Rambo's obvious neutrality. Great music score from Jerry Goldsmith R.I.P.

10/10 Bad-ass action film I absolutely love it to death, it is my number 1 action film ! Puts most of action movies to shame. Today they aren't action movies like are this one. Today they are just lousy CGI bullsh** crap.

Violent movie that launched Stallone career going on his successful Rambo episodes . Sylvester Stallone as brawny hero Rambo is a previous Green Beret who's forced to go Cambodia in search of American POWs . He frees the American MIAs but Vietcong soldiers sett off in pursuit and Rampo leads his pursuers into all kinds of booby snares , puts dangerous traps in the jungle woods and mountains . Rambo appears threatening , lurking and harassing to his enemies pursuers escaping the innumerable risks and dangers . Rambo is double-crossed but his former superior ,Richard Crenna, will attempt to help him .

From the beginning to the end the comic-book action-packed and extreme violence is continued and it's fast movement ; for that reason the picture is pretty amusing ; furthermore contains lots of explosions and some unintentionally comic dialog too . The outdoors are spectaculars , the landscapes have been filmed on location in Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico (waterfall scene)and in Tecoanapa, Guerrero, Mexico . Stallone is enormous as the tough and rebel ex soldier and Richard Crenna is top notch as the former trainer officer. Appears notorious secondaries as Martin Kove , Charles Napier, Steven Berkoff and screen debut of Julia Nickson , David Soul's wife . Awesome and exceptional cinematography by the classic cameraman Jack Cardiff . Again a splendid and rousing musical score by the great maestro Jerry Goldsmith . The motion picture is preceded by the original ¨First blood¨ by Ted Kotcheff in which Rambo is falsely accused as vagrant and wrongfully imprisoned and he pull off the break-out . And followed by ¨Rambo III¨ with Kurtwood Smith and Spiros Focas and of course Richard Crenna , in which Rambo against the Russians who control a particular sector of Afghanistan and he goes behind Russian-dominated enemy lines too rescue his former coroner from jail . The trilogy was a completed by the recent ¨Rambo¨ , a definitive improvement, with Julie Benz and directed by the same Stallone in which Rambo fights enemies in Thailand ; nevertheless the best considered is the original . The film will appeal to action enthusiast and Stallone fans . It's a movie for adrenaline lovers and frenetic thrillers buffs. Rating : Good, entertaining but violent , two thumbs up . This improbable and silly motion picture is professionally directed by George Pan Cosmatos. Although the movie has some aspects a little tough to take , this exciting film still has its moments. This large-scale and lavishly produced pic attempts a bemusing atmosphere with spectacular results.

First Blood and Rambo are completely different movies. They have same two characters bu that is where the similarity ends. First Blood was a tightly wound excellent action picture directed very well by Ted Kotcheff. Rambo is an action extravaganza that is not to high on the psychological element the way the first one was. They are both excellent films but I find them entertaining for different reasons. One of the reasons that I find Rambo so damn entertaining is because I enjoy that Rambo is now larger than life. He is the ultimate fighting machine who's only desire is to win a war that someone else lost, and if winning means he has to die then he'll die, no fear, no regrets. That is what makes Rambo the ultimate fighting machine and the ultimate movie character.

I love this movie. I love how far fetched it is. I love that Rambo can withstand hours of torture and then have enough energy to escape into the jungle and take on the whole Vietnemese and Russian army. That is what makes this movie so damned entertaining. When I was 14, this was my favourite movie, and it took a great many films and years before it was dethroned. I think I can enjoy and appreciate movies like Apocalypse Now and JFK better than when I was 14, but my love for Rambo and films of its kind will never diminish. This movie is amazing from start to finish.

Rambo's mission in this film is to go back to Vietnam and see if he can find a certain camp that may be harbouring POW's. But if he finds these men, he can only take pictures. He has a problem with that and when he does find one he is left behind by the "stinkin bureaucrat" named Murdoch who orders the mission aborted before Trautman can pick him up. It is while Rambo is captured that the movie becomes tight, tense and incredibly entertaining. Rambo is also fun to watch on a physical level. Stallone was in the best shape of his life in 1985 as he simultaneously made Rambo and Rocky IV. He is huge, ripped and strong as hell in this movie and it is his psychical presence that adds to his persona. He single handedly goes through a whole army and lives to go get the bastards that left him behind. Rambo is one of the old school feel good summer type movies.

Rambo does not claim to be JFK or Mississippi Burning in the sense that it wants you to leave the theater with a message. It has its own beliefs that is for certain, but what Rambo does just like Raiders does is, it entertains. It has you rooting and cheering for Rambo and dissing and swearing at the bad guys for 90 minutes. It is so much fun that I highly recommend this film to anyone who likes to be entertained. Leave your politics for some other movie, that is not what Rambo is about. It is about being entertained and wearing your emotions on your sleeve. That is what is beautiful about this movie. It doesn't apologize for being a bit over the top. Neither should you, for enjoying the film. It is a true wonder. A great piece of entertainment.

This movie is very underrated and offers much more to the viewer then what appears. While Stallone was not a great actor at this point in his career, he fit the Rambo character perfectly, and few men in Hollywood could have defined the character better. The movie offers an insight into the Vietnam veteran that most other films dare not project. The action sequences are outstanding and the story interesting and fast paced. Recommended for all Action Fans. I rated this a 7.

As an Army veteran, I was deeply offended by this film. In my opinion, it is a disgrace to those who fought in the Vietnam war. To say that the real SF soldiers I knew were offended by this crap is an understatement. If the film were presented as satire or even as a cartoon (it was), it would have been better received. But it was taken seriously my many people, especially overseas. Silly as it sounds, wherever I went in Europe in the late 80's people seemed to judge me and Americans in general by this film. Unrealistic? Hmm, let's see. A monosyllabic, muscle-bound cretin is pulled off a prison work gang to go on a secret mission to SE Asia to free some American POW's. In a running battle he kills about 500 enemy soldiers with an M-60 machine gun that never runs out of ammo and never overheats. And he never misses, running with a 32lb gun held up with one arm. I could go on, but I'm getting a headache. I gave this a 2/10 only because it's slightly better than Rambo III.

First Blood was a fable written in the days of old by none other than William Shakespeare. It was a tale of a simple man overcoming adversary and finding peace within himself.

Well, maybe I'm lying. The simple man was true though. How simple must a man be to use the logic, "If it moves, I kill it." Last time we saw John Rambo he was hauled off to prison for laying waste to a redneck town. And in prison he remains. For the first five minutes, anyway.

Colonel Trautman shows up to offer Rambo an Escape From New York-style ultimatum. If he goes back to 'Nam and takes photos of American P.O.W.s, he'll receive a full pardon for his crimes against the hillbillies.

"Do we get to win this time?", he asks.

"This time, it's up to you!" Trautman says, which basically gives him licence to massacre as many baddies as possible. And massacre he does.

The first movie had a body count of one. Just a single death in the whole film. And it was accidental, caused by the character's own stupidity. Whatever reality First Blood had is well and truly gone now.

The biggest strength of this sequel is its rousing score by Jerry Goldsmith. The original theme is expanded and exploited, with brilliant new ones kicking in at moments of high action. It's exciting stuff and you can only imagine how poor the film would be without it.

George Pan Cosmatos was widely regarded as a hack. There is nothing here to prove otherwise, but his direction is adequate, rather than exceptional. The scene where Rambo emerges from a pile of mud is one of the few moments of directorial spark. By today's standards, it's pretty simple stuff, but back in '85, when the actor Ronald Reagan was still in The White House and the Cold War took it's last few breathes, it became a massive hit.

It's no secret that America lost in Vietnam. And 10 years on the country still felt cheated by the government. It needed a way to get back at them and show who the boss REALLY is. So Rambo returns to kick ass.

Originally written by James Cameron as a script called First Blood II: The Mission, the film was never going to be anything other than pure fantasy. And it is here that the one-man-against-the-world sub-genre started. The villains are cardboard. Steven Berkoff plays the role of a stereotypical Ruskie bad guy with no grace, or charm. His character serves no purpose other than for Rambo to kill him last. No huts, or shacks, exist for any other reason than for Rambo to blow them up. No Viet Cong shows his face and lives.

It's this touch-and-go attitude that prevents the film from becoming truly engaging, or worthy. The standard three act structure is apparent and you can tell that the producers just wanted to churn out a money maker rather than anything serious.

Ted Kotcheff made First Blood about an emotionally scarred man, who wanted no more than what he deserved. Shakespeare it was not, but it was a good movie, even if it didn't set the box office on fire - just everything else. Now George Pan Cosmatos takes the same character and turns him into a disturbed schizophrenic mass murderer. No human emotion, just mindless violence. Although there is room for Rambo's big speech at the end, it's not as clever, nor as moving, as is it was first time around. It sounds so very "American" and disgustingly patriotic.

Still the movie takes millions and Rambo has become an historical icon. Everything about the Reagan era is is this movie. It's superficial, narrow-minded and VERY un-PC. But hey...it was the Eighties.

This is the story of a one-man killing machine who leaves no one behind no matter what the circumstances are. The movie has a different mood with much more action than the first one. Director changed and screenwriting done by Stallone himself and James Cameron. The latter really surprised me. I recognized his peculiar signature in several places, i.e., in the plot twists and cruel killings. In my opinion, this movie is at least as good as the first one.

Firstly I can't believe that this movie has been so lowly rated by so many people here,on reading some of the reviews i see that its mostly just a lot of people taking themselves too seriously and expecting hard hitting politically commentary from a movie which realistically speaking is all about the action and the killing,seen in that light i believe this movie is excellent.

Comparisons to the first movie might not be completely accurate,they are 2 completely different types of movies,the first part dealt with Rambo's personal struggle with his own demons and the attitude that greeted most Vietnam vets when they returned home, this movie was all about redemption and a chance to right a wrong.

If we were to to stretch a point one might actually say this was more of a die hard-esquire mold of action movie

Sylvester Stallone has one of the most recognizable faces in the world for a reason; this genius has created two pop culture Icons Rocky and Rambo. Anywhere, in the world these two characters will be reconized. Stallone has many detractors, but his vision, writing, and acting out these characters has made him rich and sucessful in a highly competitive industry. Before Rambo, his sequel to First Blood, Stallone was just a star like Gene Hackmen, but this movie created a mega star. As part of gen x I love this film, it is a prototype for many action films that followed. The story brings out raw emotions, tension, and adrenaline. The viewer relates with John Rambo his pain, and how the government lies. The action takes the viewer on a incredible ride. I love the battlecry he gives out when he does a chopper assault on the bad guys, and the explosive arrow that smashes his adversary, along with the machine gunning of the computer system at the base. The camera angles, expressions, and physical acting is perfectly done. You leave the picture feeling good, and that is what movie escapism should be. Stallone, who is ridiculed, along with Arnold for his physical acting, can with this ability create a great stage presence. This emotion he creates with his body is done by, how he walks, flexs his arm etc. Could Robert De Niro done this film, maybe(ie Cape Fear) Tom Cruise no way, Val Kilmer No. This film is what an action film should be, I've seen very few lines for an Action movie as long as this one. PS the speech at the end gave the spirit of what the film was about.

"Rambo: First Blood Part II" gets the job done in terms of following a great film in "First Blood".

This film is not only a terrific action film, but it captures the spirit of the Cold War. The historic significance is illustrated when Trautman describes the refusal of war reparations to the Viet-Cong and their decision to keep the P.O.W.'s. This was an incredibly important issue at the time and Stallone's script portrays it as that.

Charles Napier and Martin Kove do an excellent job as the bureaucrat and the mercenary, that provide the resistance to Rambo's success.

Rambo is given a second chance to win in Vietnam. His mission is to recover photographic proof of American P.O.W.'s still being help captive. Thats right, Rambo has to take pictures. He ends up going above and beyond the call of duty. Nobody expected him to return, except Col. Trautman.

Stallone brings stage prowess and a great story to the screen, and it is a great follow-up to the original. Well worth a look.

This movie was completely awesome. It had a great plot grade meaning behind it great special effects great action scenes great stunt work and it was constantly entertaining. You could tell that they put a lot of effort into this movie. Giving it a Razzie was not what Razzies were meant for.

Sylvester Stallone returns as John Rambo a Vietnam vet who is sprung from prison to rescue American POWs who are still in Vietnam, at first the mission is to just take pictures but Rambo of course declares war and then the government officials who lost the war for the US (This was the 80's) the first time around conspire to sabotage Rambo again. Rambo:First Blood Part II is a prime example of the guilty pleasure 80's action flick. It is made with flair and imagination but ultimately is so laughably absurd that it works only for those who want a fix of action. Of course I have always been a fan of the 80's action movies which had a certain verve which always got you to enjoy the action despite it's propaganda where as today movies like this aren't made because for some reason they have to be politically correct. (I also prefer 80's horror over today's horror) still Rambo First Blood Part II represents a phenomenon that gave everyone a hero, even if the hero was clearly a psychopath in the first, still while Rambo:First Blood Part II is merely one of the genre's icons, one must understand that the whole appeal lies in the guilty pleasure. Mainly that now that it is dated the politics as well as the strongman heroics take on a surreal quality which make this even more fun now than it was back in the 80's. Still it's a movie that demands to be seen, especially if you like the genre and want the real deal.

* * * out of 4-(Good)

In 1985 when this action movie was released, it must have looked state of the art in terms of special effects. Also, it was released at the peak of the cold war which spawned other nonsense movies like Red Dawn and Missing in Action. Almost 30 years on, the action sequences still look OK but to watch the movie is just painful. The story is dumb and lame. Sly Stallone is even worse than usual. Even the most patriotic American must feel embarrassed to watch this. After Rambo released the POWs from Vietnam all by himself against a bunch of one- dimensional Russians, he would return in 1987 to single-handedly kick the Russians out of Afghanistan. That one was even worse. I still enjoy watching cheesy 80s movies. However, this one I did not like back then and I hate it even more now.