In Thailand, John Rambo joins a group of mercenaries to venture into war-torn Burma, and rescue a group of Christian aid workers who were kidnapped by the ruthless local infantry unit.In Thailand, John Rambo joins a group of mercenaries to venture into war-torn Burma, and rescue a group of Christian aid workers who were kidnapped by the ruthless local infantry unit.In Thailand, John Rambo joins a group of mercenaries to venture into war-torn Burma, and rescue a group of Christian aid workers who were kidnapped by the ruthless local infantry unit.
- Awards
- 1 win & 1 nomination
- Diaz
- (as Rey Gallegos)
- Missionary #5 (Preacher)
- (as James Wearing Smith)
- Myint
- (as Suparkorn 'Tok' Kijsuwan)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaRambo was banned in Myanmar (formally Burma), and bootlegs are a hot item. Burmese Freedom Fighters have even adopted dialogue from the movie as battle cries, most notably "Live for nothing, or die for something." Sylvester Stallone said "That, to me, is one of the proudest moments I've ever had in film."
- GoofsThe large bomb found in the jungle is not a Tallboy as previously suggested, but a "Grand Slam", the successor to the Tallboy bomb. The key indicator is the overall size of the larger 22,000 pound bomb, and the aerofoil shape of the stabilizing fins, versus the relatively flat fins of the tallboy. It's perfectly plausible that such a bomb could sympathetically detonate after 60 years in the jungle. The explosive filler is a cast RDX/TNT based explosive (torpex) which is more or less impervious to the elements. While it's entirely possible, and quite likely that the secondary booster explosives would have deteriorated, and indeed the very fact that the bomb did not explode when dropped would suggest that the fuses were damaged or misused, it's entirely possible that a very large container of torpex could be sympathetically detonated with a C4-based claymore. The implausible aspect of the bomb is that, indeed, they were only used in Germany, were extremely rare and expensive, and could only be dropped from a fairly specialized Lancaster bomber.
- Quotes
John Rambo: [while aiming an arrow at Lewis' eye] Any of you boys want to shoot, now's the time. There isn't one of us that doesn't want to be someplace else. But this is what we do, who we are. Live for nothing, or die for something. Your call.
- Crazy creditsSandwich Makers - Permpoon Penjan and Parichat U-Tama
- Alternate versionsTo secure a "Not under 18" rating from the FSK, the German theatrical version was cut by ca. 1 minute. To achieve this rating for the DVD, one additional minute was cut. For the German sell-through version (rated "Not under 16"), almost every violent bit was removed. The uncut version was released with a SPIO/JK certificate. 15 years later, the movie was eventually removed from the index list and shortly afterwards the FSK finally granted the uncensored version a "Not under 18" rating.
- ConnectionsEdited into Rambo: Deleted Scenes (2008)
- SoundtracksRambo: First Blood Theme
Written by Jerry Goldsmith (BMI)
Published by Universal Music Publishing o/b/o El Cajo Music Company (BMI)
"Nothing does change. It's what is."
As my first viewing now since having seen the first three, I can appreciate the way this film mythologizes the character. This is done in part through School Boy's reverence, which adds a great counterbalance to the chemistry of the cast. We also revisit the human core of the first installment, from the dialogue scene in the rain to the close up of his knife sinking with the boat-symbolizing the indefinite struggle of a PTSD veteran who has to live with the heavy soul of his past. And the St. Francis prayer recited in the backdrop of the weapon-welding montage: a prayer of opposites, of contradictions, of embracing humility and forgiveness in the face of evil. A prayer of philosophical inquisition-an appeal directly to God to help one understand and navigate the world around us with greater wisdom and clarity. It is a fitting theme for John Rambo.
"Where there is darkness, light."
Granted, the film is not a cerebral one, but it has some fitting choices for mood and set up. The peaceful stream to doom is abruptly juxtaposed by a sheer brutality that is so extreme, it can really only be matched by the unrestrained amount of violence onscreen throughout the last act. Could Stallone have capitalized on this earlier mood and went with more stealth à la First Blood? Sure, but given how perfect the pacing is and the pointed catharsis of the film's setup & violent delivery, I find it quite forgivable how shamelessly the film forgoes drama and suspense, all without betraying character. In this way, Rambo truly is a staple barebones action film. A fitting peak in the series as a manifestation of his inner war.
The baddies are paper thin and one-dimensional, but the Tatmadaw Burmese militia being a real entity and perpetrators of genocide gives the antagonists weight. The solid score from Brian Tyler is built around Jerry Goldsmith's classic theme from the earlier installments, yet polished free of the 80s vibe (Battle Adagio stands out as John Rambo's new theme). Visually, the post-production CGI blood is poor and detracting. I don't know how much of that can be attributed to the feature's comparatively lower budget having been independently made by Stallone. Nonetheless, I admire the man's passion for the legacy that his films leave for his fans.
David Morrell, the writer of the original novel "First Blood", has said this is the closest in tone he has seen any of the movies get to the character he wrote. Personally, I think Rambo 4 has the best of both worlds: a sincere depiction of an aged Rambo and the over-the-top action, brutality, and thrills of Rambo II & III. I'd even say it is the best of all the Rambo movies.
- Lepidopterous_
- Oct 1, 2019
- Permalink
Sylvester Stallone's Most Iconic Roles
Sylvester Stallone's Most Iconic Roles
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- John Rambo
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $50,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $42,754,105
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $18,203,876
- Jan 27, 2008
- Gross worldwide
- $113,244,290
- Runtime1 hour 32 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1