Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

George P. Cosmatos

Writers:

David Morrell (characters)
Kevin Jarre (story)

Release Date:

22 May 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

Tagline:

What most people call hell, he calls home.

Plot:

John Rambo is removed from prison by his former superior, Colonel Samuel Troutman, for a top-secret...

Plot Keywords:

Rambo | Vietnam | Prison | Green Beret | Soldier

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 5 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Sylvester Stallone	...	John J. Rambo
Richard Crenna	...	Col. Samuel Trautman
Charles Napier	...	Marshall Murdock
Steven Berkoff	...	Lt. Col. Podovsky
Julia Nickson-Soul	...	Co Bao (as Julia Nickson)
Martin Kove	...	Ericson
George Cheung	...	Capt Vinh (as George Kee Cheung)
Andy Wood	...	Banks
William Ghent	...	Capt. Vinh (POW camp commander)
Voyo Goric	...	Sgt. Yushin (as Vojo Goric)
Dana Lee	...	Gunboat captain
Baoan Coleman	...	Gunboat captain
Steve Williams	...	Lifer
Don Collins	...	POW #1
Christopher Grant	...	POW #2

Also Known As:

First Blood Part II (Australia) (TV title)
Rambo II - Der Auftrag (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Rambo II: La mission (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
A Vingança do Herói (Portugal) [pt]
Acorralado, II parte (Spain) [es]
Rambo - krigaren 2 (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Rambo - taistelija 2 (Finland) [fi]
Rambo 2 (Poland) [pl]
Rambo 2 (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]
Rambo 2. (Hungary) [hu]
Rambo II (Portugal) [pt]
Rambo II (Venezuela) [es]
Rambo II - A Missão (Brazil) [pt]
Rambo II: la vendetta (Italy) [it]
Rambo-Ilk kan 2 (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Rambo: First Blood 2 (Denmark) [da]

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Vietnamese

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #27558) | West Germany:18 (video rating) (cut) | Iceland:16 | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A | South Korea:15 | Finland:K-16 (video release) (uncut) (1998) | Finland:K-16 (video release) (cut) (1989) | Finland:K-18 (original rating) (cut) (1985) | Malaysia:18SG | Brazil:14 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Germany:Not Rated (uncut) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | France:U | Norway:18 | Singapore:PG | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Netherlands:16

Filming Locations:

Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico

Company:

Anabasis N.V.

Trivia:

Dolph Lundgren auditioned for a part and actually got it but Stallone realized that it was the same man who was going to be in Rocky IV (1985) so he didn't get the part.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When a Vietnamese soldier is caught in the cane fire, and falls to the ground in flames, his fireproof gloves are visible.

Quotes:

Trautman: John I want you to try and forget the war. Remember the mission. The old Vietnam's dead.
Rambo: Sir I'm alive, it's still alive, ain't it?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Man yan (2004)

Soundtrack:

PEACE IN OUR LIFE

Dragon Fly. Wolf Den..colorful names.....You may scream, there is no shame.

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.