Action replaces previous dramatics

Although it has been twenty years since John Rambo's last appearance in theaters, his name remains a steadfast symbol of the action film, just as his portrayer, Sylvester Stallone, has become a prototypical action icon.

The Rambo films have experienced reactions all across the spectrum over time, from admiration, to dismissal, to outrage; while some critics have lambasted the heedless bloodletting, others have praised the series' over-the-top depictions of American vigilantism.

Despite the fact that Rambo's first appearance, 1982's First Blood, was more of a drama, the world has come to connect the series with the bombastic body counts and action-over-story approaches of the second and third films.

The fourth in the series, titled simply Rambo, takes after the philosophy of the latter two. Though the story starts off roughly two decades after Rambo III, it doesn't seem as if Rambo has lost any of his deadly touch; his machete is still sharpened, his bandana is still tightened, and he's in prime shape to take some lives.

We find Rambo living in Thailand in what can assumed to be a sort of self-imposed exile.

The former Vietnam vet is looking suitably world-weary, making a living as a cynical ferryman and part-time snake wrangler. When a group of missionaries comes seeking transportation into war-ravaged Burma, Rambo grudgingly agrees to navigate the group upriver. Several weeks later, he receives news that the group had (predictably) run into some trouble with one of the genocide-driven armies that had been sent loose in the countryside. When Rambo is hired once again to ferry a group of mercenaries to the spot of the disappearance, he instead decides to take personal measures to ensure the return of the errant missionaries.

Little up to this point is worthy of interest; the foreground of the film plays out in a rather uninspired way. All of the audience's attention should really fall on the second half of the film, as the action finally begins to hit full swing. As the movies winds down the bodies pile up by the hundreds, with Rambo working in concert with the mercenaries to 1). Free some hostages and 2). Kill as many Burmese soldiers as possible.

The violence in Rambo is truly staggering; one source counted the onscreen deaths at a ridiculous rate of 2.59 per minute.

That's for the whole film, too, of which the first half is (mostly) bloodless exposition. In one scene, Rambo pits himself against what is literally an entire army, with some truly eye-popping results.

Surely many will take issue with the extreme violence, but really Stallone, the creative force behind the film, is just creating an experience to match fans' expectations. Sure, trenches fill with blood and yes, limbs do fly everywhere, but these are the things that attendees of Rambo will want and expect, and despite Sylvester Stallone's advancing age, he tries his damnedest to deliver as actor, director, and writer.

Recommendations for seeing Rambo boil down to a simple formula. Basically, if you think you'd enjoy Rambo, then you'll enjoy seeing Rambo. No surprises will be found here; it's a glorious, blood-soaked jungle actionpalooza, and if it's not your thing then by all means, pass on Rambo; there's certainly no credible plot to speak of, and Stallone hasn't introduced anything new or surprising to John Rambo's legacy. However, if the prospect of seeing Sylvester Stallone rip someone's throat out with his bare hands piques your interest, there's little on the market right now that will fulfill that desire other than Rambo.

3/5