Directed by:
George P. CosmatosCinematography:
Jack CardiffComposer:
Jerry GoldsmithCast:
Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Charles Napier, Steven Berkoff, Julia Nickson, George Cheung, Andy Wood, Martin Kove, William Ghent, Dana Lee, John Pankow (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
John Rambo is removed from prison by his former superior, Colonel Samuel Troutman, for a top-secret operation to bring back POW's still held in Vietnam. Rambo's assignment is to only take pictures of where the POWs are being held, but Rambo wants to get the POWs out of Vietnam. Teamed up with female Vietnamese freedom fighter Co Bao, Rambo embarks on a mission to rescue the POWs, who are being held by sadistic Vietnamese Captain Vinh and his Russian comrade, Lieutenant Colonel Padovsky. Rambo falls in love with Co Bao, and when Co Bao is killed by Captain Vinh, Rambo wants revenge, so he starts killing every enemy in sight while still focusing on his intentions to rescue the POWs. There are also corrupt American officials involved in the mission, including Marshall Murdock, one of Rambo's superiors. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (12)
Not nearly as good as the first one, Rambo II is a typical example of the sequel syndrome: a bigger budget, more action, more visual effects, less story, less atmosphere. The beginning is still quite interesting, as it practically starts right where the first part ended, but then it goes downhill.
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John Rambo got burned the second time around just like he did the first time. Once again, the ones he trusted were the explicitly bad ones, and once again, he took a pretty brutal revenge on them. It’s amazing how back then action movies were filmed with respect for the viewer. I enjoyed everything about it. The scenes with the bombing of the local wilderness were fantastic and that’s something absolutely unprecedented nowadays in movies. These days, digital effects are involved in everything and that’s not interesting at all, let alone honest. There aren’t many proper action movies, but if there’s one I’d like to rewatch, then it’s definitely Rambo. I’m rating it with four stars mostly because story-wise it’s practically the same as the first instalment. And Rambo’s speech in the finale wasn’t so great either. I was blown away by the first instalment more. Anyway, it’s awesome. It’s a classic, need I say more?
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It's all here - action, corpses, Rambo's stone expressions, blood, of which there is much more than in the first one. Unfortunately, however, there is noticeably less quality filmmaking. The producers tested the audience's reaction with the first film and found that a significant part of moviegoers fall into the category of teenage boys, for whom this is simply enough. The film also had a strong propaganda dimension in the mid-80s, which today can only evoke an indulgent smile. Overall impression: 20%.
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The change in style away from the low-key and raw part one is perhaps a little too extreme. John Rambo’s second battle for survival unfortunately degenerated into a pure B-grade action movie. Although the truth is it’s quite fun. Here in the Czech Republic, though, Rambo: First Blood Part II will more likely be remembered as one of the first VHS cult movies, rather than a movie known for its qualities.
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This is an installment I've seen before and I thought this was the actual first Rambo. Now I know my mistake, and I'm quite glad that I clarified this chronology. However, the second film is probably more well-known, partly due to its parodies, such as Hot Shots! Part Deux. Sly and James Cameron wrote a script that isn't just a shallow slaughter; there is something more to it. John Rambo is no longer a man who needs to come to terms with the dark shadow of Vietnam; he must now deal with the consequences of the previous film. But he may pay too high a price for their freedom.
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