5 reasons you might like Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)

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I mentioned before that I’m revisiting the Rambo film series because I didn’t know if I’d ever seen the second and third movies in full. Now that I’ve seen 2 again, I realized that I had seen it, but viewing it right after First Blood gave me a new appreciation for how it changed the character and the series. 

I am Jason Kleeberg, this is Force Five, and here are five reasons you might like Rambo: First Blood Part 2.

Reason number 5, if you’re into rescue missions gone wrong, this one is going to hit the spot. John Rambo is told that they need his help finding some American POWs in Vietnam, and they need him to go because no one knows the terrain like he does. The thing is, they don’t expect to find any POWs and their only real reason for being there is to take intel photos. When Rambo finds some prisoners and releases them, he’s betrayed by bureaucracy and instead needs to do what the system refuses to all on his own.

Reason number 4, watching the evolution, or regression of the Rambo character, depending on which camp you’re in, is really interesting. First Blood dealt with a country that was still bruised from Vietnam, both from the battles fought over seas and the battles being fought on American soil, the war you can’t win, as Rambo calls it. The second film was most definitely a product of the Reagan era, American pride, a booming economy and the beginning of the mid-80’s excess. The character morphs from America’s shame to America’s glory. I know a lot of people are put off by the change from the first film to the second, but I thought it was a lot of fun, especially examining it under that lens.

Which brings me right into reason number 3. Alongside Commando, Rambo: First Blood Part 2 is the beginning of the full 1980’s action movie power fantasy that would ride the lightning until being slowed down just a bit by Die Hard in 1988. It’s pure action spectacle, with some amazing set pieces including an incredible helicopter scene in which Rambo pilots a chopper with what I assume is an unlimited ammo cheat code and he just decimates a village, destroying every building outside of the one holding POWs. Rambo stalking people through the jungle, exploding arrows, an entire quarry side blowing up because of a small bomb…it’s an incredibly entertaining turn your brain off and enjoy the ride action film.

Reason number 2, Stallone is once again great as John Rambo, albeit in a different way.  In this film we’re introduced to Stallone as he’s in one of those prison camps where you just smash rocks or whatever and I’m pretty sure it was only to show off his physique. He looks fantastic and it’s a good thing because he doesn’t say much in the film. His performance is anchored in body language and screen presence - clenched jaw, haunted, predatory eyes, coiled movement and physical endurance. And while he’s clearly in action hero mode, there are some emotional moments in the film that give us time to slow down and appreciate his talent.

Reason number 1, this is the birth of the Rambo that entered and never left the cultural zeitgeist. If all you know about Rambo is a machine gunning, knife wielding, headband sporting shirtless man in the jungle, this is the origin of the one man army. The playable Rambo character in Mortal Kombat feels like a completely different person from First Blood, and I’m honestly still shocked that even happened, even if the character sounded more like George Clooney than Stallone. Of course he sports the chain gun we first got to see him wreak havoc with at the end of First Blood, but this time around we are also introduced to one of Rambo’s most iconic weapons, the bow and exploding arrows.

Officially titled Rambo: First Blood: Part 2, there’s a reason this film added Rambo to the title - this is the film that turned the series from a tale about a tragic Vietnam veteran into the mythic 1980’s action icon. If any of those reasons appeal to you, check out Rambo: First Blood Part 2. While I liked the first one more and think it’s a defining dramatic action movie, the second one is also really interesting because of how different it is. If you’ve already seen Rambo: First Blood Part 2, what did you think of it? Let me know in the comments below.