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Review: Rambo 4
For its sturdy craftsmanship and high-octane energy, Rambo 4 certainly merits a viewing, writes Rashid Irani.
Rambo 4
Cast : Sylvester Stallone, Julie Benz
Direction : Sylvester Stallone
Rating : ***
He is one of cinema’s enduring action icons. Having resurrected himself with last year’s Rocky Balboa, Sylvester Stallone brings his other legendary character back out of retirement. Still adept at vanquishing adversaries with his bare hands, the muscleman wears his 62 years quite well.
An unabashed ode to brawn power, the fourth and reportedly, final chapter in the Rambo saga---incidentally, the first directed by Stallone himself---re-summons the services of the grizzled Vietnam veteran.
Now a boatman, the eponymous hero ekes out a living on a pirates-infested river in Thailand. His laconic, I-don’t-care-a-damn attitude changes when a group of Christian missionaries request to be ferried into strife-torn Burma.
Inevitably, the ageing warhorse transforms himself into a one-man avenging army when he finds out they have been incarcerated in a military death camp.
The viewer is subjected to the usual barrage of shoot-outs, exploding bodies and frayed tempers. The blood-spewing does get excessive. To be fair, though, the stunningly orchestrated action scenes are captivating. We are pulled right into the spectacle of sound and fury. There is a surprisingly gentle coda with Rambo returning to his family ranch in the US
Stallone still has sufficient strength and stamina to handle the physically demanding sequences with conviction. For its sturdy craftsmanship and high-octane energy, John Rambo certainly merits a viewing.
