Review – Rambo IV
- Ethan Cole

A bunch of delusional god-loving Jesus-freaks from Colorado seek transport across to Burma (or is it Myanmar?) to aide the injured.  God doesn’t do shit to protect them, but there’s Rambo, cash and some mercenaries to bail their asses out of the shit.

There isn’t much to say about the dialog, it’s there to establish what needs to be – it’s serviceable and that’s more than enough for what’s coming.  To some degree the limited dialog elevates the film – no need for any unnecessary exposition, just the meat of the scene.  This, in combination with the editing propels the film forth at an impressive rate, never slacking or wallowing in a scene unnecessarily with an over-the-top orchestral/vocal score.  It’s incredible how fast it flows; from one scene to the next, beat to beat – job done and the film is over.  It’s not a bad thing, just peculiar.

A nice feature is the amount of rain present, not only does it look interesting visually, but it’s dramatic; adding a layer of struggle and challenge.  Further the atmospherics is a natural contrasting element to the stoicism of John Rambo.  He’s quick to action when need be, violence being the last resort under exigent circumstances, and he’s one quick draw.  Despite his age, he’s able to pull of the action effectively and plausibly – most of the time utilizing projectile weaponry, but even with CQB he packs the necessary punch.  It’s also nice to have Rambo informing those delusional missionaries that they're not gonna change anything.

The action: visceral and satisfying, it’s nice to see a proper R-Rated film that’s worthy of the rating.  The gibbing, splatter and exploding meat-sacks look and sound great, featuring a variety of splatter types and scenarios.  There’s some good use of practical elements and editing that keep the film from going beyond an R rating.  It’s well done in a way that isn’t glaring or compromises the product.  Additionally the geography is well constructed despite very little being established; effectively conveying the carnage and chaos without losing the audience and its bearings.

The enemies; the bad guys are well established as being a bunch of malicious scum sucking cunts (and their general has a thing for young boys) – some might even say evil, but that’s debatable.  They pose not only a threat in numbers, but in brutality.  No real punches are pulled to establish this; the film is better for it; children are killed, women are raped, everyone is shot and beaten.  There are no cheap moments of suspense or trying to take the audience for a ride, this isn’t pretentious popcorn fluff, when it comes time for the Rambo and the mercs to take this army on – it’s one hell of a battle.

The merc’s seem an almost generic bunch, but are imbued with enough personality and character that you can route for them.  There’s a nice balance amongst them, with minor conflict and resolve, they work well as a team and pull their weight.  Working as a unit with Rambo is a well constructed sequence; both from a cinematic standpoint and in so far as tactics and the dynamics of the principle characters. 

There’s no doubt a bunch of idiots that will complain as to how Rambo has a pacifistic message, yet how can such a message be evident in something where he’s killing so many people here.  They obviously missed the fucking point – much like some genetic-garbage parent who’d ask if this R-Rated film would be suitable for their pre-teen kid [see: Magnus mini-review].  There isn’t some fucking preachy bullshit message here like most of Hollywood LA-la land standing on a soap box bound to their high horse, there’s a message, it’s simple and clear, and most of all not insulting to the audience (assuming you’ve got half a brain).

Die Hard 4.0, Indiana Jones IV – the hell with those travesties, Rambo IV is a revitalizing-sequel done right; a solid film worth picking up.

Rating: 7.5/10
Cumjackulation Rating: 6.0/10
(ratings explained)