THE RAMBO TRIBUTE
Tagline: No man, no law, no
war can stop him.
Directed by: Ted Kotcheff, George P. Cosmatos, Peter
MacDonald
Starring: Sylvester Stallone
READ PART 1 OF THE RAMBO TRIBUTE HERE
BUY THE RAMBO TRILOGY DVD SET HERE
READ
OUR SLY STALLONE INTERVIEW HERE
INTRO:
In light of the upcoming return of John Rambo on the
big screen via RAMBO (coming out this
Friday, January 25, 2008) all of us here
behind the REEL ACTION column on AITH decided to pay tribute to Sylvester Stallone’s iconic action
character.
I mean straight up, you think
“action films” first words that should pop into your noggin is JOHN F*CKING RAMBO.
No other fictional character within the action genre has left such a deep mark
on popular culture, surfaced so much in real life politics and has had this
much staying power. So here it is, our tribute to John Rambo.
RAMBO TRILOGY FAV MOMENTS
TOP DEATH:
Arrow: PART II – Rambo blowing up that Vietnamese baddie
with an explosive arrow. Not only was there emotional resonance to the kill (he’s
the dude that killed Rambo’s girl) but it was the first and the last time I ever
saw a dude get blown up by an arrow.
Ammon: PART II – When Rambo shoots the enemy commander in the chest with his
exploding tip arrow-head. Blowing that guy to smithereens is one of the better
‘feel good’ moments in movie history!
Eric: In PART III, Rambo squares off against a big brute of a bastard. At
first overmatched, Rambo pulls the pin on a grenade hanging off the dude, slings
a rope around his neck, and tosses him down a hole. A split-second after the
guy’s neck snaps, he explodes! Good times!!
TOP ACTION SCENE:
Arrow: Tough one to chose; I would say that John Rambo’s
daring escape from the Police Station in FIRST BLOOD would have to be my fav
action scene of the series.
Ammon: PART II – I always liked the ‘dueling helicopters’ scene near
the end. That scene alone put Rambo into ‘legendary’ status.
Eric: Rambo escapes his torture chamber and hightails it
into the jungle with his lady friend in RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II.
FEMALE EXPLOITATION:
Arrow: Do Stallone’s oiled pecs in RAMBO II count?
Seriously though, Julia Nickson (Co Bao ) was pretty easy on the
eyes and the crotch. Too bad she wasn’t exploited more.
Ammon: FIRST BLOOD – Considering the whole series practically has NO women,
and only ONE love scene, I’m going to go with a DELETED scene from FIRST BLOOD
(you can see it on the Ultimate Edition DVD). It’s a flashback to Vietnam when
Rambo visits a local watering hole, and takes home a hottie to do the nasty
with. She shows her rack and they do the nasty… now there’s a ‘deleted scene’
worth watching!
Eric: Obviously this is slim pickins – but the gorgeous Julia Nickson in
RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II is worth getting electrocuted over!
DRINKING GAME:
Arrow: FIRST BLOOD – Down a shot every time you witness
Rambo use his “multipurpose” hunting knife.
Ammon: RAMBO III – Drink every time the camera holds on Rambo’s glistening
muscles a little longer than necessary.
Eric: This applies to any of the flicks: drink every time Rambo grunts or
moans in pain (physical or emotional). You’ll be drooling like a hobo before the
credits roll!
TOP LINE/DIALOGUE:
Arrow: FIRST BLOOD – Rambo: ” I could have killed ’em
all, I could kill you. In town you’re the law, out here it’s me. Don’t push it.
Don’t push it or I’ll give you a war you won’t believe. Let it go. Let it go.”
Ammon: RAMBO III – Col. Zaysen: “Who are you?” Rambo: “Your worse
nightmare.”
Eric: FIRST BLOOD – Col. Trautman: "You don’t seem to want to accept the
fact you’re dealing with an expert in guerrilla warfare, with a man who’s the
best, with guns, with knives, with his bare hands. A man who’s been trained to
ignore pain, ignore weather, to live off the land – to eat things that would
make a billy goat puke."
TRIVIA:
Arrow: RAMBO III was put down in the Guinness Book of
World Records in 1990 as being the most violent film of all time (up to that
point) with 221 acts of violence and over 108 deaths in its holster.
Ammon: FIRST BLOOD – The original ending of FIRST BLOOD had Col. Trautman
KILLING Rambo in the police station (at Rambo’s request). This scene can also be
seen on the Ultimate Edition DVD. Imagine what the world would be like now if
there were no more Rambo movies after FIRST BLOOD…
Eric: Only ONE person dies in FIRST BLOOD – and it’s basically
unintentional on Rambo’s part.
THE CARTOON: RAMBO THE FORCE OF FREEDOM
By The Arrow
I don’t think anybody would’ve expected the violent RAMBO
character to ever be translated to a kiddy cartoon, but he was! On April 14 1986 RAMBO THE FORCE OF FREEDOM was put out on TV! The cartoon ran for 65
episodes, spawned all kinds of cool toys and are now available to own on DVD via
6 DVDs (which I of course own). Funnily enough, I have friends that have kids
and I have lent my FORCE OF FREEDOM DVDs to them.
The feedback has been very positive! The cartoon is action
driven (but nobody ever dies) and it promotes positive values such as truth,
honesty, friendship and justice. Values missing in a lot of today’s kiddy
entertainment if you ask me. I recommend this cartoon to anybody that has
children from say age 5 and up! If I ever have kids, these will be first
priority in terms of "you have to watch this shite son".
NOW BRING ON RAMBO BABY!
READ PART 1 OF THE RAMBO TRIBUTE HERE