By Shane Conto
As a kid, I watched plenty of action films and franchises and now have become a bit of a self-professed action snob. One of the most famous action franchises from one of action’s greatest stars has been Rambo starring Sly Stallone. What action fan could say no to the over the top and intense action of the equally over the top titled Rambo: First Blood Part II? What kind of muddled title is that anyway? But that is besides my point. Stallone’s franchise took a turn with the previous entry of Rambowhich turned the action and gore up to 11. And now the last (maybe) film in this legendary franchise has hit cinemas with Rambo: Last Blood. Wouldn’t it be slightly awkward if this wasn’t the last film with that title? I promise this will be the last comment I make about the weird titles in this franchise. Last Blood tells the tale of John Rambo after he has been home for over a decade and found a new life raising a young woman. But when the drug cartels get involved, what could possibly happen? The brutal deaths of countless drug cartel members, that’s what!
Stallone returns in the fifth installment in the franchise as the titular soldier but gives up the reins to Adrian Grunberg, who previous directed the underappreciated action flick Get the Gringo. Unfortunately, one of the weakest aspects of this film is the direction. One of the most important aspects of any action film is well…the action. What is lacking in this film due to over editing, some bad lighting, and iffy effects? The action of course. During an INSANE final act that is super gory and features some pretty creative and brutal kills, some of these bits of action cannot be fully appreciated due to the shaky approach. There is one particularly large use of effects towards the end that is atrocious; even for a video games that it looks like the shot is borrowed from. For what might be lacking in the visual aspects of some action, there is some serious tension throughout plenty of scenes in this film. I sat there afraid to see what might come next. But overall, the direction felt lacking in energy and smoothness. Unfortunately, the film feels shaky awkward throughout.
Stallone himself and Matthew Cirulnick wrote the screenplay for Last Blood and it features a pretty familiar story of revenge with a few shining lights sprinkled in. There is one particular occurrence that was unexpected and took me by surprise. The film also featured some resonant statements on the terrible occurrence of human trafficking. The border is definitely a hot button issue and this film does have the courage to take a stand in that regard. Is there a lot of depth in the way that it is done? Not quite but at least it has something to say. Some of the weaker aspects of the script are the dialogue and characters. There are a few scenes in the film that stand tall amongst the rest (and kind of make you think that they deserve to be surrounded by better) but the majority do not have memorable dialogue. I will obviously get back to the face of the franchise but the rest of the characters sit there lacking. This “daughter” of John Rambo is pretty thin and does predictably dumb things throughout the run time. The villains are even thinner and not memorable at all (except for the fact that one of them looks strikingly similar to Kit Harrington).
But you all were probably waiting for me to get to the point, right? Why else would you want to check out a Rambo film or a review for a Rambo film than to here about John Rambo himself? Stallone owns this film from start to finish. Sly brings an intensity to every scene that is so palpable. The damage of years of violence has truly take a toll on the character of John Rambo and Stallone impressively embodies that idea. He brims over with anger and rage that keeps the audience on edge as they fear what he will do next. The physicality he brings to the role shows how great Stallone can be. His body language conveys the beast that hides below the surface as he looms over others. What is the perfect way to convey how great Stallone really is in this film? Whenever he wasn’t on screen, I lost almost all interest in the film. That really says it all.
What do you want out of Rambo: Last Blood? Do you want something that is deep, well crafted, sharply written, and super memorable? Do you want an excuse to watch Sylvester Stallone to just rampage through faceless goons? It would be great to have both things! But Last Blood mostly delivers a modern western that is heavily influenced by the like of Logan and really only delivers on the later offering. For those who dig some crazy gory action and a hefty helping of Sly, this is the film for you.
Grade: C