RAMBO III: The Black Sheep Of The Franchise
The Rambofilms have an enduring popularity as a franchise but there doesn't seem to be alot of love for Rambo III specifically.It tends to inspire a ho-hum response from fans and critics alike, gettingreceived like the cinematic equivalent of a guest who stayed too long at theparty and wore their welcome out. There's also the unfortunate matter of thefilm's heroic desert rebels including the same people who would later becomethe Taliban, an accidental sin that few will forgive in a post-9/11 world. That said, the film is more interesting thanit gets credit for and has at least one element that points towards thefranchise's 21st century future.
RamboIIIbegins with the title character (Sylvester Stallone) living anonymously inThailand, where is sought out once again by Col. Trautman (Richard Crenna) tohelp him in aiding rebels fighting against Soviet invaders in Afghanistan.Rambo demurs, wanting no more warfare in his life. However, he changes his mindwhen Trautman is captured by Soviets while trying to fulfill the mission. Hegoes behind enemy lines on a Mission:Impossible-style basis, aided only by weapons dealer Mousa (Sasson Gabai),to save his old friend. He's got to contend with another commie military leaderin Colonel Zaysen (Marc De Jonge) and also finds himself wanting to aid therebels against their well-armed Russian adversaries.
The resulting film starts off as one thing and finishesas something different, experiencing a metamorphosis reel by reel before theviewer's eyes. At its outset, it's a surprisingly serious piece of work thatreturns a bit of complexity to Rambo and takes some novel chances, likeactually getting Trautman involved in the main plot of the film and placing himin danger. It also shows surprising sympathy for its Afghan characters,something that was rare at the time. Modern critics are quick to point out thatthe Mujahideen forces that aid Rambo in this film would later spawn theTaliban. That said, they usually fail to contextualize this info by mentioningthat this depiction was in step with U.S. foreign policy at the time and thatthe U.S. actually funded the Mujahideen to the tune of $20 billion.
However, the film begins to shift once Rambo reaches thedesert, becoming more like Rambo IIand deploying a series of big action setpieces near the end. Things get cartoonish in the third act, withhighlights including a fight with a gruesome punchline involving a grenade plusa long drop on a rope as well as a jaw-dropping scene where a tank and a Sovietattack copter play a game of chicken(!). The prior Rambo film took on asingular tone and stuck to it but this one wants to have in both ways and has aschizoid feel as a result.
That said, RamboIII isn't dull. You'll often read criticism of this film being dull orstodgy and it's hard to get where this comes from. The plot favors a slower burn in its firsthalf than either of its predecessors but it works. The direction by PeterMcDonald is a bit anonymous in style but efficient, maintaining a steady pacethat builds in intensity during the second half. The scene where Rambo raids a Russiancompound to save Trautman is appropriately suspenseful and the outlandish battlesof the final twenty minutes will keep your attention. Stallone does confident work, as does Crennain a nicely expanded role (there's also a brief turn from Kurtwood Smith). The results are the least of original Rambotrilogy but much more watchable, at least as a programmer, than they get creditfor.
Finally, it's worth noting that Rambo III had one forward-thinking aspect that seldom gets mentioned: its plot progression predicts the structure of the much more successful fourth Rambo film 2008. Though there is a different setting, characters and a number of new plot elements in the later film, both lean on the same essential structure: Rambo is in retirement when he is approached for a mission, he initially refuses, the people who asked for his help get captured and he staves off personal demons to rescue them. Both films even have a surprise scene near the end where unexpected help shows up. Thus, this film remains worth seeing for fans who might have ignored it because it has the seeds of Rambo's future revival.