Eye Candy #273 - "Rambo"

Rambo:  A perfect example of a dying artform that hasn't really been seen in a while. Y'see, kids, back in the Eighties, we were up to our elbows in action/adventure movies like "Rambo", "Navy SEALs", "Roadhouse", any "Missing in Action" with Chuck Norris, Charles Bronson in any of his "Death Wish" variety films. They were violent, often mindless, often messageless exercises in excess, focusing on loners using violence to wage their war for revenge, justice, love, their buddies in 'Nam, you name it. They were fun for what they were because you could check your brain at the door and kill an afternoon, and were good for a funny line or two here or there and fond rememberances of scenes of particulalry excessive and/or silly violence. You don't get many movies like that today, particularly in theaters. Back at that time, there was no direct to DVD, so an entire generation of theatergoers has completely missed exactly what place a movie like "Rambo" has - between the complete garbage and the knockouts like "Die Hard" and "Terminator 2", you've got the John Rambo movies. And this film is a PERFECT example of the genre. It's well-made, not slapped together, and the violence is more reminiscient of "The Wild Bunch" than even previous Rambo films. Definitely watchable. Definitely not high art. Set your expectations somewhere in the middle and you won't be disappointed.