Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Rambo: First Blood Part II 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 10, 2018

There's a really interesting and maybe unexpected credit that shows up in Rambo: First Blood II, though I have to kind of wonder how many people will even notice it. Sadly and perhaps even a bit shockingly, the name of Jack Cardiff is strangely not that well remembered these days, at least beyond a devoted band of cineastes who have thrilled to the often sumptuous imagery Cardiff’s camera caught through many decades of stellar work. Cameraman: The Life & Work of Jack Cardiff might be a good place for those unacquainted with this cinematography legend to start, since it understandably lionizes Cardiff’s work on such films as A Matter of Life and Death, Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes, and The African Queen. Cardiff’s output never really slowed past what some might perceive as his 1950s and (early) 1960s heyday, though some may feel the overall quality of both film and television efforts Cardiff contributed to may have diminished at least slightly from his storied collaborations with the likes of Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger and John Huston. Perhaps at least to some viewers, one of those questionable entries in terms of overall quality might be the second Rambo film, helpfully titled Rambo: First Blood II to work in both the focal character’s name (missing from the original in its original release title) while also alluding to the official name of the first film. Kind of ironically for all the criticism the film received at the time, in some ways this "sophomore" offering may be the best remembered of all three Rambo films, especially for those who have “wobbly memories” (as I described them in our First Blood 4K Blu-ray review) and may tend to think of the entire “franchise” as having taken place in Vietnam.

Much like its predecessor, Rambo: First Blood II was released fairly long ago on Blu-ray, and for those who need a refresher course on the story, I refer you to my colleague Martin Liebman’s Rambo: First Blood Part II Blu-ray review. Also kind of in line with my scoring of the first film, you’ll note that Marty is probably a bit more of a fan of this second outing than I am, and our overall scores reflect that difference of opinion.

Rambo: First Blood Part II 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080p Blu-ray. Also note that the 1080p Blu-ray in this package is not the same one that Marty reviewed, and I have scored the 1080p video as I reacted it to, rather than porting over Marty's score from the now long ago review of the first Blu- ray release.

Rambo: First Blood II is presented on 4K UHD courtesy of Lionsgate Films with a 2160p transfer in 2.35:1. Having now made it to the second of the three Rambo films Lionsgate is releasing on 4K UHD, it seems the "select language" bootup menu that I referenced in our First Blood 4K Blu-ray review is going to be standard operating procedure on all three releases, something that, along with the Studio Canal logos, suggests new versions on both the 1080p and 2160p releases included in this package. As I also mentioned in the review of the first 4K Rambo, several online sources indicate the Studio Canal restorations were sourced off 4K scans of the original camera negatives, and this is another pretty significant upgrade in terms of both detail and especially palette saturation, especially when compared to the long ago Blu-ray release, which if you read Marty's review evidently featured less than optimal video. Once again I was nicely surprised at the resolution of the grain in this release, one which can tend to be a bit heavy looking at times, but which never clumps or swarms inorganically. The uptick in clarity and detail is evident from the very first wideshot of the prisoners working in the quarry, and when things cut to close-ups, fine detail on elements like the stubble on Sly's face or even the burlap textures on some of the fabrics on the skiff he uses later in the film are almost palpable. As Marty mentions in his review, there are certain scenes that are intentionally hazy looking, many of which accrue in the jungle sequences, but what I'd call the two oddest looking moments of softness were actually in two separate fights that happen aboard aircraft at different points in the film. Even despite the mist and other "masking" that can occur in the jungle scenes, I found detail levels to be consistently impressive, though there are a couple of darker scenes where shadow detail is just a little iffy. While some of the Studio Canal verbiage online talks about Dolby Vision, once again my system showed "only" HDR on this release, but I have to say the grading is really very impressive throughout. The blue plane sequences relatively early in the film which are suddenly intercut with a deep red graded close-up of Sly's face are quite notable in the vividness of their saturation, but Cardiff's work, especially in the latter part of the film, is especially lustrous and looks fantastic in its 4K iteration. While not germane in any way to the video element, I had one significant laugh partway through the film when Julia Nickson as Co looks at Sly and says, "You're not expendable." Well, not yet, anyway.

Note: I added a note to the First Blood 4K Blu-ray review indicating I had a moment where the playback failed the first couple of times I tried, but I had something even weirder happen to me when I put Rambo: First Blood II in my Oppo 4K player. For the first time ever in my 4K viewing/reviewing life, I got a message saying the film would start at its "saved" point, this despite the fact that I had never played the film before and in fact there sure doesn't even appear to be a bookmarking feature available. The film began at around 43:00 for some reason, and even when I exited to the Main Menu and tried starting it again, it just picked up right from where it had left off (slightly after 43:00). Only chapter skipping back to the beginning got it to start where it should have. I can't really explain this phenomenon adequately, but am including it here in case anyone runs into something like this, too.

Rambo: First Blood Part II 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

I'm wondering if this release sports a "new, improved" DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix to accompany its upgraded visuals, since I found the track here at least marginally more appealing than Marty evidently did with regard to the first Blu-ray release. While as Marty mentioned there isn't a glut of rear activity, I certainly heard the surround channels engaged consistently throughout the presentation, from the first explosion in the quarry to the last, well, explosion in the jungle. In fact, considering the ubiquity of things going boom and the prevalence of helicopters and other flying craft in the film, I actually kind of wished this release had been granted a Dolby Atmos or DTS:X upgrade, as overhead effects could have been quite impressive. That said, there is very smart placement of ambient environmental effects, especially in the frequent outdoor scenes, and dialogue, effects and score are all rendered clearly and cleanly and with generally excellent prioritization.

Rambo: First Blood Part II 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Since as with First Blood 4K, the 1080p Blu-ray in this package contains manifestly different supplements than the disc Marty reviewed, I'm detailing them here. The 4K UHD disc contains the Commentary Track mentioned below and described further in Marty's original review:

• Rambo Takes the 80s Part 2 (1080p; 11:37) continues to cover the franchise's legacy (Part 1 of the featurette is included on the 1080p Blu-ray included on the first film's 4K UHD release), with a bunch of talking heads offering brief comments interspersed with film scenes.


• We Get to Win This Time (480i; 20:03) looks like it's the same supplement Marty detailed in his review of the first Blu-ray release.


• Action in the Jungle (480i; 7:40) looks at some of the challenges of the location shoot.


• The Last American POW (480i; 2:15) is a touching glimpse at a real POW, Robert Garwood.


• Sean Baker - Fulfilling a Dream (480i; 2:16) is an homage to a fan inspired by the film.


• Interview with Sylvester Stallone (480i; 2:11) is an archival piece.


• Interview with Richard Crenna (480i; 1:33) is another archival piece.


• Behind the Scenes (480i; 2:17)


• The Restauration (1080p; 1:02) offers "avant" (before) and "apres" (after) comparisons.


• The Real Nam (480i; 26:56) is a surprisingly thoughtful and even provocative piece offering some history.


• Forging Heroes (480i; 9:53) gets into some information about Special Forces.


• How to Become Rambo Part 2 (1080i; 14:32) once again features Dr. Franco Columbu, Sylvester Stallone's body building coach. Have your exercise equipment ready.


• Original Trailer (480i; 2:46)


• Original TV Spots (480i; 2:44)


• Commentary from George P. Cosmatos can be found under the Setup Menu.

Rambo: First Blood Part II 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Rambo: First Blood II may play upon certain jingoistic tendencies, even if those tendencies may be based at least partially in fact, as evidenced by the brief supplement included on the 1080p Blu-ray documenting the thoughts of a real life Vietnam POW. The film is visceral and at times fairly violent, but it's this film which really cemented the long lasting "image" of Rambo. Technical merits are solid, and once again Lionsgate has assembled some nice supplements. Recommended.