Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Rambo III Blu-ray Movie Review

A slightly disappointing third entry into this storied series looks great in Blu.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 20, 2008

God would have mercy. He won't.

John Rambo is back for the obligatory cash-in sequel, this one a fun ride but ultimately flat and mostly uninspired compared even to the second entry into the Rambo series. Typical of your less-than-stellar 1980s action sequels, Rambo III joins the likes of the second and third Missing In Action films, or most anything released by the Golan-Globus group as second-rate thrill rides with little plot, even less acting, but plenty of guns, explosions, and corpses. Rambo III once again places Rambo in the middle of the hot-button political topic of the day, this time tackling the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, a campaign labeled in the West as the Soviet's Vietnam. This conflict proves to be the perfect means through which Rambo can justify his existence, a running theme throughout a movie mostly devoid of other meaning. The Vietnam War was another conflict in the overall scheme of the Cold War, a war by proxy against the Soviet Union and communism. While the U.S. did not directly engage the U.S.S.R., that nation did supply the North Vietnamese with modern equipment, and years later the roles would be reversed, the United States suppling the Afghani Mujahideen rebels in yet another proxy war at the tail end of the Cold War. Ultimately, this conflict, insofar as Rambo's involvement, is a sort of redemption for the lost cause that was Vietnam, a conflict where he believed he could actually make a meaningful difference, a stark contrast to the themes of the first two films where Rambo decries the lack of victory and support in Vietnam.

Take this, Weird Al!

Colonel Samuel Trautman (Richard Crenna, The Sand Pebbles) once again needs Rambo. This time, he finds the hero in Bangkok, working at a monestary by day and stick fighting for extra cash in the city by night. The war in Afghanitan has finally reached a turning point after nine long and bloody years, the rebels finding themselves in possession of stinger missiles and other modern equipment that is aiding them in driving back the Soviet Union. There is one region of the country, however, where the Russian in command leads with an iron fist, stomping out the resistance by any means available to him, and Rambo is needed to help deliver the weapons safely to the rebels in this corner of the country. Rambo refuses, even after he learns that is friend, Col. Trautman, will be leading the mission personally. Soon after, Rambo is informed that the mission has failed and that Trautman has been captured. Rambo, of course, heads to Afghanistan to rescue Trautman (otherwise there wouldn't be a movie!) and soon finds himself knee-deep in another deadly conflict. As his mission turns from a simple rescue operation to a full-fledged war against aggression, he finds himself not only allied to, but also sympathetic towards, his newfound Arab allies. Rambo takes the fight to the Soviets as only he can, and hopefully, his enemies have a good supply of body bags.

Rambo III proved to be a flop with both critics and audiences, taking in only a third of its predecessor's box-office earnings. The movie is far from a total loss from a pure action perspective, even if much of the action becomes repetitive and dull (more bows and arrows, more helicopters, more one-billion-to-one odds for the hero). Aside from the action, the movie does aim for a more personal and heartfelt message through the Rambo character, even if the audience is spoon-fed this side of the film early on. It's still effective and meaningful to a point, but any sub-structure gets buried under the film's relentless action sequences. The story is really about Rambo running away from who he really is rather than accepting the reality that he is a soldier, and a great one at that. He hides in the simple world of a monastery to escape it, but finds himself in combat nevertheless, stick fighting for prize money which he in turn hands over the monks. "It’s gotta end for me sometime," he says, this important line accompanied by Jerry Goldsmith’s brilliant and poignant theme that has been carried over from the first film. The story is one of Rambo’s realization that he's a fighter, and it is also one of redemption, a means of cleansing himself of the ugly specters of Vietnam. Still, the movie can be watched for purely action and adrenaline rushes, and it does work in that regard. Just be prepared to find yourself yawning at the repetition both in the movie itself and in its similarity to so many of the lesser action films of the 1980s.

Rambo III Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Rambo III hits Blu-ray in a 2.35:1 framed, 1080p high definition transfer that looks good and fares decidedly better than its predecessor. Compared to Rambo: First Blood Part II, this film is crisper, sharper, brighter, and showcases a good bit more detail. This solid transfer allows us to see every bead of sweat on the face of John Rambo during his stick fighting match at the beginning of the movie. Other small nuances in the image -- the wear and tear on guns and clothes, the detail in faces, and even each pebble and grain of sand in close-up shots of the desert floor -- look great, lifelike, and certainly better than I expected. A very fine layer of grain is noticeable throughout most of the film. It's unobtrusive and only heavy in dark, underground scenes. Colors are strong and natural; earth tones dominate the picture, from the tans of the desert to the greens of military uniforms, all looking just as they should. Just as much action takes place at night as it does in the brightly lit deserts of Afghanistan, and both look equally great. Flesh tones appear as natural as they did in the previous Rambo film. I did not note any blue bars this time as appeared in Rambo: First Blood Part II, but a few scattered black vertical lines did appear in at least two scenes during the film's climactic battle scene. Rambo III looks great on Blu-ray, probably as good as we're ever likely to see it, in fact. This is another winner from Lionsgate.

Rambo III Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless sound mix accompanying Rambo III is, like the video, noticeably improved over what we heard in Rambo: First Blood Part II. The rear channel presence is notably heightened, but still reserved in a few places where one might expect a livelier surround presentation. It's mostly in areas where fine ambient sound would heighten the realism of the track where this one seems lacking, but the more action-oriented sequences sound marvelous. We hear helicopters buzzing from the rear of the soundstage to the front in chapter 4, the directionality and imaging perfect. Echoes and reverberations also make an appearance in the rear channels in several lower-key scenes in underground passages or in other close-quarter locales. Surrounds also erupt with gunfire in the film's third act, sounding punchier and more defined than they did in Rambo: First Blood Part II. Bass is still a bit more reserved than expected, and some explosions still fail to work the subwoofer all that hard. However, as the film moves on and the action intensifies, the track does pick up in power and authority. Dialogue reproduction is once again nothing to worry about, proving to be one of the disc's strengths. All in all, this is a perfectly acceptable high definition sound mix, one that is probably about as good as we're likely to hear from a mid 1980s B-grade action film. I wasn't quite as impressed with this one as I was other 1980s action flicks in high definition like Predator or Commando, but it's solid nevertheless.

Rambo III Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Rambo III hits Blu-ray with an average amount of extra materials. The main attraction is a feature-length commentary track with director Peter MacDonald. He discusses the ousting of Russell Mulcahy as director and his short time to prepare for the task of directing one of the biggest films of the year. In between quite a bit of dead air, MacDonald dryly and monotonously takes listeners through various stages of production, provides stories from the set, discusses shooting locations, the set-up and implementation of numerous special effects shots, and other odds and ends. Some of it is interesting, some of it is not. Sadly, the track, for the most part, is incredibly dull, even when MacDonald recounts some interesting tidbits (such as how the effects crew take care not to injure the horses in the movie), but this one is best listened to by die-hard Rambo III fans only. Land In Crisis (480p, 29:48) is a documentary focusing on the history of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and concludes by looking at the role and significance of Rambo in that part of the world both then and now. Finally, an Out of the Blu Trivia Track runs over the feature, providing interesting nuggets of information pertaining to nearly every aspect of the film.

Rambo III Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Rambo III is a fine way to kill off 90 or so minutes of your life. It's your typical third entry into a classic action franchise, a film that becomes repetitive, dull, and devoid of meaning, especially once the action gets going. Even Arnold Schwarzenegger had to shrug this one off and chuckle at it in Twins, the movie nothing more than a cash grab in an attempt to milk the series one last time. Almost 20 years later, the fourth film in the series, Rambo, hit theaters. I've not seen it yet, but am eagerly awaiting the arrival, viewing, and review of it on Blu-ray. My hopes and expectations are high that this once proud and iconic character can revitalize his stature with the newest entry into the Rambo series and leave fans with a greater appreciation than what they were left with after the highly mediocre Rambo III. Lionsgate has done well by this movie nevertheless, offering up a strong picture quality and a lossless sound mix that surpasses that of Rambo: First Blood Part II. The supplemental package is similar to that of the second film, and offers up a few good pieces of information but otherwise leaves a bit to be desired. Still, the movie is being released at a bargain price point, and that alone warrants a purchase for fans of the franchise or Blu-ray collectors in general. Recommended.