This was published in the Hans India,
a reputed daily in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Delhi
From the very first release of ‘First
Blood’ to possibly the final one ‘Rambo:
Last Blood’, the series comes to a full-circle. Sylvester Stallone can
only be admired for his gutsy spirit in delivering hit after hit throughout the
‘Rambo’ franchise. ‘Rambo: Last Blood’ is still a movie that could give best action
heroes a run for their money. The Rambo
series has left a legacy of its own with its five audacious movies. First blood
(1982), Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), Rambo III (1988), Rambo (2008),
Rambo: Last Blood (2019). The hiatus between the third movie and the fourth
movie is two decades, astounding, isn’t it?! Yet, there’s not a trace of
audience losing their steam for Rambo-craziness! However, the fifth
installment, which is considered to be different from others, is hogging the limelight,
much against the critics’ predictions.
How is ‘Rambo: Last Blood’ different?
The movie doesn’t hurry down the
beaten path, but sidesteps Rambo’s routine gun-wielding fights with the armies,
and brings to fore ferocity and viciousness that’s unseen so far. Unlike its other
movies, in this one, there’s drama created to touch the audiences’ hearts. To
an extent, one could feel the poignant humane connect and Rambo’s emotional cravings
to exonerate himself of the war ghosts of his past! The father-daughter
relationship builds a subtle rapport with the audiences and the pain of
daughter wandering off is quite palpable.
The drift
Last Blood’s plot, though loosely and
predictably strung, holds the audiences’ attention with several captivating
features. Few moviegoers are debunking the originality of the movie’s plot, comparing
it to two other ‘English’ movies. They could be on mark to some extent, but one
can’t take away the soul of the movie that puts Rambo in fiery action, which
the audience loves to bits. At 73, Rambo is fit as a fiddle and knows how to
deliver a death-punch with military ease. There’s no telling, he looks his age.
The bulging veins and the stagger in the walk somehow can’t hide it. But one doesn’t
sense he is up against the odds when put into violent-action against svelte
young men.
The twist in the tale
All it takes is a shift in the winds.
Rambo peacefully lives on a ranch in Arizona. He resides with a family friend,
Maria (Andriana Barraza) along with her teenaged granddaughter Gabrielle
(Yvette Monreal), who is like an adopted daughter to Rambo. But, Rambo’s
daughter, acting against his advice, gives him a slip and goes to Mexico to
meet her actual father – who doesn’t want her back. When she doesn’t return,
Rambo gets into gear to trace and bring her back. Will he get her back is what
drives the story forward.
Rambo’s guerilla tactics!
When the drug lords underestimate
Rambo’s prowess and leave him with a mark on his face instead of killing him, one
can only pray death comes sweetly to them. But, nah, it doesn’t. Revenge-taking
is what seems to be flowing in Rambo’s blood veins. Rambo decapitates the head of
a drug lord and trails the road with blood towards his home. The drug cartel
falls for this and arrives at his doorstep to seek revenge.
It’s too late for the loony goons to
realize the whole ranch is rigged. The tunnels Rambo builds meticulously become
a hunting ground – to trap, hunt and prey. At which game, Rambo excels. Will
the fight go in Rambo’s favour is what makes for a nail-biting finish!
The conclusion!
The movie ‘Rambo: Last Blood’ has more
brutality and intensity than any other movie in the series. What starts as a
slow-going movie, turns into a bloodbath, leaving behind carnage of bodies. Will Rambo die? Or will he live to do another
‘Rambo’ movie are few things that are sure to bother restless souls. Whatever critics
say, one must view this movie to witness Rambo’s chaste action. It’s a flick
definitely worth a watch.
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