Rambo: Last Blood (2019)

Genre: Action / Thriller

Directed by: Adam Grunberg

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Paz Vega, Sergio Peris-Mencheta

Running Time: 89 minutes

Over a decade after the events in Burma, John Rambo is back in Arizona, managing his father’s ranch, that he inherited, with the help of a friend, Maria, and her granddaughter Gabrielle. Rambo considers Gabrielle like a niece. Against the wishes of the two main adults in her life, Gabrielle travels to Mexico to reconnect with her estranged father. Things do not go well, and, at a dance club, later that night, the girl is taken by members of a drug cartel to be sold as a sex slave. Rambo will have to wage war again in the hope of saving the only family he has left.

This film was savagely destroyed by critics and by the author who created the Rambo character. As for me, I loved this movie. Sure, it is not as profound and great as First Blood, but, to me, it is the second best Rambo movie of the franchise. The acting was very good and the story was compelling. It felt more personal. Rambo was not just fighting on principle, he was fighting for family.

One line still resonates with me: I haven’t changed, I just tried to put a lid on it. A man like Rambo cannot change. He is a killing machine with too much baggage. In the last fight scene, you can feel all that baggage on Rambo’s face as he closes in on the vulnerable enemy. Stallone did a fine job here looking both strong and vulnerable at times. I also adored the choice of Five To One, by The Doors, at a pivotal moment in the film.

I love the Rambo character. I don’t know if this is the end, but, if it is, I am fine with a strong ending like this. If you have some anger, this film is a great way to work it out.

Rating: ««««