Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) Review:

When Sylvester Stallone first entered the scene as John Rambo, viewers may not have been expecting such an explosive turn out in the character he played. Aside from Rocky Balboa, Stallone didn't have many tent pole characters he could create a franchise off of. By 1985, Stallone was already up to Rocky IV (1985), and there was only First Blood (1982). Thankfully Stallone's first outing as Rambo secured him enough to start another line up of films. And while the first film was able to make a clear point about life as a war veteran and the hardships that came with it, Stallone had way more control over the story in this sequel. This is also because Rambo was not supposed to live after the first film.

Julia Nickson as Co

After the events of First Blood (1982), Colonel Trautman (Richard Crenna) picks up John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) again for a new assignment. Wanting to determine whether there are any surviving POWs left in a Vietnamese camp, Rambo is assigned by Major Marshall Murdock (Charles Napier) to spy and take photographs (only) if any POWs exist. But things don't go as planned when Rambo discovers POWs do exist with the help of an inside informant named Co (Julia Nickson), who's also looking to flee the country. The screenplay says it was written by Stallone and James Cameron believe it or not. Although, much of what Cameron drafted originally was later changed by Stallone. The usual tropes Stallone includes in his scripts can sort of be picked out here too.

Instead of further exploring John Rambo's tortured psyche, Stallone's approach for this entry was looking more at people in his situation and the political drama that happens behind the scenes. The only individuals Rambo trusts are Co & Trautman. Unfortunately, Co's history with Rambo isn't so clear, the plot is basically a reverse of the Rambo's. He came home from war in First Blood (1982). Now he's returning to war in the sequel. Much of the story works because of the social commentary on whose really in control of international affairs, such as adding Steven Berkoff to the cast as Colonel Podovsky. But the other side characters like Co, or Ericson (Martin Kove) don't add a whole lot because of how little development they receive. The fates of their characters are quite obvious.

For how those characters are handled, it could also be in part to how the director worked with Stallone. Then again, George P. Cosmatos would also later go on to direct Cobra (1986), Leviathan (1989) and Tombstone (1993), arguably his best work to most. What Cosmatos was certainly capable of directing were the action set pieces. Throughout this film, again mainly due to Stallone's rewrites, the action is cranked up far higher than it was in the last film. There's a ton more explosions, gunfire, stabbings and arrows being shot. If there's one thing that was missed from the first film it was the survival aspects Rambo used for himself while all alone. If anything, that should have been used more, even though there were some aspects of it shown like the utilization of natural backgrounds for camouflage.

"I never wanted your party invite!"

The cinematography also changed hands for this sequel. Replacing Andrew Laszlo from the initial film is Jack Cardiff, another cameraman from the classic era of filmmaking. Unlike the first movie where Laszlo was filming areas of the western hemisphere, Cardiff was to make the film feel much more eastern. Making sure that the scenery looked as foreign as possible to the domestic viewer. Cardiff also filmed on Stephen King's Cat's Eye (1985). Lastly for music, Jerry Goldsmith returns to score the film and he too amps up his work. Originally, his first score to First Blood (1982) did not highlight the motif of John Rambo as much. That's a one eighty turn for this entry; where Goldsmith makes sure Rambo's theme is played in as many places as possible and it sounds great.

Part II is a decent sequel to the original even though it drops the whole PTSD angle for more carnage and political commentary. However, it's still great entertainment as it pits the main character at unbelievable odds as much as the outcome seems highly improbable. The cinematography and music only further make it that much fun.

Points Earned --> 7:10