Rambo (film series)
Rambo is an action film series based on the David Morrell novel First Blood and starring Sylvester
Stallone as John Rambo, a troubled Vietnam War veteran and former Green Beret who is skilled in many
aspects of survival, weaponry, hand to hand combat and guerrilla warfare. The series consists of the films
First Blood (1982), Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), Rambo III (1988), and Rambo (2008).
First Blood
First Blood is a 1982 action film directed by Ted Kotcheff, co-written by and starring Sylvester Stallone as
John Rambo, a troubled and misunderstood veteran. Brian Dennehy and Richard Crenna appeared in
supporting roles. It was released on October 22, 1982. Based on David Morrell's 1972 novel of the same
name, it was the first of the Rambo series.
Despite mixed reviews, the film has been a commercial success at the time of its release. Since its
release, First Blood became seen as an underrated, cult and influential film in the action genre. It spawned
three sequels, all written by and starring Stallone, who also directed the fourth and final installment.
Upon returning to the United States, Rambo has difficulty adjusting to civilian life and wanders the country
as a drifter for almost a decade. In December 1981, Rambo travels to the fictional town of Hope,
Washington, in search of a Special Forces buddy named Delmore Barry. Rambo arrives at Delmore's
supposed residence and finds Delmore's little daughter and his depressed widow. Delmore's widow tells
Rambo that her husband had died from cancer the previous summer due to exposure to Agent Orange,
and that she must meek out a living as a cleaning lady and on Delmore's Service member's Group Life
Insurance. Rambo, attempting some cold comfort, gives Mrs. Barry the photograph of Delmore's unit. He is
left with a mild sense of survivor's guilt as he is now the last man still living of his once-proud unit (known in
the Army Special Forces as Operational Detachment Alpha or "A" teams)
Agent Orange
U.S. Army Huey helicopter spraying Agent Orange over Vietnamese agricultural land
Agent Orange is the combination of the code names for Herbicide Orange (HO) and Agent LNX, one of
the herbicides and defoliants used by the U.S. military as part of its chemical warfare program, Operation
Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1971. Vietnam estimates 400,000 people were killed
or maimed, and 500,000 children born with birth defects as a result of its use.[1] The Red Cross of
Vietnam estimates that up to 1 million people are disabled or have health problems due to Agent
Orange.[2] The United States government has dismissed these figures as unreliable and unrealistically
high.[3][4]
Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)[edit]
Directed by George P. Cosmatos
Produced by Buzz Feitshans
Screenplay by Sylvester Stallone, James Cameron
Story by Kevin Jarre
Based on Characters created by
David Morrell
Rambo: First Blood Part II (also known as Rambo II or First Blood II) is a 1985 action film directed by
George P. Cosmatos and starring Sylvester Stallone. The screenplay was by Stallone and James
Cameron. A sequel to 1982's First Blood, it is the second installment in the Rambo series, with Stallone
reprising his role as Vietnam veteran John Rambo. Picking up where the first film left, the sequel is set in
the context of the Vietnam War POW/MIA issue; it sees Rambo released from prison by federal order to
document the possible existence of POWs in Vietnam, under the belief that he will find nothing, thus
enabling the government to sweep the issue under the rug.
John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone), having been tried, convicted, and sentenced to time at hard labor, is
working in a labor camp prison when he gets a visit from his former commander, Colonel Sam Trautman
(Richard Crenna). Trautman offers Rambo the chance to be released from prison after the events of the
first film and given full clemency, but on condition of him going into Vietnam to search for POWs. Rambo
meets Marshal Murdock (Charles Napier), an American bureaucrat who is in charge of the operation and
he tells Rambo that the public is demanding knowledge about the POWs and they want a trained
commando to go in and search for them. Rambo is briefed that he is only to photograph the POWs and not
to rescue them, nor is he to engage any enemy soldiers. Rambo reluctantly agrees and he is then told that
an agent of the US government will be there to receive him in the jungles of Vietnam.
Main article: Rambo: First Blood Part II
In the second installment of the series in 1985, Rambo is tasked by ISI. Trautman to return to Vietnam to
search for American POWs remaining in Vietnamese captivity. Marshall Murdock (Charles Napier), the
official in charge of the mission, is portrayed as a corrupt political figure who does not want to expose the
truth. Rambo is not to engage the enemy and instead is ordered to take photographs of a North
Vietnamese military base to prove to the American public there are no more POWs in Vietnam, although
Murdock knows that there are.
Rambo is sent to a part of the jungle where Murdock receives confirmation that no POWs were being held
at the time. Rambo works with a Vietnamese woman known as Co Bao, who is an anti-communist
Vietnamese rebel serving as an intelligence agent for Rambo. Rambo discovers that there is a POW
camp where he was dropped; POWs are rotated between camps, and coincidentally are nearby when he
was dropped. Rambo breaks one POW out of the camp and attempts to escape, only to be refused
access to the base by Murdock and to have himself and the POW recaptured by the Vietnamese soldiers.
Rambo is immobilized in a pit of sewage and leeches, then tortured by Soviet soldiers, who are allied with
the Vietnamese and training Vietnamese soldiers. Co enters the base under the guise of a prostitute for
hire, where she aids Rambo in escaping. After Rambo expresses his deepest gratitude for his rescue, the
two share a kiss, after Co implores him to take her back to America with him. As they prepare to move on,
Co is shot down by surprise gunfire.
Enraged, Rambo then acts on his own initiative and starts a one-man rescue mission, stealing a Soviet
helicopter and breaking all the POWs out of captivity. After returning to the US base in Thailand with all the
POWs, Rambo becomes enraged at how the United States government has ignored the existence of
surviving soldiers being held captive. Rambo then threatens Murdock and tells him to be forthright with the
American public regarding the truth of the POWs and to spare no expense in rescuing them all, else he will
return for Murdock's hide. When Trautman says Rambo will be honored once again, he declines, saying
the POWs deserve medals and accolades more than him as they were regular soldiers who endured
torture and extraordinary hardships. For his actions in Vietnam, Rambo is granted a presidential pardon
and remains in Thailand to reside.
Between the second and third films, Rambo takes up residence near a monastery where he engages in
frequent meditation to find a sense of inner peace. Although Rambo believes his soldiering days are
apparently over, he does not become a complete pacifist, as he often participates in violent stick fighting
matches and donates the purse of his winnings to the monks to help renovate the monastery.
Ronald Reagan
(1911–2004)
[124][125][126] January 20, 1981 January 20, 1989 Republican 49 (1980) Governor of
California (1967–1975)
After seeing Rambo last night I know what to do next time this happens. (1982)
- Ronald Reagan
Genre: Action
Premise: Released from prison by Federal Order, John Rambo returns to Vietnam so he can document
the possible existence of POWs for the CIA. Refusing to merely photograph the evidence and let the US
Government sweep the issue under the rug, Rambo makes it his personal mission to free the POWs. By
any means necessary.
About: One of James Cameron's first professional screenwriting jobs. The story goes is that Cameron had
three desks set up in his house, where he was working on three different screenplays at once. At one
desk, he was writing The Terminator. On another, he was writing Aliens. And at the third desk, he was
writing this, First Blood 2: The Mission.
Writer: James Cameron
Rambo is an action film series based on the David Morrell novel First Blood and starring Sylvester
Stallone as John Rambo, a troubled Vietnam War veteran and former Green Beret who is skilled in many
aspects of survival, weaponry, hand to hand combat and guerrilla warfare. The series consists of the films
First Blood (1982), Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), Rambo III (1988), and Rambo (2008).
First Blood
First Blood is a 1982 action film directed by Ted Kotcheff, co-written by and starring Sylvester Stallone as
John Rambo, a troubled and misunderstood veteran. Brian Dennehy and Richard Crenna appeared in
supporting roles. It was released on October 22, 1982. Based on David Morrell's 1972 novel of the same
name, it was the first of the Rambo series.
Despite mixed reviews, the film has been a commercial success at the time of its release. Since its
release, First Blood became seen as an underrated, cult and influential film in the action genre. It spawned
three sequels, all written by and starring Stallone, who also directed the fourth and final installment.
Upon returning to the United States, Rambo has difficulty adjusting to civilian life and wanders the country
as a drifter for almost a decade. In December 1981, Rambo travels to the fictional town of Hope,
Washington, in search of a Special Forces buddy named Delmore Barry. Rambo arrives at Delmore's
supposed residence and finds Delmore's little daughter and his depressed widow. Delmore's widow tells
Rambo that her husband had died from cancer the previous summer due to exposure to Agent Orange,
and that she must meek out a living as a cleaning lady and on Delmore's Service member's Group Life
Insurance. Rambo, attempting some cold comfort, gives Mrs. Barry the photograph of Delmore's unit. He is
left with a mild sense of survivor's guilt as he is now the last man still living of his once-proud unit (known in
the Army Special Forces as Operational Detachment Alpha or "A" teams)
Agent Orange
U.S. Army Huey helicopter spraying Agent Orange over Vietnamese agricultural land
Agent Orange is the combination of the code names for Herbicide Orange (HO) and Agent LNX, one of
the herbicides and defoliants used by the U.S. military as part of its chemical warfare program, Operation
Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1971. Vietnam estimates 400,000 people were killed
or maimed, and 500,000 children born with birth defects as a result of its use.[1] The Red Cross of
Vietnam estimates that up to 1 million people are disabled or have health problems due to Agent
Orange.[2] The United States government has dismissed these figures as unreliable and unrealistically
high.[3][4]
Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)[edit]
Directed by George P. Cosmatos
Produced by Buzz Feitshans
Screenplay by Sylvester Stallone, James Cameron
Story by Kevin Jarre
Based on Characters created by
David Morrell
Rambo: First Blood Part II (also known as Rambo II or First Blood II) is a 1985 action film directed by
George P. Cosmatos and starring Sylvester Stallone. The screenplay was by Stallone and James
Cameron. A sequel to 1982's First Blood, it is the second installment in the Rambo series, with Stallone
reprising his role as Vietnam veteran John Rambo. Picking up where the first film left, the sequel is set in
the context of the Vietnam War POW/MIA issue; it sees Rambo released from prison by federal order to
document the possible existence of POWs in Vietnam, under the belief that he will find nothing, thus
enabling the government to sweep the issue under the rug.
John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone), having been tried, convicted, and sentenced to time at hard labor, is
working in a labor camp prison when he gets a visit from his former commander, Colonel Sam Trautman
(Richard Crenna). Trautman offers Rambo the chance to be released from prison after the events of the
first film and given full clemency, but on condition of him going into Vietnam to search for POWs. Rambo
meets Marshal Murdock (Charles Napier), an American bureaucrat who is in charge of the operation and
he tells Rambo that the public is demanding knowledge about the POWs and they want a trained
commando to go in and search for them. Rambo is briefed that he is only to photograph the POWs and not
to rescue them, nor is he to engage any enemy soldiers. Rambo reluctantly agrees and he is then told that
an agent of the US government will be there to receive him in the jungles of Vietnam.
Main article: Rambo: First Blood Part II
In the second installment of the series in 1985, Rambo is tasked by ISI. Trautman to return to Vietnam to
search for American POWs remaining in Vietnamese captivity. Marshall Murdock (Charles Napier), the
official in charge of the mission, is portrayed as a corrupt political figure who does not want to expose the
truth. Rambo is not to engage the enemy and instead is ordered to take photographs of a North
Vietnamese military base to prove to the American public there are no more POWs in Vietnam, although
Murdock knows that there are.
Rambo is sent to a part of the jungle where Murdock receives confirmation that no POWs were being held
at the time. Rambo works with a Vietnamese woman known as Co Bao, who is an anti-communist
Vietnamese rebel serving as an intelligence agent for Rambo. Rambo discovers that there is a POW
camp where he was dropped; POWs are rotated between camps, and coincidentally are nearby when he
was dropped. Rambo breaks one POW out of the camp and attempts to escape, only to be refused
access to the base by Murdock and to have himself and the POW recaptured by the Vietnamese soldiers.
Rambo is immobilized in a pit of sewage and leeches, then tortured by Soviet soldiers, who are allied with
the Vietnamese and training Vietnamese soldiers. Co enters the base under the guise of a prostitute for
hire, where she aids Rambo in escaping. After Rambo expresses his deepest gratitude for his rescue, the
two share a kiss, after Co implores him to take her back to America with him. As they prepare to move on,
Co is shot down by surprise gunfire.
Enraged, Rambo then acts on his own initiative and starts a one-man rescue mission, stealing a Soviet
helicopter and breaking all the POWs out of captivity. After returning to the US base in Thailand with all the
POWs, Rambo becomes enraged at how the United States government has ignored the existence of
surviving soldiers being held captive. Rambo then threatens Murdock and tells him to be forthright with the
American public regarding the truth of the POWs and to spare no expense in rescuing them all, else he will
return for Murdock's hide. When Trautman says Rambo will be honored once again, he declines, saying
the POWs deserve medals and accolades more than him as they were regular soldiers who endured
torture and extraordinary hardships. For his actions in Vietnam, Rambo is granted a presidential pardon
and remains in Thailand to reside.
Between the second and third films, Rambo takes up residence near a monastery where he engages in
frequent meditation to find a sense of inner peace. Although Rambo believes his soldiering days are
apparently over, he does not become a complete pacifist, as he often participates in violent stick fighting
matches and donates the purse of his winnings to the monks to help renovate the monastery.
Ronald Reagan
(1911–2004)
[124][125][126] January 20, 1981 January 20, 1989 Republican 49 (1980) Governor of
California (1967–1975)
After seeing Rambo last night I know what to do next time this happens. (1982)
- Ronald Reagan
Genre: Action
Premise: Released from prison by Federal Order, John Rambo returns to Vietnam so he can document
the possible existence of POWs for the CIA. Refusing to merely photograph the evidence and let the US
Government sweep the issue under the rug, Rambo makes it his personal mission to free the POWs. By
any means necessary.
About: One of James Cameron's first professional screenwriting jobs. The story goes is that Cameron had
three desks set up in his house, where he was working on three different screenplays at once. At one
desk, he was writing The Terminator. On another, he was writing Aliens. And at the third desk, he was
writing this, First Blood 2: The Mission.
Writer: James Cameron
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