Mr-Fusion Well, if John Rambo's not fighting Vietnam anymore, where do you go with a third movie? Hey, what if he shoots a middle finger to the Russians in the mountains of Afghanistan? And shoot the bird he does as the bodies and explosions pile up. There's serious money backing this movie; it's evident in the grander scale, locations and upgraded choppers. Add to that Stallone's camera-friendly physique and godlike stature, this is a big movie. But despite the uptick in violence, there are long stretches of surprising dullness. The movie's never really as good as the opening back-alley fight in Thailand ("Hot Shots" knew it). It's decent, if only for seeing the franchise at its loudest.6/10

slightlymad22 Continuing my plan to watch every Sly Stallone movie in order, I come to another sequel, 1988's Rambo 3.What does Stallone do after two movies under perform at the Box Office?? He usual go to response, was to go into his comfort zone and do another Rocky movie. This time however he opted for another sequel to his second most popular franchise, that starting Vietnam Vet and War Hero John Rambo. With the 'First Blood' part dropped from the title all together and the movie just being called Rambo 3, even though there were was never a Rambo or Rambo 2. Plot In A Paragraph: Col. Trautman (Richard Crenna) goes on a mission to aid the Afghanistan freedom fighters against the invading Russain army. He seeks out Rambo (Stallone) for help, he refuses saying his "war is over". When Trautman is captured by the Russains, the one man army goes to save his former Colonel. The one man army routine is now old, as is the mullet!! The dialogue is poor, the villains incredibly dull and it's boring to watch Rambo single handedly take out an entire army yet again.Stallones ego was apparently again out of control, and he had the original director Russell Mulchahey fired, along with members of the cast that he didn't approve of. The most ridiculously over the top movie in the franchise, had the Misfortune of awful timing (Russia left Afghanistan a few weeks before the movie's release) and despite some impressive action set pieces, it just isn't a very good movie.

zardoz-13 Legendary second unit director Peter MacDonald took over directing "Rambo III" after Stallone fired "Highlander" helmer Russell Mulcahy over creative differences. Although it didn't coin the bucks that "Rambo II" earned, "Rambo III" is a spectacular, action-packed adventure saga that deploys Stallone to great effect. Stallone was in top shape with opposing pectoral scares and looking like an Apache on the war path with his headband and long hair. The exciting but outlandish screenplay credited to Stallone and Sheldon Lettich breaks down into six essential sections: (1) Rambo's savage stick fight in Thailand and his meeting at the monastery with Colonel Trautman, (2) Trautman's capture by the Soviets, (3) Rambo's horseback ride into Afghanistan and his reception by the Mujahedeen, (4) Rambo's nocturnal raid on the Soviet fortress, (5) Rambo's tense rescue of Trautman against overwhelming odds, and (6) Rambo's fight battle with the Soviet commander flying a heavily armed helicopter. MacDonald doesn't let the pace slacken for a moment after Rambo leads his raid on the Soviet fortress. As usual, the camaraderie between Stallone and co-star Richard Crenna is flavorful. The gorgeous scenic beauty of Israel and Arizona is an added asset as is Jerry Goldsmith's atmospheric orchestral score.Disillusioned Vietnam veteran John Jay Rambo's close friend and former commanding officer Colonel Samuel Trautman (Richard Crenna of "Wait Until Dark") fails to convince Rambo to accompany him into Afghanistan on a secret mission to aid Mujahedeen freedom fighters battling invading Soviet troops. Trautman's mission involves finding a way to smuggle Stinger missiles into a remote province of Afghanistan that the Soviets have sealed shut. Predictably, no sooner has Trautman embarked on his mission than the Soviets not only surprise him but also take him prisoner. Unofficially, Embassy Field Officer Robert Griggs (Kurtwood Smith of "RoboCop") promises to arm Rambo with weapons, but our pugnacious hero must effect Trautman's rescue without U.S. manpower. Meantime, Soviet Colonel Zaysen (Marc de Jonge) has no luck interrogating Trautman about the weapons that he believes Trautman has smuggled into the country. Initially, when Rambo shows up in Afghanistan, the local fighters dismiss him with contempt as a 'tourist' with little combat experience. Rambo remains mum about his skills, and he is taken into the interior on horseback Afghani resistance leader Masoud (Spiros Focás of "Rocco and His Brothers") to see Mousa Gani. Eventually, he links up with Gani, but the Mujahedeen refuse to aid him for his night-time incursion into the prison to rescue Trautman."Rambo III" ranks as a slam-bang, action-oriented, shoot'em up.

CinemaClown The third instalment in the Rambo film franchise, Rambo III has the raw energy & unflinching brutality of its predecessors and is a typical example of 1980s action cinema but unlike the last two chapters, it's also grated with lots of cheese which turns it campy at times but then again, it makes up for that drawback with its impressive action set pieces.Rambo III finds the Vietnam-war veteran residing in Thailand when he's approached by his former commanding officer who asks for his assistance in delivering supplies to anti-Soviet fighters in Afghanistan. Tired of fighting, Rambo refuses the offer but when he's captured by the Soviet forces, Rambo goes on a solo mission to rescue him from his captors.Directed by Peter MacDonald & co-written by Sylvester Stallone, Rambo III lies very much on the same scale as First Blood Part II for it puts Rambo against the same enemy, only in a different setting. Once again, it's the action elements that keeps the momentum going even if those sequences can be predicted from afar, plus the character of Rambo remains inert to vulnerability.The film ups the ante on body counts & explosions, a welcome aspect, but its violence isn't affecting on an emotional scale. The desert locations & set pieces provide a little authentic feel to its setting, its 101 minutes of runtime is felt at times, and as far as performances go, Stallone dons the Rambo suit as per expectations but it's also good to see Richard Crenna getting more screen time than before.On an overall scale, Rambo III is another fine entry in the Rambo saga that further solidifies the legacy of its titular character, features a few cool moments of action over the course of its runtime but just like the last one, it's no match to First Blood. Surfacing at the time when Cold War themed action was becoming a thing of the past, Rambo III somehow manages to be an enjoyable ride, thanks to Stallone's screen persona & good dose of warfare.