Average User Rating: 80% (15 Reviews)
4 / 5	Action-packed and ultra-violent KM (England) - 7 July 2008 After nearly 20 years, Sylvester Stallone returns to the role of John Rambo as he battles dozens of ruthless soldiers in search of a group of salvation workers who have gone missing. If there was one word to sum up this film it would be "violent". The first three movies were violent back in the day, but with today's special effects, this film is ultra-realistic and disturbing when it comes to the explicit and brutal gore in this movie. The action is literally non-stop from the start and being at just over an hour and a quarter (not including the end credits) there's no time for this film to slow down at all and all the better for it. Sly is great as Rambo and is as good as he was back in his prime in the 80s and it feels like he's never been away from the role. The Blu Ray quality is superb with perhaps one of the best discs for picture quality as everything looks just so sharp and is really clear. Even on the darker scenes there appeared to be next-to no graininess that I've noticed on other Columbia/Tri Star/Sony Pictures Blu Rays. Overall it's not the most intelligent of movies but the Rambo series never has been, but it makes up for this with some great action and excitement and some great special effects (even if they are a bit sick). I recommend this film to anyone who loves old 80s action films and anyone who doesn't get shocked too easily. ... Read Full Review »
4 / 5	Hi-Def throwback to the good ol' days; brutal but enjoyable Hooligween "Rowena the Red" (Kernow, Great Britain) - 12 May 2008 Just like the recent Die Hard revival, Rambo proves that you can re-visit old themes with an older actor and come out with an all-out action winner. In hi-def you get bigger bang for your bucks -- so if you have a Blu-ray player it's hard to see why you'd opt to watch the standard version of this film. There are some excellent effects (the inevitable arrow moment; the monster big boom) which really benefit from having sharp visuals and the sound system turned up to 11... This isn't a 'modern' film for folk who enjoy hand-wringing, heartache about the rights and wrongs of any situation. You don't need to engage your intellectual and moral centres to enjoy the action. This is a shoot-em-up and kill-em-all, old fashioned, rat-a-tat movie. And despite the snobbish reception it got from the film critics, it is definitely worth watching if you enjoy action/adventure films with traditional, macho heroes. The scenario is very straightforward; John Rambo is retired and lives near Burma. He's an ex-Green Beret military killer, scarred by years of combat. He's not having a particularly nice time but he knows a dumb idea when it's suggested to him. And when a bunch of do-gooders want to go into Burma to help the people being slaughtered and oppressed by the bad regieme, he knows it's a bad idea. But, inevitably... Won't go into the details because there is a plot, and there are a couple of great 'ouch!' and 'wow!' moments. But fans of the earlier First Blood movies will be rewarded by the return of death-by-arrow, the machete moment, plenty of sneakin' around the jungle action, some righteous laying waste to the bad guys and a simply magnificent explosion. (If you have surround sound then you should definitely switch it on, and you'll rattle the room at the right moment...) The pleasure of films like this is that the bad guys are seen to be definitely bad and deserve everything the yget. Our hero is reluctant to take part, but unstoppable once he is engaged on a quest. And Sly has aged very well; he's in great shape for a bloke in his 60s and carries off the action sequences with complete credibility. The supporting cast are pretty good too, especially the ex-SAS Brit mercenary. He displays ultimate grit in the most gory sequence in the film... If you want to watch a film which has an earnest debate about the rights and wrongs of military intervention in political situations then do NOT watch this one. If you want a full throttle, 90 minute romp which contains considerable violence and edge-of-the-seat YEAH! moments, then this is one to rent or buy. Rambo is fast-paced, well directed and cleverly nailed together. You might feel you're likely to be hit by the blood splatter in certain scenes... but that's half the point of watching, isn't it? 8/10: it's not art, but it is good film-making. ... Read Full Review »
5 / 5	Warning B. Elliott (uk) - 1 July 2008 I bought this then remembered I don't have a blu-ray player. If you make the same mistake as me don't bother sending it back. I smeared it in peanut butter and threw it just to amuse myself. It was one of the best times of my life.
3 / 5	Live for nothing, or die for something! R. Mullaney (Leeds, UK) - 23 June 2008 Ex super soldier John Rambo (Stallone) is enjoying a peaceful life on the Thai-Burmese border, fishing and catching snakes for a living. When a pretty blonde US Christian relief worker (Julie Benz) begs Rambo for a boat ride upriver into Burma for her optimistic band of peace lovers, he reluctantly accepts. Inevitably, things go wrong and the group are captured by Burmese militia. Rambo is again asked to head upriver, this time to escort mercenaries into the war zone to hunt for the missing party and luckily for them, the ageing hero still has his bow and arrows. After reading less than favourable reviews about the fourth installment in the Rambo series, I almost didn't go and see it but I relented....this IS 80's action hero Rambo after all. Although I can see the critic's points about poor dialogue and cardboard characters, this is still an enjoyable film for any fan of First Blood. Stallone doesn't have much to say at all. He barely features in the first half and says very little when he does. Col. Trautman is briefly shoehorned into the story during a dream sequence but aside from that we learn very little else about what Rambo has been up to since his trip to Afghanistan in Rambo III. The Burmese soldiers are generic baddies with zero character development or any explanation as to why they are raping and murdering innocent villagers or why they take the aid workers captive. In one of the featurettes, Stallone says he hasn't resurrected Rambo sooner because there wasn't a conflict anywhere that he felt suitable as the backdrop to another film. The situation in Burma was something Stallone wanted to bring to the attention of the world but the story behind the genocide isn't clear. Stallone goes for shock value instead, with extremely graphic violence which could be looked at in different ways. Yes, children are stabbed and burned to death so the reality of the situation is probably accurate (the production team interviewed Karen refugees to get authentic stories) but on the other hand, the violence is also used to justify Rambo's violence. The Burmese militia are merely a means for Rambo to give in to his killer instinct. The whole thing is pretty two dimensional, but when Rambo does eventually come to the rescue, any fans of the original will be jumping out of their seats and punching the air. What Rambo lacks in script and character it makes up for with straight up man-action. Some may argue that the film is gratuitous violence and it probably is. I suspect that Stallone truly did want to raise awareness of the ongoing atrocities but the message of the film seems to be 'don't get involved in other peoples problems unless you are prepared to kill lots of people.' That said, I did enjoy Rambo as an action film and it was good to see Stallone putting on his headband again. Here's to Cliffhanger 2! Just kidding.... Like this? Try: First Blood... Read Full Review »
5 / 5	Rambo 4 James Deadman - 19 May 2008 This is a brilliant film, all gore and a fantasic story one of the best films iv ever seen 10/10