Rambo III Pushes the Limits but Works It Out
Rambo III requires suspending your disbelief beyond what was necessary in Rambo II, which was at least still connected to his origin story. But now Rambo, who has been living peacefully in a Thai monastery (when he’s not stick fighting for extra scratch), is convinced to take up arms in Afghanistan when his over-the-hill commanding officer goes on a foolhardy mission to “help some villagers” and winds up a captive of… you guessed it, the Russians.
In Rambo III we learn that not only can Rambo knife fight, shoot a bow and arrow, shoot any gun there is, fly a helicopter, and withstand torture—he can also do stunt horseback riding, handle explosives, perform emergency surgery on himself, drive a tank, and (spoiler alert) survive crashing said tank into a helicopter. Plus the aforementioned stick fighting, which is really just a warmup for the wild ride that follows.
This time, instead of bonding with a would-be lover he bonds with a pseudo-son. Rambo and Col. Troutman also reaffirm their “you’re the only one I trust” level commitment to each other and get to tag-team on kicking some Russian ass in the back half of the flick.
The initial setup doesn’t take too long, and then it’s a feast of dubious Russian accents, classic one-liners, and explosions galore. Prepare yourself to enjoy the spectacle and push your own limits, inspired by Rambo’s impossible-is-nothing approach.
Year: 1988, Runtime 1 hour, 42 min.
Start with Rambo: First Blood if you’ve not had the pleasure
“Who do you think this man is, god?”
“God would have mercy on you. He won’t.”