Rambo: First Blood Part II

Having enjoyed the tense action thriller that was First Blood, it was time I sat down to watch Rambo: First Blood Part II which I hadn't seen before. First Blood could have been a very neat one-off film in Stallone's career but he wanted to be the top action hero and, by altering the ending where Rambo killed himself in the book, the opportunity was there to make more films. 

This time Rambo is called back into action by his old friend, Colonel Sam Trautman, in an effort to rescue American POWs in Vietnam. The mission is lead by a external unit of mercenaries and Rambo accepts in what should have been a simple rescue operation but things soon take a twist when some overseeing bureaucrats get in the way.

First Blood gave a glimpse into Rambo's efficiency as a war machine but Part II goes into full overdrive as he singlehandedly takes on the Vietnamese and Russians forces using every tool available. Directed by George P. Cosmatos and written by Stallone and a young James Cameron, I found myself having a lot more fun with this than I had initially expected. The setup is good, the action is varied and exciting and the cast are all very good as the story whips along nicely. 

As an action flick, Part II is perfect escapist entertainment and a worthy sequel that does enough to distinguish itself from what came before. But if I had an quibbles, it would be in the final act during a helicopter action sequence that looks impressive yet lacks any personality as one of the main villains is quickly dispatched. Things do pick-up however in the final moments with a very memorable scene but I felt the close-quarters action was more engaging over the vehicular moments. 

All in all, Rambo: First Blood Part II is a lot of fun and just about keeps things to a level of bombastic action that doesn't stray from where the story began with its predecessor making this an easy one to recommend for action fans. Just maybe not so much for everyone else.