What a crazy 37 years it has been for Sylvester Stallone’s John J. Rambo. In 1982 he battled PTSD and a backwoods sheriff in upstate Washington. In 1985 he went back to Vietnam at the behest of crooked Washington bureaucrats. In 1988 he traveled to Afghanistan to fight the Soviets and save a friend. In 2008 he led a group of mercenaries into war-torn Burma to rescue a Christian missionaries. He’s done a lot, seen a lot, killed a lot.
And just when you thought Rambo’s cinematic tour of duty was done, the 73-year-old Stallone dusts off the character for one final fight (at least that’s what the title implies). “Rambo: Last Blood” doesn’t send the war-scarred vet too a far from home. This time the story has him bouncing back and forth between his dusty ranch in Arizona and Mexico.
Eleven years after the events of the not-so-great 2008 film Rambo has found a semblance of peace on his family’s old home place. He lives there with his housekeeper (Adriana Barraza) and her granddaughter Gabriela (Yvette Monreal) who he has raised as his own daughter. But Rambo and happiness have never went together so you know his retirement from one-man armying is doomed from the start.
When Gabriela learns the whereabouts of her birth father in Mexico, she goes against Rambo’s wishes and sneaks south of the border to find him. In the most predictable of turns she is snatched up by human traffickers working for a local drug cartel. To no surprise Rambo doesn’t take it sitting down. He heads to Mexico to rescue Gabriela stoking a war with the cartel in the process.
Full disclosure, I’m a big fan of the first three Rambo movies. They were silly, bombastic, and a ton of fun. They were full of energy, big action, and really driven performances from Stallone. The forth film came some twenty years after “Rambo III” and went in a grittier, gorier, and more joyless direction. “Last Blood” falls more in line with the last film instead of the original three. It’s darker, bloodier, and Stallone looks completely worn out.
To be fair, Rambo is supposed to be worn out considering the life he has lived. We see a little of that during an early and brief PTSD sequence that is unfortunately dropped and never revisited. That’s a story thread I wish had been explored. But Sly’s performance itself seems drained of all energy and emotion. He (not just his character) looks tired. Admittedly it’s still good to see him back in the role even if he lacks the zest you expect.
The most noticeable thing about “Last Blood” is how its story really doesn’t resemble anything else from the franchise. It particularly lacks the big action moments the others films are known for. Yes there are a few sudden bursts of graphic violence but nothing that will stick with you. And it’s especially true for the final ten minutes which is this frantic blood-soaked collage of grisly kills that’s over in a snap. Little buildup, extremely rushed, and it ends with this absurdly gruesome moment that’s completely out of sync with the better films of the franchise.
Surprisingly I liked the setup of “Last Blood” more than the payoff. The movie deals with some pretty heavy subject matter and despite not giving it the emotional weight or depth it deserves, it’s still pretty effective table-setting. Yes, the predictable cries of xenophobia are out there which some may find cathartic in today’s politically-charged climate. But a more level-headed look at the film finds its problems lie elsewhere. And unfortunately there are plenty of them.
VERDICT – 2.5 STARS
keithandthemovies.com 
What is a shame is this could have been more character study of an old warrior , who has found peace and walked away from the violence only to be called back in and the toll it takes on him . The last 2 Rambo movies really feel disconnected from the original 3 and especially the first one , which is still my fav , The next 2 are guilty pleasures . The over the top kills and blood letting wasn’t really needed and I would have liked a quieter film in some respects . Really ended this character on a really down note for me . Its like Stallone forgot what this character was .
It’s really a bizarre movie that has a real identity crisis. Admittedly, there are a few elements I liked, but it’s as rushed and Sly looks exhausted and uninterested throughout.
Yeah it was like he was in a trance almost . It could have interesting to play up the worn out and physically beaten up soldier but I’m not sure what this movie wanted to really be .
Exactly. Not a good note to end the franchise on.
Aw, would have loved for this one to be good. Like Whatsisface in Grand Turismo or whatever. (That’s probably all wrong 😀 )
I wanted it to be better. I certainly could have been. It’s just so weirdly put together and rushed.
From what I understand, the version of the film that the US and UK got was 89 minutes long and the rest of the world got a version of the film with an alternated opening. So, if you thought that the editing was weird, that’s because stuff was cut out. Honestly, while I didn’t mind that a certain character’s arc played out the way it did, it was kind of brave for them to do that, it left the final battle without any real stakes. I get the feeling that the movie we ended up getting was not really the film they started with. I’m honestly expecting an alternate/extended home video release that actually ends differently, judging from some of the images that I’ve seen on IMDB. I don’t know. I enjoyed the movie for what it was, but it was a fairly weak film in the franchise that was nothing more than Taken: Rambo Edition.
I wondered if the ending was so pasted together because of Stallone’s age. We get more boobytrap kills than actual Rambo physicality. And it ended pretty abruptly.
Eek.
Pretty much.
The last Rambo movie was a little gory for my taste though its premise was kind of dumb considering that Christian missionaries end up doing more harm than good for the world. I might see this one if I’m bored. Besides, I do love the original film.
I’m not sure have seen the originals. At least not in the last 15 years where I’d remember it! I do remember really digging the last one but 11 years ago,,, shiiit I was 21-22! I’d see a totally different movie today. I was gonna see this but I gotta get a new car so its only essentials for a while. Such as Joker 😀 Ooooo boy I loved that, I look forward to your thoughts
PS – Just published Joker review and I’ll be putting up an Ad Astra review soon, keen to see what you think, the latter especially. I think tho we may have agreed on too much, I hope I don’t rip your review
Anxious to read your Joker thoughts. I’ve put off my review until Monday. Still want to stew on it a bit. It gives you tons to digest.
I couldn’t stop thinking about, its not often I write 1,900 bloody words about a movie!!!!
Awesome!
Yeah,I totally agree to you.
Thanks for reading. It’s a shame because there are several interesting things they could have done.