Rambo 4: John Rambo

CLASSIFICATION MC-20 Mature Catholics Only (Age 20 or older)

RATING Five of Five Stars

Distributed by Lionsgate (released on 25 January 2008 in the United States)

91 minutes

The Film

This fourth installment of the Rambo franchise ties up the life of a hero with a direction that pulsates with action and sharp, blood-curling special effects. It might hint as a concluding film that honors a fictional warrior with a chance to rediscover home, or what may have been left of it. It is so 20 years since the last film Rambo III, and is dedicated to the memory of Richard Crenna (d. 2003), who played Col. Sam Trautman in the first three films.

The Preview

The Story

John Rambo, played by co-writer (main writer is Art Monterastelli) and director Sylvester Stallone, lived in Thailand in a village near the Burmese border as a snake hunter who sells his catch for money. Burma (now Myanmar) creates a backdrop under the iron-fist rule of Than Shwe who deals senseless death to members of the pro-democratic movement alive at that time. In his mind, he has no other home but this place in Thailand.

But things changed for John when Christian missionaries approached him for help in transporting them to Burma up the Salween River on a humanitarian mission. Despite his doubts that the mission could change anything for the unfortunate people in the mission area, he was persuaded by a female missionary Sarah Miller (Julie Benz) to just let them decide for their lives and help them reach their destination.

Sarah made John remember home, and the challenge brought him to the realization of  who he is–a warrior who fought for himself and for no one else.

But the missionaries failed to return home after a week as scheduled. And a mission official, Rev. Arthur Marsh (Ken Howard), sought John for help in bringing them back. With the help of a small platoon of mercenaries paid for by the missionary organization and the support of armed rebels, the missionaries were rescued with one casualty.

The movie closed with John Rambo back in the United States and walking his way towards his home.

The Review

Rambo 4: John Rambo brings home realities of this world that Catholics and other Christians may have to face and deal squarely: (1) the brutality of war; (2) the moral dilemma faced by those who were forced to engage a brutal regime in warfare in order to save innocent lives; (3) the limitations of nonviolence against an evil that never hesitate to take lives of innocent people; (4) the awakening of a person’s call to violence albeit on the side of the good; and (5) the deep yearning of regaining home.

The brutality of war. The film proposes that Christians need to find their calls for service in a place in war. Whether they are truly called to risk their lives to bring medicines and the message of Christian faith (as espoused by the missionaries) or simply recognize their human limitations and do what they can reasonably within that limitations without risking their lives senselessly (as espoused by John Rambo).

No direct answer has been provided by the movie. The decision of the missionaries turned out to be a misplaced and headstrong commitment to an unrealistic ideal which brought them to the edge of death and sexual molestation (as in the case of Sarah). The mission apparently failed to even save the lives of the people they ministered. And their work seemed too early to matter in the religious life of the villagers themselves.

But apparently God ensures that these missionaries, or at least most of them, are protected from death. And John Rambo became the hand of God that brutally dealt with the death-dealers in order to save the missionaries. It is a spiritually insightful plot. God characteristically permit even the worst things to happen in order change the lives of his people, this time both the missionaries and John. The missionaries realized that when their lives are threatened they need to fight back with brutality. John Rambo got a grip of who he really was and found himself recapturing home.

The moral dilemma of killing. Rambo 4 presented a strong inevitability that a warrior who chose nonviolence have to contend with in order to save other people’s lives. It is a sound Christian value to offer oneself as a sacrifice to save others’ lives and confront evil headon. The Lord did it himself. John Rambo have to decide to follow the calling of a killing machine, strong and effective enough to rescue innocent civilians from sure death, not for himself but for what is something good (protecting the helpless). Catholic social teaching support this act of sacrifice and of protecting the innocent people.

The limitations of nonviolence. The film glaringly presented the limitations of the philosophy of nonviolence before an enemy that would not hesitate to kill. The primary strength a nonviolent protest is its ability not to provoke violence while working for change. But before an evil that will kill without provokation, nonviolence would result to senseless death, often without bringing the change they seek. Unless a proper discernment towards dying precedes this decision, Rambo 4 proposed that nonviolent groups need to find a more effective means of stopping violence or serving the innocent victims (maybe by rescuing them instead) without having to die themselves. Being headstrong against something so evil would be very dangerous and foolhardy if you have no capability to deal with them. It says that battles at times may be left lost in order to win the war.

A call to violence. John may be reluctant to tread back on the path of violence, but his call to live what appeared to be his call to violence in the service of the good appeared genuine only in the context that God allows it through his infinite wisdom. And John had to respond.

The deep yearning for home. This part of the film deals with the softer side in all of us symbolized by John Rambo. No matter how far a child goes away from where he came from, he would always be yearning to be back home. It also hints on the yearnings of Christians who looked forward of going back home to their Father in Heaven.

The Verdict

Rambo 4: John Rambo is very rich in philosophical elements that is consistent with Catholic values that deal with social issues. The brutality provides a realistic scenario that sharpens the message against violence. But that is secondary to the fruitfulness of watching this movie.

This depth of Christian values however is not yet reachable to less mature audiences that may certainly miss the richness it provides and may inevitably get caught in the horror of its graphic brutality.

Reviewed by Z Literatus

Deepika Padukone is going to act with Hrithik Roshan for the movie Krrish 2 which is a sequel for the blockbuster hit Krrish. When Krrish became a super duper hit, Rakesh Roshan started working on the Krrish 2 script. After completion of Kites, they will start working for Krrish 2.

Deepika Padukone is now on cloud nine. Already her name was short listed for a Hollywood movie. Krrish was a super hit all over the world. In U.K it has beaten Super Man Returns. After that movie Hrithik got an offer to act in Rambo 4, but due to a weak story he rejected the offer. World wide many people are waiting for his next film Kites.

Krrish 2 also will release world wide like Hollywood movies. So Deepika Padukone will get good fame in all the countries.

Gyerekkorom meghatározó filmes élményei voltak a Rambo filmek. A maga módján mind a három szórakoztató film volt, az akció műfaj nagyjai egytől-egyig. Külön kiemelném az első részt, ami még First Blood címen volt ismeretes, és az azonos című novella feldolgozása. Elképesztően nagy film, általános filmes mércével is kiváló alkotás. Évtizedekkel az eredeti trilógia részei után tavaly elkészült a negyedik rész is. Meglepődtem? Nem nagyon, ugyanis a folytatások/remake-ek éveit éljük. Nem vártam túl sok mindent ettől az új filmtől amikor elkezdtem nézni, ám egy viszonylag kellemes csalódás ért…

Igazából az esti mozizásra egy nagy kedvencem, a Jurassic Park HD verziója volt bekészítve, ám az technikai problémák miatt elmaradt (késett a hang). Szóval maradt a Rambo4. Ez megint dzsungeles, a történet… áhh… ki a faszt érdekel?
A lényeg Rambo jön és darál, méghozzá kegyetlenül. A film tökéletesen hozza amit elvár tőle az ember: remek akciójelenetek sok vérrel, némi melodráma, sok erőszak; valamint Stallone kőkemény nézéssel és néhány egészen kiváló KILL-el. Szerencsére hűek maradtak az elődök brutalitás szintjéhez, sőt talán még sikerült rá is tenni egy lapáttal: csak úgy röpködnek a végtagok és a headshotok, van belezés is, meg minden ami csak “szem-szájnak ingere”. Persze nyílván nem ettől lesz jó egy film, de ha valakit meglőnek egy .50-es géppuskával az eléggé csúnya sebet okoz és rühellem ha egy filmben az ilyesmit “elsumákolják”, csakhogy beleférjen egy alsóbb korhatárba és ezáltal + fél milla néző legyen (igen, tudom sokak számára hihetetlen, de nyugaton NAGYON komolyan veszik a korhatárbesorolást).
Amiről érdemes beszélni, azok a szereplők. Ugye John Rambo az alap, antiszociál és fapofa, mint eddig is, bár azért az eddigi részekben valahogy emberibb és szerethetőbb volt. A mellékszereplők elég gagyik lettek, de valahogy mégis beleillenek a képbe. Az idealista szőke muffot mondjuk már a film legelején megmarattam volna egy kobrával, de a többi misszionárius is meglehetősen röhejes és idegesítő a sok idealizmussal és magasztos elvvel. A zsoldosok, akik az elrabolt misszionáriusok megmentésére indulnak (gyakorlatilag el is mondtam ezzel a film történetének felét XD), elég zorall figurák, kicsit már talán túlságosan is, ezáltal néha inkább csak cikisen viccesek, mint kemények. Egész addig amíg nem kerül vérontásra a sor, mert akkor nagyon durván nyomulnak, legalább olyan keményen tolják, mint maga Rambo. A gonoszok ezúttal burmaiak (az egész film szinte ott játszódik), de csak arra szolgálnak, hogy ledarálják őket Rambóék. A főgonosz egy egyszerű buzi, messze nincs olyan karizmatikus, mint a harmadik rész megszálott szovjet tábornoka, vagy az első részben a seriff.
Mindent együttvéve, a Rambo 4. nem lett egy korszakalkotó valami, az sem mondanám, hogy Rambo filmnek elmegy, mert azok a műfajukban egy igen magas szintet képviselnek, viszont egy sima akciómozinak azért jó ez is. Sőt sokkal többre tartom, mint a manapság annyira divatos gizdulós niggeres akciófilmeket, vagy a sok szar erőltetett háborús filmet amikben a makulátlan jenki hősük szétrúgják a világ rosszfiúinak a seggét. A Rambo4 egy őszinte és egyszerű alkotás, ami megmutatja, hogy a háború mindenképpen szörnyű dolog, és a gyilkolás mindenképpen mocskos dolog, akárki és akármiért teszi. Szóval a film egy 7/10 !LENNE!, ha nem lenne rohadt rövid (még másfél óra sincs), így viszont csak egy hatost adok rá. Aki bírja az akciótfilmeket (a klasszikusokat), az nézze meg bátran.

Såg nya X-menfilmen i natt på Rigoletto med Reza och Filip. Funderade över varför den gick kl 23.59 och inte helt enkelt 24.00. Undra om det är för att skryta över alla besökare på premiärdagen? Skulle uppskattat antalet tjejer till 1 av 10 inne i biosalongen, trots korvfesten så såg man reklam för bindor. Det känns som en liten miss. Fast det är klart, en vacker dag måste jag köpa bindor till en tjej och då kommer jag erinra mig de bindor som presenterade Wolverine!

Måste erkänna att jag är lite för nördig när det kommer till X-men. Är inte jätteinsatt, som Simpsons Comic Book Guy men när jag flyttat hemifrån brukade jag köpa X-mentidningen varje gång jag tog tåget hemhem. De släpptes varannan månad, ungefär samma intervall som jag åkte hemhem. Så lite koll fick jag, tills de la ner tidningen. Var väl bara jag som köpte den.

När det gäller filmen så var den riktigt bra. Som alla andra de andra X-men fast lite blodigare och framförallt dragit ner på allt fåneri. Filmen är fortfarande lite löjlig men man slipper alla maskiner och liknande, rekvisita i stålfärgad plast sänker värdet på en film direkt. Det är ovanligt lite moralkakor och andra störande moment och filmen dras inte ut i det oändliga. Lite som Rambo 4, inte längre än vad den behöver vara.

RAMBO 4 ( มาสเตอร์ )
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rodяigo

ZEKER beter dan dit…

In the past week I have spent over $600, this is what I have bought:

This is my first piece of artwork I’ve ever bought, an Even Hecox silk screen print. I am not sure where to hang it in my room.

R 18+

Ive beem buying films alot lattley, I had slowed down for a bit, but becasue I have been buying films I have not watched any of these yet and I have one or two of them for almost six months.

Olin eilen elokuvissa katsomassa jo toista kertaa uutta Batman-elokuvaa Yön ritari (2008). Elokuvan loputtua jäin katsomaan lopputekstit kokonaisuudessaan, ja minua suorastaan itketti, en tosin osaa määritellä miksi. Kirjoitan elokuvasta myöhemmin lisää (pienehkö kirjoitusblokki ollut tässä päällä muutaman päivän ajan), mutta täytyy vain sanoa, että oli pakko antaa raikuvat aplodit elokuvalle lopputekstien loputtua. Elokuvateatterin vahti katsoi minua hämmentyneesti hymyillen, sillä salissa oli enää noin kuusi tyyppiä lisäkseni. Hieno elokuva kuitenkin, ja palaan astialle myöhemmin. Tuli tuosta vahdin hymyilystä mieleen muutamia muitakin “kohtauksia” elokuvayleisössä.

Kun olin katsomassa täpötäydessä salissa Simpsonit-leffaa (2007), tuntui suhteellisen hassulta, kun monisatapäinen yleisö oli joissain kohtauksissa kuin yhtä suurta naurumerta. Naurunäänet vaan velloivat ympäri salia suunnilleen aaltomaisella liikkeellä, ja ilmassa oli muutenkin lähestulkoon urheilujuhlan tuntua. Itse elokuvakin oli toki varsin naurattava, mutten tiedä, olisiko sille tullut kotioloissa kuitenkaan räkätettyä yhtä hervottomasti kuin teatterissa niiden satojen muiden katsojien kanssa.

Sitten on niitä extreme-tapauksia, joissa yleisö oikeasti villiintyy. Tässäpä yksi kaverini bongaama otos hullaantuneesta leffayleisöstä, tosin meininki on hieman eri kuin eilen, ja elokuvanakin oli Rambo 4 (2008). Vaikea kuvitella suomalaisessa elokuvateatterissa tällaista käytöstä, mutta ehkä Rambo sitten herätti ihmisissä tarvetta huutamiseen… Katsokaa itse ja todetkaa, onko tämä mielestänne typerää käytöstä vai ymmärrettävä reaktio hyvän elokuvaelämyksen jälkeen.

Joskus elokuvat myös järkyttävät katsojiaan, kuten vuonna 1973 ilmestyneen Manaajan kohdalla kävi:

Elokuvissa käyminen on ehdottomasti yksi miellyttävimpiä harrastuksia, mitä kohdalleni voin ajatella. Pari tuntia pimeässä salissa (toivottavasti) hyvän leffan parissa muiden samasta aiheesta kiinnostuneiden ihmisten ympäröimänä, virheetön äänentoisto (joka tosin toisinaan, etenkin action-leffoissa, tuntuu olevan aivan liian kovalla) ja jättimäinen screen yleensä hyvätasoisilla suomennoksilla varustettuna (mitä ei voi sanoa kaikista dvd-julkaisuista…) sekä ihanan pehmeät penkit ja hyvät popkornit eivät vain voi muodostaa huonoa yhdistelmää.

Tosin kannattaa muistaa, että edessä oleva penkki ei ole tarkoitettu potkittavaksi kesken esityksen, eväitä ei tarvitse syödä metodilla “jos mässytän eniten, olen kovin jätkä”, ja että siitä elokuvasta voi keskustella kavereiden kanssa leffan jälkeenkin.

Rambo-pätkän YouTube-kommenteista bongasin jonkun pässin harrastavan leffaspoilausta. Eli siis sitä, että katsoo leffan ensin kerran mahdollisesti laittomasti hankittuna versiona ja sitten menee elokuvateatteriin pilaamaan kaikkien muiden katsojien leffanautinnon huutelemalla juonenkäänteitä. Tätä ilmiötä ei ole käsittääkseni Suomessa juuri esiintynyt, ja toivon, ettei tuollainen kulttuuri tänne koskaan rantaudukaan. Joskus on tullut bongattua känniurpoja ja näyttelijäfaneja, jotka mölisevät omiaan leffan päälle, mutta noita näkee onneksi suhteellisen harvoin.

Viihtymistä pimeissä luolissa!

Han pasado 20 años desde el último filme de la saga Firts Blood, mas conocida en el ambiente popular como Rambo. Fue poco mas que una sorpresa enterarnos el rodaje de la cinta en que Silvertre Stallone volviera a encarnar al “gringo mata asiáticos”. Y de estoy último parece no haber cambiado.

La mecánica del filme no presenta cambios sustanciales en contraste con sus antecesoras. Como ya es de costumbre, presenta una trama casi inexistente, predecible y sin mayor esfuerzo intelectual por parte del espectador. Siendo sinceros, el mérito de la película nunca se enfocó a conseguir aquello y es demostrado en toda la cinta.

Se nota un cierto desgaste en Stallone, debido a que no es el mismo que en su juventud haya hecho sus primeras incursiones en el 7mo arte. Aun así, su brutalidad ha permanecido intacta, sin duda cumple exitosamente como personaje de accion bélica y a pesar que casi no habla (en serio que casi no habla!) nos presenta conformidad a la hora de ejecutar sus acciones.

Donde mas destaca el filme es precisamente es en sus escenas de acción que denotan de inmediato que el drama en el filme es sólo un acompañamiento para justificar que es una “pelicula” y no una masacre sin sentido. La sangre cumple un rol fundamental, a pesar de ser en su mayor parte sangre digital parece estar muy bien lograda como también en las explosiones.

Como conclusión es una película de acción pura que excede los parámetros en cuanto a violencia se trate, está mas cercano a cine Gore que a lo que estamos acostumbrado a un filme hollywoodense. No es recomendado para un público que esperer ver una trama sólida, ya que es lo que menos tiene. Sin duda Rambo 4 es para para un público que “sabe a que va” y esta conciente de lo que espera ver.

Lo mejor:

-Mucha sangre (en partes tuve leves sonrisas), violencia y acción.

-Stallone no falla en encarnar al mítico personaje del cine gringo.

-Ideal para ver en ocasiones de aburrimiento.

Lo peor:

-Trama inexistente y muy predecible.

-A pesar de la acción puedes quedar con gusto a poco.

-Una pelicula que por su simplicidad pasará al olvido. Sólo quedará en tu mente por ser… Rambo.

Nota 5.5/7.0

2008 has been a surprisingly good year for movies, as far as I’m concerned.

Most, if not all, of the movies I’ve chosen to watch on the big screen (and a handful on dee-vee-dee) since the beginning of the year have been pretty decent watches.

Maybe I’ve been lucky in picking out the good ones while ignoring the less-than-stellar ones. Or maybe I have a high tolerance for movies others may find sucky. Whatever.

Since I haven’t done a movie review in a long while, here’s a condensed version (what do the kids call it these days? A quickie?) of my thoughts on all the movies I’ve watched in 2008 follows…

The Kite Runner

Nice little heartwarming movie about friendship and brotherly love in war-torn Afghanistan. Although I hear the book is way better, this movie was a decent adaptation, and performances of the two young leads were worth the price of the movie ticket. And if you’re not yet familiar with the works of Khaled Hosseini, I recommend you checking out A Thousand Splendid Suns, an excellent tale of life, love and hardship in Afghanistan, before, during and after the Taliban years….
Verdict: 3.0 (out of 5)

No Country For Old Men

A bizarre tale of murder and blackmail and more murder and old fashioned law enforcement and even more murder by the kooky Coen brothers. Javier Bardem was so freaking scary in his role as merciless killer-for-hire, and Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin weren’t too bad either.
Verdict: 3.5

There Will Be Blood

A sprawling epic, without the length normally associated with sprawling epics. A Daniel Day-Lewis movie to the extreme, with the fella appearing in almost every scene. Does a good job of it too.
Verdict: 3.0

Eastern Promises

Aside from the somewhat uncomfortable naked-fight-in-the-sauna scene, this movie was such a cool look at the Russian mob. The violence was of the no-holds-barred, in-your-face variety which, if improperly done, could have been a disaster on film, but in this case, it was handled well. And in Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts, you’ve got two superb actors with great chemistry.
Verdict: 3.5

Juno

Hilarious take on teen pregnancy. One of the wittiest movies I’ve seen in recent years, and it has made me an instant fan of Ellen Page. And is Jason Bateman one of the most underrated comedy actors around? I’d say so.
Verdict: 3.5

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

When watching this in the cinema, one of my friends had her hands in front of her eyes for so much of the movie, I’m not sure she saw any of it in the first place! Lots of blood, lots of slicing, lots of pies, lots of bodies, and quite a lot of singing. Not a bad musical, otherwise a slasher-flick with a comedic twist. Or should I say, with a Tim-Burtonesque twist?
Verdict: 2.5

Rambo 4: John Rambo

Rambo, older and meaner. Whether catching snakes or killing people, here’s a guy with a permanent world-weary cynical look etched on his face. The killing fest in this film really was extraordinary, with unbelievably creative ways of snuffing people’s lives explored with glee. As one friend puts it, the wooden performances and lack of a plot was probably due the bulk of the budget being spent on the brutal special effects, leaving little for writers and actors. You get what you pay for, eh? And in this movie, you get lots and lots of people’s parts being blown off. Still, it’s Rambo. What else would you expect?
Verdict: 2.5

Iron Man

Robert Downey Jr in a comic book flick? Get outta here! But no, there he is, as the cocky arrogant Tony Stark, and then as the sleek, titular flying machine. Good story, good performances, and cool effects – so far it has been my favourite superhero movie of the year.
Verdict: 4.0

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

So many people out there kept harping on how cool it is to finally see the ace archaeologist back in the cinemas, and fine, I agree, when the movie started and the classic John Williams theme came on, I got a chill down my spine and all that. But then as the movie dragged on, I got more and more uncomfortable. The story was half-baked, and so were most of the performances. Yes, Indy movies tended to have outrageous and illogical plots, but they weren’t half-baked. This was. And Shia Lebouf was wasted here – if he isn’t careful, he could find himself supplanted as Hollywood’s young rising star by James McAvoy.
Verdict: 2.5

The Incredible Hulk

Hulk SMASH! Great action, good funny moments, some ho-hum drama, but overall a smashing update of the green behemoth’s saga.
Verdict: 3.0

Kung Fu Panda

I tend not to have high opinions of non-Pixar animated movies, but I have to admit this movie from Dreamworks was surprisingly AWESOME! Jack Black was a spot-on perfect choice for the story’s protagonist, as was Dustin Hoffman as the kung-fu master. Very enjoyable movie.
Verdict: 4.0

Wanted

Dumb plot, nonsensical story, unbelievable characters. But damn, I LOVED IT! From the action, to the special-effects, to Angelina Jolie’s pouts, to the soundtrack, everything was just so adrenaline-pumping, that I walked out of the cinema with the near-iresistable urge to grab someone and ask, “What the f*** have you done lately?” (Oh, and every morning, as I come in to work, the first thing I do to get my day off and running is to play the theme song from the movie.)
Verdict: 4.0

Hancock

Sigh. I had glimpsed the apprehensive remarks on the web before the movie was released, and thus I determinedly avoided any story or review of the movie before I watched it. And after having watched it, all I can say, sigh. So much potential, yet so little of it fulfilled. It could have been great, instead it was neither here nor there. I left the cinema hall patently unsatisfied – like having eaten nasi lemak without the sambal. Sigh. Charlize Theron was hot, though.
Verdict: 2.5

And yes, I’m aware there are plenty of other flicks I have not watched this year, e.g. Cloverfield, Speed Racer, American Gangster, The Happening, Get Smart, etc… But heck, there are other things besides movies that one needs to spend money on occasionally. Like fuel.

Up next: Hellboy 2 and Dark Knight. Woo hoo!