Rambo

Encyclopedia : R : RA : RAM : Rambo

---

For the 1988 NES video game Rambo see Rambo (video game). For the professional wrestler see Luc Poirier.

Rambo is a trilogy of popular action films based on the characters created by David Morrell in his novel First Blood. The films are: First Blood (1982), (1985), and Rambo III (1988). A fourth film is expected spring 2007. The films focus on a troubled Vietnam War veteran, John J. Rambo, who is greatly skilled in all aspects of survival.

In popular culture, the name has become an eponym for a 'tactic' of mindless aggression, or, alternatively - a heroic, robust person.

Short Biography

John James Rambo was born on July 6, 1947 in Kingman, Arizona. As a teenager, Rambo went to Rangeford High School, he graduated in 1965. After high school, he joined the United States Army in 1966. Rambo was deployed to South Vietnam in September 1966. He returned to the U.S. in 1967 and began training in the Special Forces at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. In late 1969, Rambo was re-deployed to Vietnam. In November 1971, Rambo was captured by North Vietnamese forces near the Chinese-Vietnamese border. At the POW camp, Rambo was tortured along with other American POWs. Rambo escaped captivity in May 1972, but was then re-deployed. Rambo was discharged on September 17, 1974. In his return to the U.S., Rambo discovered that many civilians hated returning soldiers from Vietnam.

First Blood

The first movie begins with the titular character, played by Sylvester Stallone, returning from the Vietnam War and searching for an old Army buddy. Discovering that his friend had died of cancer, he prepares to move on, but is picked up by the local sheriff, Will Teasle (Brian Dennehy), who doesn't want "drifters" hanging around town. Teasle attempts to deliver Rambo on the other side of town, past the border; however, Rambo defiantly walks back into town. Sheriff Teasle arrests Rambo and brings him to the station. While Teasle is indifferent to Rambo, one of his deputies sadistically abuses him. During a forced shower with firehose, where he is beaten, Rambo has a wartime flashback of his experience as a POW in Vietnam. One young officer tries to persuade the others that he is just crazy and needs help. Drawing on his skills as a former member of the Army Special Forces, Rambo escapes from the town jail and flees into the local mountains. During the pursuit, a deputy falls to his death from a helicopter while attempting to shoot Rambo. He had led the abuse, but was a good friend of the sheriff, and his death cements the duel between Rambo and Teasle.

The sheriff tries to "hunt" Rambo down; however, Rambo is too well trained, and continuously eludes the posse. The National Guard is then called in.

The Army sends Colonel Samuel Trautman (Richard Crenna) to help the sheriff and the National Guard unit capture Rambo. Trautman is as close to family as there is to Rambo. Despite his advice to let Rambo defuse himself, and peacefully arrest him later, Teasle refuses his help. Worried that the Army is trying to protect their "asset," and to settle a personal score, Teasle continues his hunt. Trautman informs the sheriff that he isn't trying to protect Rambo from the sheriff, but to protect the police from Rambo.

The National Guard corner Rambo at a mine entrance. They fire a M72 LAW into the mine entrance, collapsing it and apparently killing Rambo. The search is then called off. Despite this, Rambo does indeed survive and finds an exit through another mine shaft. His anger is such that he now decides to attack the town. He hijacks a truck along with an M60 machine gun. Entering town, he proceeds to go on a destructive rampage.

After incredible amounts of property damage, Rambo stalks Teasle and is at the point of killing him when Colonel Trautman tries to persuade Rambo to surrender. What results is an emotional and political monologue by Rambo:

"Nothing is over! NOTHING! You just don't turn it off! It wasn't my war! You asked me, I didn't ask you! And I did what I had to do to win! But somebody wouldn't let us win!"

He talks about how protesters in America spat on him and decried him for doing what he had to do to win and how he was treated when he returned to the U.S. Trautman reminds him that it was a tough time for all servicemen who participated in the Vietnam war, but he retorts with hints at the massive inadequacy he feels after leaving military life, saying that the government once trusted him to operate multi-million dollar equipment, but as a civilian he cannot hold down a job parking cars. Perhaps the most emotional part about his emotional collapse was when he talked about how his teammate on the Special Forces wanted to go home and drive their car to Las Vegas. A kid came up with a shoeshine box asking to shine his shoes. Rambo went into the bar to get some beers when a bomb in the box exploded. Rambo was trying to keep him from dying and no one would help. An incident which he can't get out of mind. His emotional feelings are so deep that he falls into the hands of Trautman for support. The film ends with Rambo being escorted from what's left of the town's police station in handcuffs. (The filmmakers originally intended for Rambo to commit suicide. This ending was abandoned when test audiences reacted negatively to it and asked for a happier one. As a consequence, a new ending where Rambo survives was shot (as stated by the filmmakers on the Special Edition DVD documentary "Drawing First Blood"). In the novel, Rambo is shot in the eye and killed by Colonel Trautman.)

Rambo: First Blood Part II

The second movie, ', has Rambo released from prison by Federal order to document the possible existence of POWs in Vietnam, under the belief that he will find nothing and the government can sweep the issue under the rug. Rambo, with the assistance of a local woman Co Bao (Julia Nickson-Soul), does find American POWs and tries to escape with one. Marshall Murdock (Charles Napier), in charge of the operation, orders that Rambo be abandoned, and all documentation of POWs be destroyed. Rambo is taken into captivity, and tortured by Soviet troops. With the help of Co (who is later killed), Rambo escapes, destroys nearly the entire hostile army, and flies back to Thailand with the rescued POWs. He then threatens Murdock to find the remaining POWs, or Rambo will find him'''.

This movie is laced with Wagnerian and Arthurian symbolism, including a descent into the underworld, identity with a unique blade, and betrayal by one's countrymen. The red headband Rambo fashions from Co Bao's dress following her death in First Blood Part II represents the garters worn by old chivalrous knights.

There is also a David Morrell novel of the second movie, but unlike the first book this was written after rather than before the movie.

Rambo III

The third movie, Rambo III, sees Rambo going to Afghanistan to rescue Colonel Trautman, who was captured while trying to document the atrocities of the occupying Russian army on the local forces, so the U.S. government would aid them. With the help of the Mujahideen, Rambo is able to rescue Trautman and eliminate the homicidal Russian commander in that region.

The film is seen by many critics as politically confused in that it seems to simultanously delight in seeing the Russians suffer their own Vietnam while at the same time promoting the goodness of the American efforts in Vietnam. This is also illogical since the first Rambo movie was more focused on the horrors of the Vietnam war than it was on the heroics of it.

In late 2001, this film saw a surge in viewers, as many felt it foreshadowed the imminent operations in Afghanistan following September 11. Indeed, many parallels can be observed.

Rambo IV

Rambo IV is to be released spring of 2007

The major development for Rambo IV occurred in May 2005 when British-based independent media production company, Alpha1Media, published their popular and controversial treatment for the film, titled 'Rambo IV: Holy War.' [link] The company also exclusively broke the news that the film rights for Rambo had been sold by Miramax to Millennium Films.

On October 28, 2005, CNN confirmed on their website of Stallone's plans to produce the fourth Rambo film. They explain the basic plot and production plans[link]:

"Rambo IV" centers on former Vietnam vet John Rambo, who is living a reclusive life back home in the U.S. But when his daughter goes missing, he is forced to abandon his quiet lifestyle and take justice into his own hands.

No director is attached, but Stallone is set to do it unless there is somebody else. The independently produced $50 million film is set to begin shooting in the summer of 2006 in Mexico and the U.S.

The animated series

In 1986, the Rambo series was adaptated in a syndicated animated series titled Rambo and the Forces of Freedom. It ran for 65 episodes. The complete series is currently in the process of being released on DVD. Four volumes in the complete release have been released so far. The cartoon series debuted in April of 1986 as a five part mini series, and was renewed in September as a daily cartoon. However, the series only lasted one season and was cancelled in December of the same year (65 episodes were made in total).

Plot

In the cartoon, Rambo was now part of a team called The Force of Freedom which went on missions around the world battling against the evil organization S.A.V.A.G.E., led by General Warhawk. Although the cartoon was filled with much fighting and gun fire, there was never any sensational violence, blood or gore, and rarely did anyone ever die. Rambo (who was never called by his first name, even by Trautman, who called him "John" in all the movies) used violence as a last resort and relied on quick thinking and fast moves to outwit his opponents — a character trait not consistent with the film version.

Complete episode listing

Video games

• Rambo (video game) NES title by Acclaim
• Sega Master System Rambo First Blood Part 2
• Sega Genesis System Rambo 3
• Rambo II was turned into a successful video game available for the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64.

Trivia

• John Rambo was born in 1946, and is half Native American and half German. He is a qualified helicopter pilot.

• The music for all three films was written by Jerry Goldsmith. Most of the musical score for the animated series consisted of reused tracks from the first two films.
• The Japanese title of First Blood is Rambo (ランボー). 'Ranbou' in Japanese, incidentally, means 'violent/rough'.
• There is an actual family of Swedish origin that bears the name Rambo. The name was taken by Peter Gunnarsson (1612-1698) and comes from Ramberget (87 m), located on Hisingen, in northwestern Gothenburg. Some of them have had a military career.
• Peter Gunnarsson Rambo brought apple seeds to America with him from Sweden. The Rambo Apple is still grown in several of the northeastern states in USA.
• The name 'John Rambo' (according to the author David Morrell) came from the author Jean Arthur Rimbaud (sometimes pronounced 'Rambo') and the Rambo Apple.
• There was another character named Rambo, who was played by Tomas Milian in Italian crime movie Il Giustiziere sfida la città, several years before First Blood was made. Milian had actually read the First Blood novel and thought the name sounded appropriate for an action hero. The two characters are actually completely unrelated. The film was later released in the American video market as Rambo's revenge.
• San Francisco hardcore punk band "First Blood" took their name from the Rambo film, as well as including samples from the Rambo films in several songs.

Pop culture references

• Someone who is fighting alone in a difficult situation, or being brave and stupid is often described as "being a Rambo".
• In the video game series Metal Gear, Solid Snake's commander in operation Colonel Roy Campbell bears a resemblance to Colonel Trautman. Solid Snake also wears a bandana and takes on armies almost singlehandedly (albeit in a sneaky, evasive manner, in contrast to Rambo's more "direct" approach). Also, in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, the character must survive in a Russian forest, eating whatever is on hand. One of the weapons available is similar to Rambo's trademark M-60. When fired for a sustained period, the character lets out a battle cry.
• In a scene from the 1987 film Wall Street, two men are shown talking in a bar discussing a young executive who has made $650k despite being only 26 years old; one of the men remarks "I'm telling you, the guy is Rambo".
• In , Gizmo watches the scene in Rambo: First Blood Part II where Rambo uses a bow with explosive-tipped arrows, and later dresses up like Rambo, complete with bow and arrow. This is perhaps an in-joke reference to the fact that Gremlins 2 was scored by Rambo composer Jerry Goldsmith.
• In the action comedy movie Hot Shots! Part Deux, Charlie Sheen's character is a parody of Rambo. (The plot structure of the entire film echoes that of Rambo II and Richard Crenna, who played Colonel Trautman in all 3 Rambo films, plays a parody of his own role as well.)
• In DC Comics, one of the Green Lantern Corps, Guy Gardner, is nicknamed "Rambo with a Ring".
• In a scene from the 1989 movie Spaceballs, Princess Vespa shows great skill in targeting enemies with her blaster compared to her male colleagues. When told that she was a pretty good shot "for a girl", her android companion retorts, "Hey, that was pretty good for Rambo"!
• In Twins, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Arnie's character notices a publicity poster for Rambo III, and after reassuring himself of his own bicep size, disdainfully dismisses Rambo.
• In True Lies, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Arnie's on screen wife says "I married Rambo" after he machine guns some terrorists.
• In the computer game Soldat, the "Rambo mode" gametype gives the first player to get a kill a bow and arrow capable of killing in one hit. Other players become the "Rambo" when they kill the current "Rambo". Players are only rewarded for fragging the Rambo.
• Video game character Jazz Jackrabbit is a Rambo-like rabbit, with even the red bandana.
• In the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon series, the character of Rocksteady was seen armed with an automatic rifle which resembles the M60 machine gun, Rambo's weapon of choice in the first two Rambo films, in the early episodes of the 1987 series. Another possible reference to Rambo can be found in Rocksteady's attire with Rocksteady wearing a pair of military cargo trousers, combat boots and a singlet as well as Rocksteady sporting a bullet belt and a Bowie knife.
• On the GWAR album America Must Be Destroyed (as well as the accompanying film Phallus in Wonderland), there is a character named Edna P. Granbo (voiced by Hunter Jackson), an elderly woman and pro-censor zealot who is the leader of the Morality Squad, a group out to put an end to GWAR's raucous ways. She appears on the track The Morality Squad and is featured throughout Phallus plotting the end of GWAR and eventually fighting them at the end of the movie. The character additionally wrote the "liner notes" on the GWAR album Scumdogs of the Universe. Granbo is a combination of the words "Grandma" and "Rambo."
• In the Green Jellÿ song "Three Little Pigs", after the Wolf tries to blow down the third Pig's house, the Pigs "called nine-eleven, like any piggy would" and "they sent out RAMBO, just as fast, as they could" who declares "YO, WOLF-FACE, I'M YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE, YOUR ASS IS MINE!!!" and causes a lot of damage before the wolf falls dead.
• The album Night of the Living Drag Queens by punk band Frankenstein Drag Queens From Planet 13 features a song called simply 'Rambo', which begins and ends with samples from various Rambo films, and directly references the plot of (mainly) the first movie, observing of the Sherrifs "When they fucked with Rambo, they fucked up". This song is consistent with the FDQ's constant lyrical references to often lurid horror and action films.
• In Lord of War, the son of Andrea Baptise asked Yuri Orlov if he could have the gun of Rambo (M60).
• In Demolition Man, another Stallone movie, villain Simon Phoenix smashes the glass of the musem display of a 20th century soldier, and says "sorry Rambo, I need to borrow this" before taking the soldier's guns and duffel bag.
• In Tango & Cash, yet another Stallone movie, a policeman asks Stallone's character, Ray Tango, who he thinks he is, "Rambo?". Tango replies that "Rambo is a pussy."
• In Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, Ranger is often referred to as a modern-day Rambo
• In the Dead Kennedys song "Stars and Stripes of Corruption", there is a lyric that says "Honesty ain’t all that hard, just put rambo back inside your pants"
• In the Rage Against the Machine song "No Shelter" the lyrics have the lines "Coca-Cola is back in the veins of Saigon, And Rambo too, he got a dope pair of Nikes on".
• In Predator 2, during the subway scene, the character played by Bill Paxton informs the passengers 'We dont want any rush hour Rambos here.
• In the fantasy game Warhammer 40,000, there is a character called Sly Marbo, the one man army, which is an anagram of Rambo.
• Toward the end of 'UHF', Weird Al Yankovic's character imagines himself as Rambo entering the enemy camp and blowing enemy soldiers to pieces with guns, bombs, etc. This segment is an obvious parody of Rambo II.
• On the sketch comedy You Can't Do That On Television, a few of the pre-empts at the beginning of the show depicted Rambo, such as "Rambo Thinks," "Reading Rambo," and "Rambo Takes Ballet Lessons." Also, in a few shows, the kids go to see a movie called "Rambo Kills Everyone."
• During the 1989 coup d' etat in the Philippines, members of the "Reform the Armed Forces Movement", Led by Gringo Honasan,were called as RAMboys, which is patterned after Rambo.

For the band, see R.A.M.B.O..

Rambo is also the name of a village in Vindeln Municipality and a hill in Åtvidaberg Municipality.

Music

The original scores for all three films were composed and conducted by Jerry Goldsmith. The music from the second film was performed by the National Philharmonic Orchestra and the music from the third by the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra. Goldsmith's main theme for Rambo was the basis for the end title song "It's A Long Road," performed by Dan Hill.

The music for the first film is harsher and more dissonant than that for the sequels, as is keeping with the tone of the film. As such, it bears more of a resemblance to Goldsmith's output of the 60s and 70s than it does most of his work in the 80s. The first film's score does use electronics but is primarily orchestral while the sequel scores incorporate heavier use of electronics. The second film's score is the most popular, being that it is the most exciting. The music in the third film is an extension of the style used in the second, but with a few new themes. Both sequels feature new themes for Rambo that are based on elements found in the original "It's A Long Road" theme, which is also heard in its original form in each film as well.

External links

• Official Polish website: [http://www.rambo.pl]
• Rambo IV: [link]
• [Movieprop.com: Rambo]
  
  

Image:scenariusz-rambo1.jpg|A screenplay for "First blood"

 

---

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.

Search Titles

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

?