It’s time to tighten the red headband because Born to Watch is going back to 1988 for Rambo III, one of the decade's biggest, loudest, and most gloriously excessive action movies.
Whitey is joined by fellow ’80s action tragics Bones and DJ Glazby to revisit Sylvester Stallone’s third outing as John J. Rambo, and these three have some serious history with the franchise. We’re talking well over 100 watches, childhood VHS rewatches and, for Whitey, seeing Rambo III on the big screen as a 13-year-old.
The setup is beautifully simple.
Rambo is living a peaceful life in Thailand when his old mentor, Colonel Trautman, arrives with another mission. Rambo says his war is over; Trautman heads into Afghanistan without him and, almost inevitably, gets captured.
Time for Rambo to go back to work.
From there, Rambo III delivers everything you could possibly want from late-’80s action cinema. Massive explosions, helicopters, tanks, exploding arrows, enormous guns, practical effects and a Sylvester Stallone who looks like he was carved out of a particularly angry piece of granite.
But this is Born to Watch, so we're also asking the questions that matter.
Why is Rambo wearing a red headband during the stick fight?
How many spectators are getting smashed by stray sticks?
How does anyone know who they actually bet on?
Would you climb those stairs to find Rambo?
And most importantly, is Colonel Trautman really the bloke you’d send behind enemy lines?
The boys also discuss Stallone's incredible Rambo III physique, the magnificent 1988 hair, Rambo suddenly becoming surprisingly chatty and whether Sly realised just how ridiculous his movie had become.
There's plenty to love about Rambo III when viewed through modern eyes, particularly the practical filmmaking. The explosions are real, the squibs look fantastic, the stunts have weight, and the enormous military hardware actually feels enormous.
Whitey also celebrates one of his favourite elements of every Rambo movie, the stealth hunt. From the forest in First Blood to the mud in Rambo II and the caves of Rambo III, there's something special about watching John Rambo disappear into his environment and start picking people off.
We also look at the film's massive production, its reception, those infamous Razzie nominations and some fascinating behind-the-scenes stories before turning our attention to the entire Rambo franchise.
Where does Rambo III sit against First Blood, Rambo: First Blood Part II, Rambo and Last Blood?
Expect disagreements.
Expect insults.
Expect absolutely no respect for conventional film criticism.
Because this is Born to Watch, The Movie Review Podcast, where we don't take the movies, or ourselves, too seriously.
If you grew up loving Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Commando, Predator, Rocky and the golden era of completely excessive action cinema, this episode is absolutely for you.
Hit play, subscribe to the channel and join us as we revisit Rambo III.
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