Rambo: First Blood Part II

The change in style away from the low-key and raw part one is perhaps a little too extreme. John Rambo’s second battle for survival unfortunately degenerated into a pure B-grade action movie. Although the truth is it’s quite fun. Here in the Czech Republic, though, Rambo: First Blood Part II will more likely be remembered as one of the first VHS cult movies, rather than a movie known for its qualities. (02/09/2022)

The second installment is clearly the most cerebral work about John Rambo. On the other hand, it is so beautifully crystal clear in its humor ("Rambo, you made good choice") that it has an irreplaceable place within the series. It's never going to be the best Rambo film (that's still the luxurious fourth Rambo for me), but the honestly acknowledged comedic parts and its indelible imprint on pop culture are what make the second one the second one. "What you choose to call ‘hell’, he calls home." (09/21/2019)

It's all here - action, corpses, Rambo's stone expressions, blood, of which there is much more than in the first one. Unfortunately, however, there is noticeably less quality filmmaking. The producers tested the audience's reaction with the first film and found that a significant part of moviegoers fall into the category of teenage boys, for whom this is simply enough. The film also had a strong propaganda dimension in the mid-80s, which today can only evoke an indulgent smile. Overall impression: 20%. (05/25/2009)

This is a movie that I've seen before and I thought it was the original first Rambo. Now I know my mistake and I'm quite glad that I clarified this chronology. The second film, however, is still a more famous piece, thanks in part to its parodies - see "Hot Shots! Part Deux". Sly and James Cameron, however, wrote a screenplay that is not just a shallow slaughter, but there is still something more here. John Rambo is no longer a man who needs to come to terms with the dark shadow of Vietnam, but he must deal with the consequences of the previous film. He may pay too high a price for freedom. (11/30/2013)

John Rambo got burned the second time around just like he did the first time. Once again, the ones he trusted were the explicitly bad ones, and once again, he took a pretty brutal revenge on them. It’s amazing how back then action movies were filmed with respect for the viewer. I enjoyed everything about it. The scenes with the bombing of the local wilderness were fantastic and that’s something absolutely unprecedented nowadays in movies. These days, digital effects are involved in everything and that’s not interesting at all, let alone honest. There aren’t many proper action movies, but if there’s one I’d like to rewatch, then it’s definitely Rambo. I’m rating it with four stars mostly because story-wise it’s practically the same as the first instalment. And Rambo’s speech in the finale wasn’t so great either. I was blown away by the first instalment more. Anyway, it’s awesome. It’s a classic, need I say more? (10/09/2012)