3 out of 5

Director: George P. Cosmatos

Well acted, surprisingly expertly framed and directed, and with impressively large scale, practically shot action sequences, First Blood Part II finds a more sensible setting and place for Rambo and is much more comfortable being an action movie that the half-in half-out original.  It definitely suffers from 80s overkill going into its last portion, but its consistent in its approach to that overkill and Stallone gives the character just enough icy depth to make his rage understandable.  We pick up after film one with Col. Troutman getting Rambo out of prison to go on a secret mission to find proof of captured POWs.  Charles Napier, the suit running the mission, maybe ain’t on the up and up, and John J. finds himself hunted by Russians in the jungle while trying to save the POWs and get back home.  Bringing Troutman back to ground Rambo was a smart move, as it makes the jump from American to foreign jungles and the switch from crazy man to righteous man all easier to swallow.  But the biggest assist here comes from director George Cosmatos.  He’s not above doing some glory shots of muscles gleaming and bullets hitting the floor, but all of this taking place in daytime and within the frame and with a sense of patience removes a lot of the fluff feeling that 80s action tends to have.  As mentioned, that doesn’t prevent the one-man war near the flick’s end from being the springboard for tons of parody and satire – things blowing up at a touch, reckless damage that probably nicked some civvies – but all in all, the film has a sense of purpose from scene to scene, never lingering or jamming in too much extra just to satisfy a particular niche.  This IS the Rambo flick you’re probably imagining if you’ve never seen the series, but in this case being the stereotype means that its pretty enjoyable through and through.