'Rambo' shows its age

By | Friday, January 25, 2008

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The new "Rambo" exists for three reasons — reaffirm Sylvester Stallone's action hero chops, shed light on Burmese atrocities and show Hollywood that killing the bad guys en masse can be a morally sound position.

It's mission accomplished on all three fronts, yet "Rambo" devalues Mr. Stallone's recent comeback.

While "Rocky Balboa" proved Mr. Stallone could still find nuance in his relic of a hero, "Rambo" reveals he has little interest in taking the Vietnam veteran in new directions.

It's been more than 20 years since we last saw John Rambo, and as the movie opens he's wrangling snakes in Thailand.

Hey, it's a living.

A pack of Christian missionaries pays him a visit one day, hoping he can commandeer a boat to lead them into Burmese territory. They want to help the victims of Burma's civil war.

Rambo reluctantly agrees, mainly because he's charmed by the group's lone female (Julie Benz).

It's not long before Burmese pirates surround Rambo's boat. The old soldier's killer instinct resurfaces, leaving the missionaries aghast but still alive. Killing never solves a problem, the lead missionary (Paul Schulze) tells him.

Rambo says little in response — fortune cookies divulge more than our hero. And when he does talk, it's only a few raspy syllables at a time.

The missionaries finally reach their destination, but before they can lend a hand, Burmese soldiers storm their camp and start firing at will.

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