Sylvester Stallone action that’s questionably disturbing

We already published this article in a similar form for the TV broadcast on August 22, 2021.

Sylvester Stallone has conquered fan hearts again with his last movie. The Suicide Squad triumphs where DC and Marvel otherwise fail. This is also partly due to the cute King Shark, which Stallone lends his voice to in the comic spectacle. Fans wish him the best of luck. IIn the cinema it looked rather bleak for the action icon. Namely with Rambo: Last Blood, which is on TV.

The fifth Rambo part had a few weaknesses as its last screen appearance. The fact that he wanted to replace an incomplete plot with spectacular depictions of violence is not the worst of it. That he depicts whole groups of people as dull beasts or amoral sadists, weighs much more heavily.

Mexico is one big crime hotspot in Sylvester Stallone’s action hit

The story of Rambo: Last Blood reads not unusual for a representative of the series, one beautiful conclusion to the veteran franchise even appropriate: John Rambo (Stallone) has settled in rural Arizona on his father’s farm, where he lives only with his housekeeper Maria (Adriana Barraza) and their daughter Gabriela (Yvette Monreal).

Check out a German trailer for the fifth Rambo film here:

Rambo’s autumn days of horseback riding and traumatic war memories are thrown upside down when Gabriela is kidnapped in Mexico while looking for her father. One last time he goes to war, to free them from the hands of unscrupulous gangsters.

It was to be expected that a lot of blood would be spilled – anything else would simply come as a surprise for the Rambo series, especially after the shockingly brutal predecessor John Rambo. Here too Rambo acts ultra brutally against his enemies, slashes, shoots, hacks, burns and shatters the opposing side to death. But it becomes problematic when it comes to the question of who he does this violence to.

Because Rambo 5 opens a huge gap between the righteous American and the Moloch Mexico: as soon as the border is crossed, so the film tells, everyone has to expect murder, rape and absolute immorality.

Gabriela’s father simply left her and her mother because they got on his nerves. Her girlfriend immediately betrays her to a gang of brutal pimps without hesitation. Mexican streets and clubs are places where one wrong word can mean death.

The fact that Rambo goes to work in an ultra-brutal way is not for everyone, but it is a legitimate expectation for many fans. This is fine too: Let it rain blood and splinter bones and separates the torso from the limbs. But I can do without a racist corruption of Mexico, the neglect of which only American soldiers can combat.

The Mexicans in Rambo 5 are like cattle running in front of the main character’s bone mill. There isn’t a single character that could take away the impression of a wicked, dependent country – certainly not the sparse female characters that the film accuses of as an alibi.

Female characters are helpless victims in the Sylvester Stallone action

These include the kind-hearted housekeeper Maria and the investigative reporter Carmen (Paz Vega). As righteous Mexican women, they are probably supposed to balance out the poor portrayal of the country in the film, but this fails due to another form of antiquated staging. Warning, spoilers!

Because their role development is simply sexist. Maria is needed just as long as she gives Rambo a rescue mission as a mother. When her child dies, she is sent on her journey with a few outrageous words. Daughter Gabriela is no better off: When she proves her own will by searching for her father, he becomes immediately punished with abuse, rape and death, thus underscoring both Rambo’s infallibility and his justification for excessive violence.

And even Carmen, possibly best suited as an independently acting character to provide Rambo with a female contrast, is ultimately nothing but a facade. It exists so that the film doesn’t have to be accused of completely humiliating Mexican people. And what is it for? She can doctor Rambo and let him teach her, that revenge is better than the search for peace of mind.

No expression of political progressiveness can be expected from the Rambo series. It was always about him strong American man helping the subjugated earth and is worshiped by all sorts of “weak” women. While that’s not progressive, it’s not exceptional for an 80’s action series either.

But not only have times changed since then, Rambo also seems to be developing with age – albeit for the worse: what used to be the paternal-paternalistic hand on the trigger is now one hateful US cowboy at war with the degenerate neighboring country.

Only a few Rambo fans should have a problem with severed limbs and blood fountains. But just as few want one in the cinema adore inhuman ideology. Rambo 5 looks a bit like it has returned from a long war – tired, worn out and no longer in harmony with a world striving for peace.

When is Rambo: Last Blood with Sylvester Stallone on TV?

Rambo: Last Blood is coming today at 11 p.m. on RTL. If you don’t have time, you can watch the film at 2.40 a.m. In the FSK 18 theatrical version, it has a length of 89 minutes without advertising.

Action replenishment: The 22 biggest streaming films 2022 on Netflix and Co.

There are a few real highlights waiting for you in the streaming area this year. Netflix in particular has announced a host of promising films. In the podcast stream browsing, we give an overview of which projects the anticipation is particularly great.

With genres such as science fiction, action, comedy, fantasy, animation and more, Netflix, Disney+ and AppleTV+ are guaranteed to have something for all tastes – whether you’re looking for the new film by Martin Scorsese, the next Disney remake or the film adaptation of yours favorite novel.

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What do you think of Rambo: Last Blood?