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''Rambo'' is a Trilogy of popular Action Film s based on the characters created by David Morrell in his novel ''First Blood''. The films are: '''' ( 1985 ), and '' Rambo III '' ( 1988 ). A fourth film is expected sometime in 2006. The films focus on a troubled Vietnam War veteran, John J. Rambo, who is greatly skilled in all aspects of survival. In Popular Culture , the name has become an Eponym for a ' Tactic ' of mindless aggression. ''FIRST BLOOD'' See Also: First Blood The first movie begins with the titular character, played by Sylvester Stallone , returning from the Vietnam War and searching for an old Army buddy. Discovering that his friend had died of cancer, he prepares to move on, but is picked up by the local sheriff, Will Teasle ( Brian Dennehy ), who doesn't want "drifters" hanging around town. Teasle attempts to deliver Rambo on the other side of town, past the border; however, Rambo defiantly walks back into town. Sheriff Teasle arrests Rambo and brings him to the station. While Teasle is indifferent to Rambo, one of his deputies sadistically abuses him. During a forced shower with firehose, where he is beaten, Rambo has a wartime flashback of his experience as a POW in Vietnam . One young officer tries to persuade the others that he is just crazy and needs help. Drawing on his skills as a former member of the Army Special Forces, Rambo escapes from the town jail and flees into the local mountains. During the pursuit, a deputy falls to his death from a helicopter while attempting to shoot Rambo. He had led the abuse, but was a good friend of the sheriff, and his death cements the duel between Rambo and Teasle. The sheriff tries to "hunt" Rambo down; however, Rambo is too well trained, and continuously eludes the posse. The National Guard is then called in. The Army sends Colonel Samuel Trautman ( Richard Crenna ) to help the sheriff and the National Guard unit capture Rambo. Trautman is as close to family as there is to Rambo. Despite his advice to let Rambo defuse himself, and peacefully arrest him later, Teasle refuses his help. Worried that the Army is trying to protect their "asset," and to settle a personal score, Teasle continues his hunt. Trautman informs the sheriff that he isn't trying to protect Rambo from the sheriff, but to protect the police from Rambo. The National Guard corner Rambo at a mine entrance. They fire a M72 LAW into the mine entrance, collapsing it and apparently killing Rambo. The search is then called off. Despite this, Rambo does indeed survive and finds an exit through another mine shaft. His anger is such that he now decides to attack the town. He hijacks a truck along with an M60 Machine Gun . Entering town, he proceeds to go on a destructive rampage. After incredible amounts of property damage, Rambo stalks Teasle and is at the point of killing him when Colonel Trautman tries to persuade Rambo to surrender. What results is an emotional and political monologue by Rambo: ' 'Nothing is over! NOTHING! You just don't turn it off! It wasn't my war! You asked me, I didn't ask you! And I did what I had to do to win! But somebody wouldn't let us win!''. He talks about how liberal protesters in America spat on him and decried him for doing what he had to do to win and how he was treated when he returned to the U.S. He hints at the massive inadequacy he feels after leaving military life, saying that the government once trusted him to operate multi-million dollar equipment, but as a civilian he cannot hold down a job pumping gas. Perhaps the most emotional part about his emotional collapse was when he talked about how his teammate on the Special Forces wanted to go home and drive their car. A kid came up with a shoeshine box asking to shine his shoes. Rambo went into the bar to get some beers when a bomb in the box exploded. Rambo was trying to keep him from dying and no one would help. His emotional feelings are so deep that he falls into the hands of Trautman for support. The film ends with Rambo being escorted from what's left of the town's police station in handcuffs. (The filmmakers originally intended for Rambo to commit suicide. This ending was abandoned when test audiences were strangely indifferent to his fate; if there was no great emotional involvement, it was felt that they might as well leave the door open for sequels. In the novel, Rambo is shot by Colonel Trautman). ''RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II'' The second movie, ', has Rambo released from prison by Federal order to document the possible existence of POW s in Vietnam , under the belief that he will find nothing and the government can sweep the issue under the rug. Rambo, with the assistance of a local woman Co Bao ( Julia Nickson-Soul ), does find American POWs and tries to escape with one. Marshall Murdock ( Charles Napier ), in charge of the operation, orders that Rambo be abandoned, and all documentation of POWs be destroyed. Rambo is taken into captivity, and tortured by Soviet troops. With the help of Co (who is later killed), Rambo escapes, destroys nearly the entire hostile army, and flies back to Thailand with the rescued POWs. He then threatens Murdock to find the remaining POWs, or Rambo will find him'''. This movie (and the whole Rambo trilogy) is laced with Wagnerian and Arthurian Symbolism , including a descent into the underworld, identity with a unique blade, and betrayal by one's countrymen. The red headband Rambo fashions from Co Bao's dress following her death in First Blood Part II represents the Garters worn by old chivalrous Knights . There is also a David Morrell novel of the second movie, but unlike the first book this was written after rather than before the movie. ''RAMBO III'' The third movie, '' Rambo III '', sees Rambo going to Afghanistan to rescue Colonel Trautman, who was captured while trying to document the atrocities of the occupying Russian army on the local forces, so the U.S. government would aid them. With the help of the Mujahideen , Rambo is able to rescue Trautman and eliminate the homicidal Russian commander in that region. The film is seen by many critics as politically confused in that it seems to simultanously delight in seeing the Russians suffer their own Vietnam while at the same time promoting the goodness of the American effort in Vietnam. This is also illogical since the first Rambo movie was more focused on the horrors of the Vietnam war than it was on the heroics of it. ''RAMBO IV'' There are rumors about a possible Rambo IV coming in 2006. Quote from Stallone about ''Rambo IV'': "It won't be what you think - not the same Rambo with the headband. In keeping with some sort of believability, he would be passing the torch to a younger generation of high-tech combatants. We're working on an interesting premise where Rambo is brought back from living on a ranch somewhere, and because of his skills in jungle warfare and survival, he's asked to lead a young group in a search-and-rescue mission. They can't believe this decrepit guy is a war hero, but when their technology fails, they see where Rambo excels." The major development for ''Rambo IV'' occurred in May 2005 when British-based independent media production company, Alpha1Media, published their popular and controversial treatment for the film, titled 'Rambo IV: Holy War.' {Link without Title} The company also exclusively broke the news that the film rights for Rambo had been sold by Miramax to Millennium Films. On October 28 , 2005 , CNN confirmed on their website of Stallone's plans to produce the fourth ''Rambo'' film. They explain the basic plot and production plans {Link without Title} : "Rambo IV" centers on former Vietnam vet John Rambo, who is living a reclusive life back home in the U.S. But when a girl goes missing, he is forced to abandon his quiet lifestyle and take justice into his own hands. No director is attached, and the screenplay is in the early stages. The independently produced $50 million film is set to begin shooting in the spring in Mexico and the U.S. THE ANIMATED SERIES In 1986 , the Rambo series was adaptated in a Syndicated Animated series titled ''Rambo and the Forces of Freedom''. It ran for 65 episodes. The complete series is currently in the process of being released on DVD. Four volumes in the complete release have been released so far. The cartoon series debuted in April of 1986 as a five part mini series, and was renewed in September as a daily cartoon. However, the series only lasted one season and was cancelled in December of the same year (65 episodes were made in total). Plot In the cartoon, Rambo was now part of a team called The Force of Freedom which went on missions around the world battling against the evil organization S.A.V.A.G.E., led by General Warhawk. Although the cartoon was filled with much fighting and gun fire, there was never any sensational violence, blood or gore, and rarely did anyone ever die. Rambo (who was never called by his first name, even by Trautman, who called him "John" in all the movies) used violence as a last resort and relied on quick thinking and fast moves to outwit his opponents — a character trait not consistent with the film version. Complete episode listing
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For the band, see R.A.M.B.O. :''Rambo is also the name of a village in Vindeln Municipality and a hill in Åtvidaberg Municipality .'' MUSIC The original scores for all three films were composed and conducted by Jerry Goldsmith . The music from the second film was performed by the National Philharmonic Orchestra and the music from the third by the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra . Goldsmith's main theme for Rambo was the basis for the end title song "It's A Long Road," performed by Dan Hill . The music for the first film is harsher and more dissonant than that for the sequels, as is keeping with the tone of the film. As such, it bears more of a resemblance to Goldsmith's output of the 60s and 70s than it does most of his work in the 80s. The first film's score does use electronics but is primarily orchestral while the sequel scores incorporate heavier use of electronics. The second film's score is the most popular, being that it is the most exciting. The music in the third film is an extension of the style used in the second, but with a few new themes. Both sequels feature new themes for Rambo that are based on elements found in the original "It's A Long Road" theme, which is also heard in its original form in each film as well. EXTERNAL LINKS
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