Sly is sly
I got to give Sylvester Stallone credit. I did not give either Rambo or Rocky Balboa any love when they came out over the last year. Both were written and directed by Stallone as end caps to his 1980's legacy of action assery.
First up is Rambo. I actually found it poignant that he chose Myanmar/Burma as his set piece since they just had the massive flooding there that killed thousands and yet the oppressive government did really nothing to help them, including allowing outside assistance into the country for several weeks.
The movie is about John Rambo living a spartan life in the area of the world where his was changed forever, south east Asia. He eventually aids a group of Christian relief worker by boating them into the country and then he goes back as part of a team of mercenaries to rescue them. In Rambo, Stallone plays him as a hang dog who only begrudgingly returns to violence, as if he bottles it up for his personal use alone and not to be spared on others.
The final act, a jungle battle between the military, the mercenaries and Rambo should go down as the second bloodiest, most realistic combat scene since Saving Private Ryan's twenty minute intro. It is fierce. Unlike other hollywood movies where a thousand bullets are fired with no consequence, each bullet is giving a life on this film. There is no shirking of what a box of .50 calibler ammunition will do to a person and the area around him.
In Rocky Balboa, Stallone closes the book on his most popular titular character also writting and directing this movie. The movie has a fast pace to the final act a fight with the current unlikeable heavy weight champion. Though his wife Adrian is not alive, she is definitely the soul of the movie and a character guiding Rocky through his thoughts.
Estranged from his son and running his deceased wifes resturant, Rocky decides he needs to have some personal meaning in his life and applys for boxing lisence so he can compete in local events. At the same time an ESPN computer analysis comparing old vs. new generaton boxing champions makes it possible for an exhibition fight to take place with the current belt holder.
The champ, Mason Dixon is unlikeable but not a villian. He is a cautionary tale of listening to too much of your hype. So in a way is Rocky, believing for many years the was just a 'bum'.
The final fight, staged like an HBO event is not a pompish as the earlier movie fights. Very realistic and when listening to the commentary track with Stallone, all the hits are real, giving great behind the scenes on how the fight was staged.
Highly recommend both DVD's
First up is Rambo. I actually found it poignant that he chose Myanmar/Burma as his set piece since they just had the massive flooding there that killed thousands and yet the oppressive government did really nothing to help them, including allowing outside assistance into the country for several weeks.
The movie is about John Rambo living a spartan life in the area of the world where his was changed forever, south east Asia. He eventually aids a group of Christian relief worker by boating them into the country and then he goes back as part of a team of mercenaries to rescue them. In Rambo, Stallone plays him as a hang dog who only begrudgingly returns to violence, as if he bottles it up for his personal use alone and not to be spared on others.
The final act, a jungle battle between the military, the mercenaries and Rambo should go down as the second bloodiest, most realistic combat scene since Saving Private Ryan's twenty minute intro. It is fierce. Unlike other hollywood movies where a thousand bullets are fired with no consequence, each bullet is giving a life on this film. There is no shirking of what a box of .50 calibler ammunition will do to a person and the area around him.
In Rocky Balboa, Stallone closes the book on his most popular titular character also writting and directing this movie. The movie has a fast pace to the final act a fight with the current unlikeable heavy weight champion. Though his wife Adrian is not alive, she is definitely the soul of the movie and a character guiding Rocky through his thoughts.
Estranged from his son and running his deceased wifes resturant, Rocky decides he needs to have some personal meaning in his life and applys for boxing lisence so he can compete in local events. At the same time an ESPN computer analysis comparing old vs. new generaton boxing champions makes it possible for an exhibition fight to take place with the current belt holder.
The champ, Mason Dixon is unlikeable but not a villian. He is a cautionary tale of listening to too much of your hype. So in a way is Rocky, believing for many years the was just a 'bum'.
The final fight, staged like an HBO event is not a pompish as the earlier movie fights. Very realistic and when listening to the commentary track with Stallone, all the hits are real, giving great behind the scenes on how the fight was staged.
Highly recommend both DVD's
posted by Comm's @ 9:40 AM
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