John Rambo

  RAMBO 

'To win war, you've gotta become war....' - John Rambo, First Blood: Part II

Created by David Morell in 1972, with his first appearance in First Blood, John Rambo became just one of the most regarded characters of the Eighties, thanks to Sylvester Stallone and his portrayal of the Vietnam-War veteran, who was subjectgated to abuse from the police after wandering into a small town and then decided to escape and cause a one man war. It was so successful, two sequels followed. 1985's Rambo: First Blood PtII, following Rambo's mission back into Vietnam to take photo's of a group of American POW's still being held, and again in 1988's Rambo III. This time, helping Afgan rebels fight against a Russian General, and to help get his friend Colonel Trutman, who was captured by the same Russians. I personally enjoyed all three (even though the third one bombed, but I thought it was very enjoyable), so when they announced RAMBO, to say I was excited is an understatement. And then when I saw it, it brought back memories of the Eighties and reminded me how much I miss Eighties action movies. They certainly don't make 'em like this anymore (well, until The Expendables came out, of course!)

You seem to have a something stuck in your throat

Rambo is living in Thailand, capturing snakes for the local snake show, when he is asked to transport a group of missionaries up the river, to war-torn Burma, where the civil war has been raging for 60 years, the longest civil war the world has known. When the missionaries get captured 'behind enemy lines' (so to speak), Rambo leads a rag-tag group of mercenaries to go on  rescue mission to get them back. 

The film marks a return to Stallone's famous character (after Rocky Balboa) after a hiatus of Twenty years, with him co-writing the film and directing it, and has been hailed as his 'comeback' movie. First off, the film is violent. Very violent. There is lots of claret on the screen, with people being blown up, heads being shot at, nothing is left intact. It shows intense scenes of what might be going on, with small villages being raided for recruits, normally kids from the ages of 12, to people being shot in the head, and being stabbed with rifle-mounted knives. It leaves nothing to the imagination. But, through all the violence, is a really good, well written story that, even though it has been told before in a different form, is so realistic, that it is a radical departure from the last Rambo movie (where he had a limitless supply of ammo, and loads of one-liners. A sure-sign of an Eighties movie if ever I saw one!). It also shows, that Stallone is a very capable director, that can deliver a finely crafted movie and doesn't cut any corners. There is not one scene I can see that the actors delivers an off performance, and there's no let-up in the intensity of any scene. The music is also great, giving the film an atmosphere that is sometimes lacking in modern-day movies (only some, mind). Even Coming Home from First Blood is used at the start, which is a nice nod to the original.

When I say cut, I mean CUT!

The Expendables 2 Latest News

Jean-Claude Van Damme will join ‘The Expendables 2′ so long as Steven Seagal isn’t involved. Who would you cast in Sylvester Stallone’s 80s throwback sequel?

What’s cooler than a bunch of 80s action stars coming together to kick some butt for Sylvester Stallone? More 80s action stars!

When The Expendables was coming together, every fan of action movies in the world was fantasy casting the lead roles, throwing out names like Jean-Claude Van Damme, Chuck Norris and Steven Seagal, names unfortunately that didn’t make it into the feature film despite Stallone offering the chance.Come the success of the film and word of a The Expendables 2, and now everyone wants in, including JCVD.

While Stallone rolls around ideas in his head, he has made it well-known that he wants to bring in some more action stars for The Expendables 2 and that Bruce Willis will have a larger role as the sequel’s like villain. According to Willis, Stallone is “going for all the marbles this time, and [is] going to get everybody in ['The Expendables 2'].”
That first new addition may just be JCVD, aka “The Muscles from Brussels.” Van Damme was offered a role in the first The Expendables but turned down the opportunity because Stallone didn’t have a fleshed out character to offer him at the time. Instead, Van Damme went on to make another Universal Soldier, straight-to-DVD. Weird.
MovieWeb picked up on the forums of The Van Damme Files where director Sheldon Lettich (The Order, Double Impact) participates. Lettich wrote several of Van Damme’s earlier films, even directing a few, and he’s currently seeking to make Double Impact 2. According to him, Jean-Claude Van Damme is up for joining the cast of The Expendables 2:

“JC seems to be leaning towards appearing in the sequel, as far as I know. If Steven Seagal is not in the sequel, from what I’ve heard it won’t be because of Sly but because of producer Avi Lerner, who had a few bad experiences with Steven.”

I’d choose JCVD over Seagal personally, but it’s a shame they both might not be able to join. Either way, we’ll be hearing casting confirmations soon. Van Damme would be joining a large cast including all of the characters of The Expendables along with larger roles for Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis and new characters  possibly played by Ryan Seacrest and more to come (hopefully Kurt Russell!).
For those wondering, the Seacrest casting came from Stallone tweeting about what great physical shape Ryan is in and that he’d do some damage in a fight in The Expendables 2. Later, Seacrest revealed that he was asked to play some sort of computer geek. If Lundgren has his way, Seacrest wouldn’t be doing heavy lifting but would be playing some CIA guy instead. Nothing’s official yet.
Should Van Damme climb onboard officially, should he play a villain? A new member of Stallone’s elite? Or, a member of another team like Schwarzenegger’s?

The Italian Stallion - Sylvester Stallone

Sylvester Stallone Mini Biography 

Sylvester Stallone became one of Hollywood's highest paid actors, usually playing monosyllablic, antisociety, underdog heroes. While Stallone has attempted to extend his range into film comedies and drama, his real box office success continues in action films.

This athletically built, dark-haired U.S. actor/screenwriter/director of European parentage may never be mentioned by old-school film critics in the same breath as, say, Richard Burton or Alec Guinness; however, movie fans worldwide have been flocking to see Stallone's films for over 30 years, making "Sly" one of Hollywood's biggest-ever box office draws.

Born on July 6, 1946, in New York's gritty Hells Kitchen, the young Stallone attended the American College of Switzerland and the University of Miami, eventually obtaining a B.A. degree. Initially, he struggled in small parts in films such as the soft-core The Party at Kitty and Stud's (1970), the thriller Klute (1971) and the comedy Bananas (1971). He got a crucial career break alongside fellow young actor Henry Winkler, sharing lead billing in the effectively written teen gang film The Lord's of Flatbush (1974). Further film and TV roles followed, most of them in uninspiring productions except for the opportunity to play a megalomaniac, bloodthirsty race driver named "Machine Gun Joe Viterbo" in the Roger Corman-produced Death Race 2000 (1975). However, Stallone was also keen to be recognized as a screenwriter, not just an actor, and, inspired by the 1975 Muhammad Ali-Chuck Wepner fight in Cleveland, Stallone wrote a film script about a nobody fighter given the "million to one opportunity" to challenge for the heavyweight title. Rocky (1976) became the stuff of cinematic legends, scoring ten Academy Award nominations, winning the Best Picture Award of 1976 and triggering one of the most financially successful movie franchises in history! Whilst full credit is wholly deserved by Stallone, he was duly supported by tremendous acting from fellow cast members Talia Shire, Burgess Meredith and Burt Young, and director John G. Avildsen gave the film an emotive, earthy appeal from start to finish. Stallone had truly arrived on his terms, and offers poured in from various studios eager to secure Hollywood's hottest new star.