Rambo: First Blood Part II 1985

As the dust settles on the tumultuous events of ‘First Blood’, John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) finds himself confined within a labor camp prison in the United States, a stark contrast to his former life as a freedom fighter. The arrival of Colonel Sam Trautman (Richard Crenna), Rambo’s erstwhile commander, marks the beginning of a new chapter in his turbulent journey. With promises of full clemency and freedom, Trautman presents Rambo with an impossible choice: infiltrate the treacherous terrain of Vietnam to search for any remaining American POWs, rumored to be held captive by the Vietnamese.

Rambo embarks on a perilous journey alongside Trautman, eventually meeting Marshal Murdock (Charles Napier), a stalwart bureaucrat who underscores the urgency of the mission. With Rambo’s reluctance palpable, he is briefed that his sole objective is to photograph the POWs, rather than attempt their rescue or engage with hostile forces in an environment fraught with tension between the United States and Vietnam. Despite his reservations, Rambo reluctantly agrees to participate in the operation, only to be informed that a government agent will await him in the heart of the Vietnamese jungle.

Upon parachuting into the unforgiving landscape, Rambo’s equipment is ravaged by the unforgiving terrain, leaving him with little more than his wits, knives, and archery skills. It is here that he encounters Co-Bao (Julia Nickson), a plucky local girl with her sights set on reaching America. As fate would have it, she and Rambo find themselves embarking on an upstream journey with a ragtag group of river pirates.

As they arrive at the pirate camp, Rambo’s initial skepticism is replaced by a sense of unease when he discovers a handful of American prisoners amidst the makeshift encampment. His instinct to rescue one of them from a gruesome crucifixion proves irrepressible, marking a departure from his original orders. Later, the discovery of a deceased sentry, dispatched with calculated precision using Rambo’s trusty throwing knife, sparks a massive Vietnamese patrol to sweep the jungle in search of the elusive intruder.

In the ensuing chaos, Co-Bao and the American POW manage to escape alongside Rambo, but their bid for freedom is short-lived as they are ambushed by a Vietnamese gunboat. In a stunning betrayal, the pirates, driven by fear of retribution, abandon their would-be allies. Undeterred, Rambo dispatches Co-Bao and the POW to safety before unleashing a devastating RPG attack on the gunboat, ridding the jungle of its scourge and eliminating the treacherous pirates once and for all.

As Rambo frantically radios for extraction, he’s met with a resounding silence by Murdock, who’s more concerned about the repercussions of exposing their covert operation than Rambo’s desperate plea for help. The implications are dire: if the American public discovers that POWs and MIAs thought to be MIA or dead are still being held in Vietnam, it could have far-reaching consequences for Murdock and his party.

Instead, Rambo finds himself recaptured and subjected to a humiliating ordeal. His wrists are bound to an oxen yoke, and he’s lowered naked into a chest-deep cesspool teeming with leeches, a gruesome fate worse than death itself. The Soviet Army’s involvement in Vietnam is revealed, as Rambo is brutalized by the sadistic Lt. Col. Podovsky (Steven Berkoff) and his hulking henchman Sergeant Yushin. Under torture, Rambo is coerced into broadcasting a message to the American military, warning them not to send any more commandos for rescue operations in Vietnam.

Meanwhile, Co infiltrates the camp, posing as a prostitute, and makes her way to Rambo’s hut. Though initially resistant, Rambo eventually agrees to Podovsky’s demands but secretly seizes the opportunity to exact revenge on Murdock, threatening him over the radio that he’s “coming for you.” With Co’s help, Rambo escapes into the nearby jungle, where she tends to his wounds and implores him to take her to the United States. As they share a passionate kiss, tragedy strikes when they’re ambushed by Vietnamese soldiers, leaving Co fatally wounded. Rambo exacts brutal revenge on their attackers, sparing only their commander, who’s later killed by one of Rambo’s exploding arrows.

As the camp’s Soviet and Vietnamese forces converge to hunt down Rambo, he prepares for a guerrilla war, assembling his arsenal of weapons and employing unconventional tactics to take out a sizeable number of enemy troops. He then targets a small enemy camp, destroying it and several vehicles with his signature explosive arrows. Hijacking a UH-1N Twin Huey helicopter from the Soviets after killing Sergeant Yushin, Rambo sets his sights on the POW camp, where he exacts a bloody revenge. With the helicopter’s mounted M-60 machine gun at his disposal, he mows down remaining Vietnamese soldiers, liberates all the POWs, and leads them back to the American camp in Thailand.

As Lt. Col. Podovsky relentlessly pursues them in his formidable Mil Mi-24 helicopter gunship, Rambo’s aerial craft is left severely battered and bruised. Despite this, he miraculously manages to bring his helicopter to a precarious landing on the riverbank, subsequently orchestrating a masterful ruse to feign his own demise. With Podovsky growing complacent in his proximity to what he believes is the lifeless body of his adversary, Rambo seizes the opportunity to unleash a devastating LAW 66mm rocket, sending Podovsky’s chopper crashing into oblivion.

With his nemesis neutralized, Rambo makes his way back to the base, where he unleashes a fierce and unrelenting assault on Murdock’s command center. Brandishing a knife, he issues a stark ultimatum to Murdock: find and rescue the remaining American POWs in Vietnam, or face his wrath. The scene is then interrupted by Trautman’s calm and reassuring presence, as he endeavours to soothe Rambo’s turbulent emotions. However, an enraged Rambo responds with a poignant plea, asserting that he only wants his country to reciprocate the same unwavering devotion its soldiers have for it.

As Rambo departs, leaving chaos in his wake, Trautman poses one final, thought-provoking query: “How will you live, John?” To which Rambo offers a hauntingly simple yet profound response: “Day by day.” As the credits roll, Rambo disappears into the horizon, while his mentor watches on with a mix of concern and understanding, the fate of their tumultuous journey left uncertain.