Rambo

In this return to the classic 80s franchise, John Rambo is living in Thailand, catching snakes and riding on his old PT boat. When he escorts a group of missionaries to Burma, they're soon nabbed by the Burmese army. Cue Rambo, a band of mercenaries, and a lot of firepower. Sadly, the opening hour is big on exposition, and packed with leaden dialogue. On top of that, all it shows is that the Burmese army aren't the nicest guys in the world. The film also isn't helped by the fact that the army's motives just aren't considered, and the mercenaries are all vague caricatures nicked from old war films. However, the sparse plot is just a placeholder for some spectacular action, most of which is saved for the entertaining finale. No punches are pulled, with exploding heads and flying body parts everywhere, and enough blood to float Rambo's PT back down the river. The grandstand finish saves the film, but it still can't match the originals. Killing may be easy for the man, but plotting seems to be a touch trickier. [Peter Simpson]