The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

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Last words matter; the bigger the legacy, the harder it is to find the right words that adequately pay homage to it. Can the fifth (and final) instalment of the Rambo series be the unforgettable last words that bid the beloved series farewell?

Rambo: Last Blood follows an older Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) who’s living peacefully in a secluded ranch, when his friend’s daughter Gabrielle (Yvette Monreal) is kidnapped and turned into a sex slave while looking for her dead-beat dad in Mexico. Now Rambo has to bring back his past and his good-old skills to save her before it is too late.

Seems familiar? That is because it is basically the plot of nearly every action movie, with different names and a couple of details here and there.

Rambo: Last Blood does not even put much effort into the cliché plot, using implausibly forced scenes and events. The most obvious of which is when Rambo, or Uncle John as Gabrielle calls him, suggests that Gabrielle have a party in the tunnels he built under his ranch, just like the ones he fought in in Vietnam. The characters all assert that Uncle John lets no one in there, but how will the audience know about the tunnels where the film’s last showdown is set to take place.

As for the action, it’s nothing more than a nasty gang kidnaps girl; bad stuff happens to girl; big strong man comes to the rescue and starts beating everyone up, and eventually getting her out of there.

Rambo: Last blood also deals with the characters living in Mexico as thieves, thugs, killers, and overall negative characters. The theme of the white ex-military man saving a woman from the barbaric “others” is very strong with this one.

For the acting, Sylvester Stallone barely shows any emotion, neither in times of joy or sadness, and even though he actually has a line that Rambo is struggling to keep a lid on his past, as far as the audience can see, that struggle is invisible. Yvette Monreal gives a stronger performance with very plausible and visible emotions, ranging from admiration, all the way to fear.

If you are looking for a glorious ending to the Rambo legacy, this probably isn’t it, so just watch the early films instead and remember the good old days.