Rambo: First Blood Part II

"No man, no law, no war can stop him."

1985 1h 36m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

🥫

33%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.5

IMDB

★6.7TMDB · 4,504🥫33%Rotten Tomatoes●47Metacritic★6.5IMDB · 194,761

ActionAdventureThrillerWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

John Rambo is released from prison by the government for a top-secret covert mission to the last place on Earth he'd want to return - the jungles of Vietnam.

“No man, no law, no war can stop him.”

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Cast

Sylvester Stallone
John J. Rambo
Richard Crenna
Col. Samuel Trautman
Charles Napier
Marshall Murdock
Steven Berkoff
Lt. Col. Podovsky
Julia Nickson
Co Bao
Martin Kove
Ericson
George Cheung
Capt Vinh
Andy Wood
Banks

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: George P. Cosmatos
Writers: James Cameron, Sylvester Stallone, Kevin Jarre
Languages: English, Vietnamese
Countries: United States of America, Mexico, Netherlands Antilles

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 6.8× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

41 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Vietnamese.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: United States of America, Mexico, Netherlands Antilles.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Rambo Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by George P. Cosmatos, shot by Jack Cardiff. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Original score by Jerry Goldsmith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Larry Bock shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

George P. Cosmatos directs. Jack Cardiff behind the camera. Jerry Goldsmith scores. Larry Bock cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America, Mexico, Netherlands Antilles. Dialogue in English, Vietnamese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 6.8× over at the box office.
241 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Vietnamese.
4International production across 3 countries: United States of America, Mexico, Netherlands Antilles.
5Part of the "Rambo Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
6Directed by George P. Cosmatos, shot by Jack Cardiff. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Jerry Goldsmith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Larry Bock shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Sylvester Stallone and Richard Crenna and Charles Napier carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "No man, no law, no war can stop him.".
11IMDB entry: tt0089880 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 27 themes, including "vietnam war", "vietnam veteran", "vietnam", "helicopter".
13Released under 19 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Jack Cardiff
Original score: Jerry Goldsmith
Editing: Larry Bock
Production design: Bill Kenney
Costume design: Tom Bronson
Makeup / hair: Kay Cole
Sound: Rick Kline
Stunt coordinator: Diamond Farnsworth
Runtime: 96 min · 1h 36m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $44,000,000
Box office: $300,400,432
Return: 683% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)
Rotten Tomatoes: 33% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 47/100
IMDB rating: 6.5/10 · 194,761 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

Nominated for 1 Oscar. 5 wins & 7 nominations total

Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Picture
Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screenplay
Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Original Song
Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Part of

Rambo Collection

A series of action films that follows John Rambo, a US Army veteran, who is traumatized by his experience in the Vietnam War, and uses the skills he gained there to fight corrupt police officers, enemy troops and drug cartels.

Also by

George P. Cosmatos

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Social Justice Sally2017-04-05
★ 6/10
The two problems I have with this highly intelligent experience is that John Hambone keeps leading the enemy soldiers in pursuit through populated areas. He is putting innocent Vietnamese villagers at risk from gunfire. Why did he not consider the safety of the innocent villagers? He also killed a chicken. What gave him the right to slaughter the chicken? Other than these minor gripes - this highly intelligent film will please most intellectual viewers seeking something more than a basic, gung ho action film.
John Chard2020-01-26
★ 7/10
Not Expendable! Rambo: First Blood Part II is directed by George Pan Cosmatos and collectively written by David Morrell, Kevin Jarre (characters), Sylvester Stallone and James Cameron. It stars Stallone, Richard Crenna, Charles Napier, Steven Berkoff, Julia Nickson and Martin Kove. Music is by Jerry Goldsmith and cinematography by Jack Cardiff. The sequel to 1982's First Blood, this finds Vietnam Veteran John Rambo released from prison on proviso he undertakes a special mission back into Vietnam to find proof of American POWs still being illegally held captive there... OK! It's all very implausible and cartoon like, and of course now it's very un-PC, pulsing with stereotypes and indicative of the Reagan era 1980s. It also lacks the character depth of the first film, reducing Rambo, the scarred and bitter war veteran at the iconic core of the franchise, to merely being a robotic killing machine. However, it's an action fan's dream, where even as the flag waving patriotic fervour hangs heavy, it's an explosive pic that thrills and excites from first frame till last. 7.5/10
Wuchak2020-04-27
★ 6/10
Comic book action flick about Rambo going back to Vietnam The imprisoned Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) is offered a mission by Col. Trautman (Richard Crenna) to go back to his old stomping grounds in ’Nam to see if there are any living American POWs. Charles Napier, Martin Kove, Julia Nickson and Steven Berkoff are included in the peripheral cast. “Rambo: First Blood Part II” (1985) contains what you would want from a Rambo flick: A muscular protagonist, a one-man-army scenario, a noble cause and loads of action, particular of the jungle warfare variety. It also has a quality cast, fabulous locations and a moving score. Unfortunately it’s marred by a glaring comic book vibe that spurs chuckles throughout, which is disappointing for fans of the outstanding first film. However, if you can acclimate, “Rambo II” can be enjoyed as a serious adventure, albeit thoroughly comic booky. It’s entertaining for what it is, but it’s my least favorite of the franchise. The next movie (1988) is more-of-the-same, albeit set in Afghanistan. The film runs 1 hour, 36 minutes, and was shot in Mexico (Guerrero, Sierra Madre del Sur de Chiapas & Sierra Madre del Sur de Oaxaca). GRADE: B-/C+