Is anyone else wondering when it’s going to end? Has Sylvester Stallone finally reached a point in his career where he can’t think of anything new that he could do? That really appears to be the case when thinking about another Rambo movie, especially given the fact that he stated that this most recent entry to the famed soldier’s life would be the last. Not only that, but Rambo took two nasty hits to the body during the last movie, making a lot of people wonder if he was about to bleed out by the time the credits started to roll. One might think that this would be a fitting end for the tortured soldier and that he would simply call it good. But what else is there? Who’s left to fight? Is the government going to come calling and ask Rambo to take care of a problem that only he can handle? That doesn’t sound likely with all the younger action stars there are out there, nor does it sound feasible since the guy is too old at this point to really keep believing that his body would allow him to continue on this course, especially since he’s been taking on damage as the years go by and the fact remains that a person doesn’t get stronger and quicker as they age, quite the opposite in fact. But the legend of Rambo is enough to keep many people believing that he could possibly keep coming back until someone or something finally kills him.
One glaring point to all this is that Stallone isn’t keeping his word when he stated that Last Blood was going to be the final movie. Either he was keeping his fingers crossed or he didn’t mean it in the first place. Of course, there’s always the idea that the lackluster return the movie received prompted him to say ‘let’s do it again’ in order to get the sendoff that he’s been wanting. At this point, trying to retire some of his characters is a better idea than keeping them going since people, even dedicated fans, are starting to ask when it’s going to be enough and when the actor will finally decide to try something that doesn’t involve bringing back a character that people love but would rather see finally put to rest in some way. Hasn’t Rambo earned a bit of peace in his life finally? The need to keep fighting is something that will be the end of him at some point, and it did look as though it might be that way in Last Blood since he took one round through the stomach and another higher up on his torso that looked exceedingly painful and that might continue to bleed if left unattended. On top of that, he blew up the majority of his home, which could have huge implications for another movie.
This is where I get to be a little more judicious and say that I don’t care much about the graphic violence since Rambo has never been known as a gentle or pacifistic character. He was hardened in war and he’s the type of character whose savagery lies just beneath the surface, calm as it might appear. Rambo: Last Blood should definitely be the last movie since there’s no way to determine if he survived or not, and if he did, then he’s too far gone to really go back to a peaceful life. If he didn’t, then let him rest and call it good. Rambo has done his bit when it comes to entertainment and much like Rocky Balboa, he’s earned a respite from the constant fighting and struggling. The big hope is that Stallone might see this before he lets his own hype build up so much that there’s no coming back from it. Another Rambo film would need a script so perfect that it would bring tears to the eyes of those that read it and cause audiences to clap in wide-eyed wonder as Rambo finally succumbed to the world that he’d tried to run away from for so long. There’s only way for Rambo to go out now, and it’s fighting to the last. The only problem is that he doesn’t have another war to fight, as there’s no reason for him to take off after anyone else since he killed all those that he had an issue with in the last movie.
At this point, Rambo is kind of like a faulty missile that won’t fire. He still has a great potential for destruction, but it might be necessary to just cut him loose and launch him at the nearest enemy in the hopes that he’ll do as much damage as he can before he’s finally through. Hopefully, Stallone will either let it go or take Rambo on one last ride to glory that will feature a definitive end.
