Colonel Trautman Takes On RAMBO (The Sequel He Didn't Want To See), And Rambo Wins!!

Merrick here...
Colonel Trautman sent in this look at RAMBO. He viewed an unfinished version of the film, but says...at this point...the uber-violence we saw in the original trailer is still in-tact. This is fantastically cool news - I'd hate to see 'em whimp out, because we need a film with balls right about now. AND, in answer to many (MANY) e-mails we've received about this matter, Trautman says we DO hear Jerry Goldsmith's original themes in the movie. There are MODERATE SPOILERS AHEAD - fairly broad & not too revealing. But, be warned...
Here's Trautman...

Hey Harry, Colonel Trautman on a film mission that I feel compelled to share. Please keep my identity secret as I actually stumbled across a screening of...ssshhh...JOHN RAMBO. And I come to praise Sylvester Stallone not bury him. As for my street cred, I was a big fan of FIRST BLOOD especially Brian Dennehy, and thought the next two Rambo films were jingoistic action comedies. 'Nuff said about them. I thought it cool when Sly came to AICN to interact with his fans and he was honest about his experience. I will be too. However, the version that I saw still needs post-production work, so this is by no means the final version. Still, I wouldn't have sent a review unless I thought JOHN RAMBO was worth seeing. I think it is. While I wasn't overjoyed at the prospect of another Rambo adventure to cartoonishly right Vietnam era wrongs, I have to say that timing favors Stallone this time around. The Burmese government is one of the world's most corrupt and barbarous regimes. I advise all to use the web and research for yourself the facts. Don't expect a history lesson from John Rambo. But the film opens with a montage highlighting the Burma government and their brutality, including shots of the recent violence against the monks. No matter your poilitcal bent, your blood will boil. The narrative is relatively simple, basically the story of outcast ex-pat John Rambo taking a team of missionairies up the river into the heart of the dangerous Burmese region. The dialogue for the conflict between the silent bitter Rambo and the idealistic pacifists goes as expected. Fortunately, Stallone plays Rambo perfectly, fitting back into the role like an old friend, and I liked him at his first line: "Fuck off, okay?" Sly keeps his dialogue to a minimum through the film but his expressions say everything. After all these years, he's still charismatic. So what I'm saying is that Stallone is terrific in this. To cut a long story short, the missionaries are captured by the wicked Burmese colonel, who sadly has no character to develop outside of representing pure evil repression. Stallone has shot the atrocities with a naturalistic 1970's verite style that's highly effective. He's clearly building up the audience anger, and however manipulative, it works. Stallone is thus entreated to rescue the missionairies with the help of a team of mercenaries, who provide a neat counterpoint to Rambo. It was also a smart idea to add another group to give the battles more realism and tension. I liked the Australian merc leader, a bad-ass who loves getting into Rambo's face to taunt him. It's cool the way Stallone keeps Rambo taut, ready to explode but never knowing when... Eventually the mercs make it to the compound holding the missionairies along with other women, who are brutalized during the film's most uncomfortable moments. It's almost too much. The tension as Rambo leads the mercs through the compound is extreme and it's this slow build up that leads to the cathartic rush of the final battle, which is what amps up the film to must-see status. Remember that first trailer that showcased incredible gore? Well, it's all here at this stage and it must not be cut. Because Stallone has directed an exciting and kinetic action set piece worthy of the masters. I defy audiences to not cheer when John Rambo goes into full-on RAMBO MODE. Heads explode, skeletal bodies fly, and bodies literally disappear in a red mist as Rambo takes out the Burmese soldiers with the capable help of the mercs. It must be said that Stallone looks spectacular for his age; you never doubt that this man can still chew bubble gum and kick ass. We should all look so buff post 60. What I liked best about the battle, over the top as it may be, is that it avoids the ADD frame-fucking "what the hell was that" of today's uninspired action scenes. Each shot here has a start and resolution. Props to the editors and to Stallone for actually choreographing the battle. And while the gore is no doubt extreme, it suits the vengeful nature of the story. Truncating the violence here would be as deadly as removing the gore from Romero's DAWN OF THE DEAD. Must. Not. Cut. I won't reveal much more suffice to say that Rambo ends up exactly where he should in a very satisfying ending. Even better, Stallone has avoided giving himself a speech to declare what we already know. There's more work to be done so who knows how much the film will change by the time it comes out. I can say that JOHN RAMBO is easily Stallone's best directed film and he pulled off a sequel I didn't even want to see. It's darker than the previous two but much better in its execution. I do hope he uses this movie to bow out of the genre and maybe get that Edgar Allen Poe script into production... Oh, and yes, you do hear the Jerry Goldsmith theme. Uh-oh, somebody's coming. Remember, you didn't see me. I don't even exist... This is Colonel Trautman, over and out.