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RAMBO: LAST BLOOD **
Dir: Adrian Grunberg (18, 100 mins)
As with Rocky, Sylvester Stallone’s other pop culture creation shows no sign of flagging despite its star being 73, in this supposed final mission for the Vietnam vet. Way back in 1982, First Blood had something to say about war veterans and the toll of violence and inhumanity on them. This was soon dispelled with the excesses of First Blood Part II’s right-wing Vietnam-winning fantasy, and Rambo III, where Sly destroyed the Russians in Afghanistan. The lunkheaded, gore-fuelled reboot in 2008, which had Rambo helping Christian aid workers in Burma by mostly ripping out throats and cutting people in half with heavy artillery, should have gone straight to DVD. Thus, expectations for a final outing with the supposedly violence-hating but always very violent Rambo are low. Having “lived in a world of death”, John Rambo now has a ranch, but is soon battling Mexican drug cartels after a young girl is kidnapped – like in a 90s Steven Seagal film. Vengeance must be taken with a variety of homegrown weapons and boobytraps, grizzled stoicism and an avowedly rightist agenda with a bit of PTSD thrown in for good measure. A conflicted, tortured Rambo coming full circle? Nah, just more of the same wince-inducing mayhem. Hope Donald Trump doesn’t watch it and do a Reagan.
Opens Sept 20