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Rambo III

Generally unfavorable reviews
Based on 15 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 6 votes
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Movie Info
Genre(s): Action | War
Written by:
David Morrell (characters)
Sylvester Stallone
Sheldon Lettich
Directed by: Peter MacDonald
Release Date:
Theatrical: May 25, 1988
DVD: November 23, 2004
Running Time: 101 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: R for profanity and graphic violence
Starring Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Marc de Jonge, Kurtwood Smith, Spiros Focás, and Sasson Gabai
Just when John Rambo thinks he can finally rest, he finds himself on one last mission to Soviet occupied Afghanistan to save his friend Clononel Trautman.
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Chicago Tribune Johanna Steinmetz
This is a comic book movie, its outcome as predictable as it is satisfying, which is part of its charm. [25 May 1988, p.7]
Variety Staff (Not Credited)
The battle scenes in Rambo III are explosive, conflagratory tableaux that make for wrenching, frequently terrifying viewing. Always at ground zero in the chaos is Rambo - gloriously, inhumanly impervious to fear and danger - whose character is inhabited by Stallone with messianic intensity.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Janet Maslin
Rambo's self-important, weight-of-the-world manner and his taste for political posturing would make him genuinely silly were they not counterbalanced by Mr. Stallone's startling, energetic physical presence and the film's stabs at self-mocking humor.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle
Despite its faults Rambo III has an undeniable momentum and, judged on its own terms, a certain comic-book appeal. [26 May 1988, p.E1]
Chicago Sun-Times Lon Grahnke
Director Peter MacDonald keeps the action exploding across the screen, building to a climactic game of "chicken" between Rambo in a Russian tank and the Soviet commander in a helicopter. Gung-ho Rambo fans won't be disappointed. [25 May 1988, p.43]
Empire Kim Newman
Strays slightly from the formula and therefore loses some of its mindless fun credentials.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Staff (Not Credited)
Though less offensive than its predecessor, Rambo III -- which is dedicated to "the gallant people of Afghanistan" -- is still a mindless and uninspired effort.
Read Full Review >The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen
Rambo's return is thick with usual thrills. [26 May 1988, p.C1]
USA Today Mike Clark
Rambo III is hardly the first Stallone-y baloney to climax with a commie wipeout; it is the first to palm off its star as the product of a Buddhist monastery. Like, whew. Rambo in a monastery is almost as stomach-turning as E.T. in a brothel. [25 May 1988, p.1D]
Time Richard Schickel
There are, of course, low cunning, high explosives and much running around without a shirt, punctuated with other familiar gambits: torture scenes; the self-cauterization of, and instant recovery from, a wound large enough to stop an elephant; and a grimly preposterous two-man stand against a tank-led army. What few are likely to find amusing is Rambo III's story line. [30 May 1988, p.64]
Los Angeles Times Michael Wilmington
Admirers of Rambo III will probably point out that it moves fast. But then, so does a gazelle-and a gazelle has better dialogue and more personality. [25 May 1988, p.1]
Washington Post Desson Howe
Once again, John Rambo guns amok in the name of American democracy, but he packs less dramatic firepower than last time. Rambo III, a poorly paced, much less involving show of guns and machismo, makes you miss "Rambo II" (okay, "Rambo: First Blood Part II").
Read Full Review >Washington Post Hal Hinson
As you might expect, the calculations here are on a much less sophisticated level. And by less sophisticated, I mean like counting on fingers.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe Jim Sullivan
Rambo III is just another of Stallone's exercises in narcissism and jingoism, death and glory wrapped up in one tidy package. [25 May 1988, p.75]
Wall Street Journal Julie Salamon
This time Rambo pulls off his superhuman Soviet-blasting stunts in Afghanistan, not quite as late on the scene as he was in Vietnam. Not very exciting; very noisy. [2 Jun 1988, p.1]
What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 5.8 (out of 10) based on 6 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
