Rambo: Last Blood

Over four films, John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) established himself as an unstoppable killer. Like many soldiers returning from Vietnam and suffering PTSD, Rambo never adjusted to civilian life, becoming jaded and bitter. This fifth installment begins with seemingly contented Rambo spending his twilight years on his secluded Arizona ranch with middle-aged matriarchal Maria (Adriana Barraza) and her teenage granddaughter Gabrielle (Yvette Monreal). When Gabrielle travels to Mexico to find the biological father who abandoned her many years earlier, she is kidnapped by a sex-trafficking ring led by brothers Hugo (Sergio Peris-Mencheta) and Victor (Óscar Jaenada). All of Rambo’s repressed rage resurfaces and he takes off to find Gabrielle, only to suffer a savage beating. Afterward, he’s nursed back to health by a Mexican journalist (Paz Vega), whose sister was kidnapped and murdered by the same brothers. Unable to fight on their territory, Rambo lures the cartel thugs back to his heavily fortified, booby-trapped compound, after making sure that Maria and his horses are safely hidden away. Predictably bloody, violent carnage—including impalements, decapitation, and incineration—ensues during the revenge/siege. Director Adrian Grunberg makes sure that when Rambo threatens to cut a man’s heart out he does exactly that. A mess of a film—one can only hope that the “last” in the title is serious—this is not recommended. (S. Granger)