First Blood Part II (1985)
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A war veteran is released from prison to investigate the fate of missing prisoners of war in Vietnam.
The story
Three years after the incident in Hope, Washington, former U.S. Army Green Beret John Rambo is imprisoned at a penal labor facility. He is met by Colonel Sam Trautman, who informs him that the U.S. government is under pressure regarding reports of POWs still held in Vietnam. Rambo is offered a mission to investigate these reports in exchange for a potential presidential pardon. He is instructed to document the existence of the prisoners but is strictly ordered not to rescue them. When Rambo eventually defies these orders, he is abandoned and must rely on his own combat skills to save the prisoners from the Vietnamese and Soviet forces.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After being imprisoned for his actions in the previous film, John Rambo is recruited by Colonel Sam Trautman to fly into Vietnam to document the existence of missing POWs. During the mission, Rambo's parachute fails, and he is forced to navigate the jungle with minimal equipment. He reaches a camp and, despite orders, rescues a prisoner named Banks. The mission is compromised when the U.S. government, fearing a renewed conflict, orders the rescue helicopter to abandon Rambo and Banks. Captured by the Vietnamese and Russians, Rambo is tortured but eventually escapes with the help of a local contact, Co. He engages in a guerrilla war against the occupying forces, eventually rescuing the remaining POWs and escaping via a hijacked helicopter. The film ends with Rambo refusing to return to a peaceful life, choosing instead to remain a soldier for his country.
- First release year
- 1985
- Runtime (minutes)
- 96
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- George P. Cosmatos
- Writers
- Sylvester Stallone · screenplay; James Cameron · screenplay; Kevin Jarre · story
- Cast and characters
- Sylvester Stallone · John Rambo; Richard Crenna · Colonel Sam Trautman; Charles Napier · Marshall Roger Murdock; Julia Nickson · Co; Steven Berkoff · Lieutenant Tay
- Genres
- action; adventure
- Themes
- war
- Tone and mood
- action-adventure; violent
- Premise and plot tags
- sequel; war; survival
- Source material / true-story basis
- First Blood (novel by David Morrell)
- Franchise connections
- Rambo
- Reception
- The film was a major global blockbuster and a commercial success, but it received mixed reviews from critics who felt it lost the character's depth in favor of standard action tropes.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 47 · scale: 100 · review count: 15
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Raspberry Awards · Worst Picture · win; Academy Awards · Best Sound Effects Editing · nomination
- Production trivia
- It was featured in a 1985 episode of The Golden Girls.; The film's title was originally 'First Blood Part II: The Mission' during its teaser trailer phase.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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