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Rambo: First Blood Part II poster

Rambo: First Blood Part II

year 1985decade 80sdirector George P. Cosmatosgenre Adventure

93 minutes

Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Richard Crenna Trautman
Charles Napier Murdock
Steven Berkoff Podovsky
Martin Kove Ericson
Andy Wood Banks
Vojo Goric Yushin
Dana Lee Kinh
Baoan Coleman Gunboat captain
Don Collins P.O.W. #1
Christopher Grant P.O.W. #2
John Sterlini P.O.W. #3
Alain Hocquenghem P.O.W. #4
William Rothlein P.O.W. #5
Tony Munafo Prison guard
Tom Gehrke Russian pilot

Rambo: First Blood Part II | The Rewatchables

host Bill Simmonshost Kyle Brandt
Explore episodeClose episode

Producer credits not yet identified.

Just One Oscar

Special effects

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:31:37Read transcript
  • Just One Oscar moves from a joking Frank Stallone suggestion to special effects, referencing the nomination.
  • The earlier nomination discussion specifies sound effects editing; the final Oscar answer is phrased only as special effects.

Roger Ebert's review

Rating not yet verified
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 00:32:05Read transcript
  • The hosts report Ebert gave a television thumbs-up, praised the pacing and lack of political bias, and enjoyed the movie despite logical flaws. No numerical star rating is stated.

Todd Parker Award for Best Character Entrance

Rambo breaking rocks in the prison camp

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:32:51Read transcript
  • Rambo breaking rocks is explicitly named the Todd Parker Best Character Entrance; the premise is established in under four minutes.
  • The opening explosion and quick transition to credits are enjoyed, as are the dialogue about winning this time and Rambo’s immaculate hair.

Most Rewatchable Scene

The revenge montage, especially the mud-wall reveal

In the discussion (14)
Approx. transcript time · 00:32:51Read transcript
  • The rock-breaking prison opening establishes the mission quickly, delivers an immediate explosion and ends with the question about getting to win this time; Rambo’s immaculate hair is enjoyed.
  • The airplane jump mishap is enjoyed for forcing Rambo to cut away his equipment and for the reaction shots, while the failure to deploy an elite soldier properly is mocked.
  • The meeting with Murdock and Erickson is added to the rewatchable-scene candidates.
  • The boat conversation with Co is enjoyed as awkward romantic comedy: becoming war, being expendable, the lucky knife and his interest in her necklace.
  • The boat ambush and escape are enjoyed, especially Co greeting Rambo and telling him he is not expendable; the hosts connect the wording jokingly to The Expendables.
  • The aborted helicopter rescue and ensuing Trautman–Murdock confrontation are praised. A proposal to strand an injured Trautman with Rambo is rejected because his return confrontation is needed.
  • The electrical torture and radio threat to Murdock are praised, including the perfectly timed lightning. The captors are faulted for leaving Rambo unrestrained and insufficiently guarded.
  • The kiss before Co’s death provokes jokes about Rambo’s hygiene after captivity; Schwarzenegger’s resistance to romance scenes in Predator and Commando is contrasted with Stallone’s embrace of them.
  • The revenge montage is praised first for the mud-wall reveal, then its peak is revised to the exploding-arrow kill. The soldier repeatedly missing is compared to Charles Smith failing to score against Chicago and to the UHF parody.
  • The slow-motion escape, emergence from beneath the helicopter, helicopter attack and gratuitous Stallone screams are celebrated. The hosts imitate the distinctive Stallone and Schwarzenegger vocalizations.
  • Rambo destroying Murdock’s office and firing into the air is singled out as the best five seconds; he ultimately places the knife beside Murdock instead of killing him.
  • The closing patriotic exchange with Trautman and Frank Stallone’s Peace in Our Life are mocked, with the song characterized as a weak Springsteen imitation.
  • A rewatch with a son produced similar objections to the melancholy closing songs of both First Blood films; Rambo walking off to nowhere is mocked.
  • The murder montage, particularly the mud-wall reveal, is the final Most Rewatchable Scene choice; it is compared to a slasher film and an intensified First Blood sequence.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Stranding Trautman with Rambo; Murdock’s future; Rambo’s romantic history; Stallone versus Schwarzenegger

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 00:37:29Read transcript
  • A question brought forward from Unanswerables imagines an injured Trautman stranded with Rambo. The idea is rejected because Rambo already has the POWs to protect and Trautman needs to confront Murdock back at base.
  • An unanswerable asks what happens to Murdock; the answer imagines him failing upward into more powerful government positions rather than receiving justice.
  • Another unanswerable speculates about Rambo’s romantic and sexual history, with his quick attraction to Co offered as evidence of continued interest.
  • Stallone is preferred over Schwarzenegger. — Bill Simmons
  • The other preference leans slightly Arnold; both stars are described as formative figures whose legacies are linked like Bird and Magic.
  • The hosts report Stallone tied with De Niro on thirteen Rewatchables films, behind Cruise at eighteen and Pacino at fourteen; Denzel has twelve and Schwarzenegger eight, from a stated total of 454 films. This is a short ranking, not a ten-item list.
  • The hosts appreciate both aging stars continuing to work but object to Stallone recutting Rocky IV; Daylight and Lockup are discussed as future possibilities and movie selection is described as partly personal lobbying.

The most "year the movie came out" thing

Martin Kove; the rescued POW asking the year

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:47:34Read transcript
  • Period-marker candidates include Martin Kove, Berkoff, the Frank Stallone ending and asking whether they can win this time. Kove is preferred from that list; the rescued prisoner asking the year is also offered. The transcript renders the year inconsistently.
  • A proposed comic beat would let the rescued prisoner ask what he missed, including Jaws and Red Sox and Celtics results.

Gandolfini Butter on My Ass So It Pops in My Mouth Award

Knife sharpening; holding the ammunition belt while firing; villains missing at close range

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:48:51Read transcript
  • The Floyd Gondolli enjoyment picks are knife sharpening and firing a belt-fed machine gun while holding the ammunition belt, with the discarded gun compared to a bat flip.
  • Another enjoyment pick is villains missing the hero at near-point-blank range and the camera geometry used to disguise the implausibility.

What’s Aged the Best?

Trautman and his one-liners; recognizable Russian villains; Rambo’s résumé scene; the psychiatric-hospital script idea; Rambo parodies

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 00:50:38Read transcript
  • Aged Best selections include Trautman’s hell/home line and the instantly recognizable Russian villains, whose arrival escalates the stakes.
  • Trautman is an Aged Best selection, likened to a wrestling manager who promotes his fighter through polished one-liners and calls him Johnny.
  • A provocative joking reading casts Trautman as in love with Rambo; the hosts recount hostile reactions to their earlier Karate Kid II relationship jokes.
  • Cameron’s psychiatric-hospital opening is discussed as a precursor to Sarah Connor’s Terminator 2 setting. the Hot Shots sequel and especially UHF are praised for parodying the film.
  • The résumé-reading scene is the leading Aged Best pick: Murdock lists Rambo’s background, qualifications, kills and medals. A mock résumé for Kyle Brandt and a joke about the surprisingly low kill count extend the discussion.

The Great Shot Gordo Award for Most Cinematic Shot

Rambo’s eye opening in the mud

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:55:52Read transcript
  • Knife sharpening and the bandana-tying shot are offered as cinematic-shot candidates.
  • The bandana shot is called most gif-friendly, while the eye opening in the mud is preferred as the greatest shot.

Hans Gruber Scale Villain Ranking

Russian villain: 2/10, with another low score unclear in the transcript; Murdock: 7–7.5/10

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:56:12Read transcript
  • The Russian villain gets two out of ten; a second low rating is unclear in the transcript. The accent and character development are criticized, as is his failure to use the heated knife on the prisoner.
  • Murdock receives seven or seven-and-a-half on the villain scale for stolen valor, deception and abandoning Rambo and the prisoners; a joke connects him to Napier’s later security-guard role.

Elisabeth Shue Inventing Cold Fusion Award

Co

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 00:58:23Read transcript
  • The flex choice is the Inventing Cold Fusion award for Co: her model-like appearance is considered implausibly conspicuous for covert jungle work. A Romeo Doubs renaming of the Judd Nelson category is mentioned as an unused alternative.

The Butch’s Girlfriend Award for the Weakest Link in the Film

Rambo’s implausible survival; insufficient payoff against Murdock and Erickson

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:59:59Read transcript
  • Weak Link includes Rambo surviving situations where the enemies could simply kill him, his lack of bullet wounds and the awkward scheme to force a misleading radio message.
  • The ending is another Weak Link: Murdock receives too little punishment, Erickson needs a real fight with Rambo, and the helicopter fight with the large Russian should be stronger. Lethal Weapon and Road House are offered as fight models, followed by Karate Kid crossover jokes.

What’s Aged the Worst?

The removed death-scene screams; the licensed video game; overlap with Missing in Action; Vietnamese stereotypes and POW exploitation; ineffective mortars

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:03:10Read transcript
  • Aged Worst includes the reportedly removed triple scream after Co’s death, cut because test audiences laughed; the hosts wish it had survived.
  • The licensed Rambo video game is criticized, while a game transcribed as Akari Warriors is recalled as a better Rambo-like game; rushed tie-in scheduling is suggested as an explanation.
  • Missing in Action is said to have used essentially the same rescue plot earlier, while Cameron’s earlier script work prevents a firm plagiarism claim.
  • Other criticisms include Vietnamese stereotypes, POW exploitation and ineffective mortar attacks on moving people.

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Missing in Action 2 is more rewatchable; Predator borrows heavily from Rambo II

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:06:26Read transcript
  • One hottest take prefers rewatching Missing in Action 2, especially its climactic fight to the death, while admitting the whole movie is not especially good.
  • The other hottest take argues Predator borrows extensively: Mexico standing in for a foreign jungle, an older officer and suspicious bureaucrat, insertion trouble, hostages and an indigenous ally, lost modern weapons, bow and arrow, mud camouflage and a withheld finishing blow.

Casting What-Ifs

Dolph Lundgren; Lee Marvin; local extras; John Travolta as Rambo’s partner

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:09:12Read transcript
  • Casting What-Ifs includes Lundgren reportedly removed because of his Drago role, Lee Marvin declining roles across both films, and local Chinese-restaurant workers recruited as extras in Mexico.
  • The producers reportedly wanted John Travolta as Rambo’s partner, an idea Stallone vetoed; the hosts enthusiastically imagine buddy banter and a Quarter Pounder and metric-system exchange.

Recasting Couch

John Travolta as the partner; Born in the U.S.A. for the ending

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:11:27Read transcript
  • Recasting Couch returns to Travolta as the partner and proposes replacing the closing song with Born in the U.S.A., while doubting Springsteen would approve.

Half-Assed Internet Research

Filming locations, fatal effects accident, video sales, Soviet ban, unverified on-set pranks and body count

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:11:58Read transcript
  • Craig is said to be traveling and absent, so he has no flex selection. The first name alone does not independently identify a credited producer.
  • Half-Assed Internet Research reports Mexico and Thailand locations, the fatal accident involving special-effects worker Cliff Wenger, 425,000 opening-day video units, high video prices and a Soviet ban.
  • A claim about remaining Vietnam POWs is read from research, followed by explicitly unverified accounts of Crenna pantsing Stallone, a retaliatory cream pie and cast mud fights.
  • The on-set prank story is suggested as a Steven Seagal unbelievable-on-set-story candidate, with doubt that Crenna would behave that way.
  • The stated body count is 85 total and 74 attributed to Rambo; helicopter weapons are suggested as padding his tally.

Apex Mountain

Sylvester Stallone in 1985; Ronald Reagan; Uncle Sam/America; Julia Nickson; the Cold War

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:14:18Read transcript
  • Stallone receives affirmative Apex for 1985, jointly represented by this film and Rocky IV.
  • Vietnam movies do not receive Apex here: late-1970s quality and Platoon’s Oscar-winning period are preferred, with Full Metal Jacket and Casualties of War also discussed.
  • Reagan, Uncle Sam/America, Julia Nickson and the Cold War’s 1985 pop-culture moment receive affirmative answers; the lack of nuclear-weapons discussion slightly weakens the Cold War argument.
  • Martin Kove is placed at Karate Kid instead, and movie knives are placed a year later with Cobra and Crocodile Dundee, alongside knife advertising.

Cruise or Hanks?

Cruise

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:16:53Read transcript
  • Cruise is the Cruise or Hanks choice, imagined seeing the plane stunt while making Legend and aspiring to similar work.

Borat Sagdiyev Rancid Body Odor Award

The rescued POW; Murdock as a contrarian alternative

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:17:11Read transcript
  • The Rancid Body Odor pick is the rescued POW rather than sewage-soaked Rambo, although nearly everyone is considered plausible and Co a possible exception.
  • Murdock is offered as a contrarian Body Odor alternative because of his constant sweating.

Picking Nits

The short prison sentence, rock-breaking, nutrition, facial hair, helicopter targeting and sewage exposure

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:19:51Read transcript
  • Nitpicks question an eight-year sentence given the deaths, attempted killing and extensive property destruction in First Blood.
  • The prisoners hammering rocks prompts questions about whether they are splitting rocks or finding rubies. Making gravel is tentatively suggested; the hammer swinging mainly looks cool.
  • Rambo’s muscular physique despite eating nothing is challenged; the hosts discuss high nutritional and exercise demands without medical verification.
  • His lack of beard growth over several days is questioned; a knife-shaving scene is proposed.
  • A nitpick questions how Rambo identifies and spares the POW building during indiscriminate helicopter fire after seeing the camp only from the ground.
  • Another nitpick imagines fatal infection after the sewage pit, comparing it with Andy Dufresne’s sewage-pipe escape; disease and lost-smell claims are comic speculation.

Sequel, Prequel, Limited Series, or All-Black Remake

Rambo returns to America for a contained rescue, with connections to First Blood

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:24:50Read transcript
  • Preferred sequel concepts return Rambo to America for a contained rescue in the style of Die Hard, Sudden Death, Toy Soldiers or Under Siege; a relative of Teasle or an apprentice linked to the original could reconnect the story.
  • A comic sequel alternative gives Rambo his own podcast, Rampod.

Is This Movie Better With…?

Gus Johnson and Cris Collinsworth calling the helicopter fake-out

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:26:52Read transcript
  • The Better With choice is Gus Johnson calling the helicopter fake-out and rocket attack, followed by an imagined Collinsworth reaction; both are hypothetical additions.

What Piece of Memorabilia Would You Want From This Movie?

Red headband and Co’s necklace; machine gun and ammunition belt

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:33:14Read transcript
  • The red headband and Co’s necklace are one memorabilia choice.
  • The other choice is the machine gun with the ammunition belt.
  • Reported 2021 auction prices are $51,000 for the knife, $28,000 for the bow and $16,000 for the gun; the gun is described as the best buy.
  • The knife is praised as iconic, almost a second character, and recalled as a children’s toy.

The Coach Finstock Award for Best Life Lesson

Kill Rambo immediately; make your workplace a cool hangout

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:34:24Read transcript
  • The life lesson is that villains should kill Rambo immediately instead of imprisoning or torturing him, compared with Scott Evil’s practical objection.
  • A second life lesson says an office can be made cool: Murdock’s base looks inviting for a fantasy draft, with cold sodas and imagined games, food and entertainment.

More from the conversation

The title prompts a preference for calling the original Rambo and this sequel Rambo 2, framed as stronger character branding.
Approx. transcript time · 00:01:54Read transcript
The sequel is discussed as a huge 1985 hit, a Reagan-era Cold War symbol and a starting point for the Stallone–Schwarzenegger rivalry; its exaggerated action now plays as unintentional comedy.
Approx. transcript time · 00:02:11Read transcript
A childhood recollection describes HBO premiering the sequel as a surprise on July 4, 1986, following a similar Ghostbusters Christmas surprise.
Approx. transcript time · 00:03:44Read transcript
The hosts recall Rambo toys, a Big Wheel, knives and a cartoon marketed to children despite the violent R-rated film; cartoon clips depict skiing, shooting and race-car driving.
Approx. transcript time · 00:05:09Read transcript
The sequel and Commando are credited with shifting action toward superhero-like protagonists; the jump from First Blood to this film is compared with skipping directly from Rocky to Rocky IV.
Approx. transcript time · 00:05:37Read transcript
The discussion places the film among Cold War pop-culture touchstones including Red Dawn, The Hunt for Red October, wrestling villains, Sting’s Russians, Rocky IV and Hulk Hogan’s Real American entrance.
Approx. transcript time · 00:08:16Read transcript
Stallone’s 1982–85 career run is traced through Rocky III, First Blood, Staying Alive, Rhinestone and the twin successes of Rambo II and Rocky IV, followed by Cobra and its frozen-pizza scene.
Approx. transcript time · 00:11:37Read transcript
Stallone’s two enormous 1985 hits are considered an exceptional career peak, compared with Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible and Jerry Maguire year; his physique montages are seen as ideally suited to MTV-era audiences.
Approx. transcript time · 00:13:13Read transcript
A recalled Stallone fitness ranking omits this film despite his extreme conditioning; Rocky III, Rambo III and Rocky IV are named, with Rocky IV’s pre-fight reveal singled out.
Approx. transcript time · 00:14:27Read transcript
The hosts contrast Stallone’s desire to look attractive even during torture with Schwarzenegger’s posing, while speculating about performance-enhancing drugs and acknowledging intense training.
Approx. transcript time · 00:15:55Read transcript
The brief romance feels incongruous after so little dialogue. The hosts dispute Stallone’s reported dismissal of the sequel as his least-favorite cartoonlike Rambo film and describe its excess as the appeal.
Approx. transcript time · 00:18:23Read transcript
Stallone is said to have exerted directing control over George P. Cosmatos; this is presented as a production anecdote, not independently verified metadata.
Approx. transcript time · 00:18:55Read transcript
Richard Crenna’s 1985 work includes this film, Summer Rental and the television movie The Rape of Richard Beck; Trautman’s familiar delivery is enjoyed as self-karaoke.
Approx. transcript time · 00:19:57Read transcript
Trautman exemplifies the older mentor who vouches for Stallone’s exceptional hero, alongside Rocky’s Mickey and Duke and the police superior in Cobra.
Approx. transcript time · 00:21:23Read transcript
Martin Kove’s Erickson is jokingly treated as the same person as Karate Kid villain Kreese, with identical hair, sleeveless clothing and attitude.
Approx. transcript time · 00:22:07Read transcript
Charles Napier’s defining supporting roles are recalled from The Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia, The Blues Brothers and this film.
Approx. transcript time · 00:22:52Read transcript
Steven Berkoff’s run of villains and stage background are discussed; an unidentified actor from The Saint and Eyes Wide Shut is proposed as a later equivalent.
Approx. transcript time · 00:24:15Read transcript
Julia Nickson is praised and compared with Charlotte Lewis in The Golden Child; her long television career is contrasted with the scarcity of later prominent film roles.
Approx. transcript time · 00:25:26Read transcript
The hosts cannot find other acting credits or biographical information for Steve Williams, who plays Lifer, the indoor-sunglasses-wearing operative. They invite information and speculate about how he was cast without resolving the mystery.
Approx. transcript time · 00:26:14Read transcript
The TriStar-style winged-horse opening and familiar Carolco producer names evoke affection for this era of action movies.
Approx. transcript time · 00:28:58Read transcript
James Cameron’s first script, reportedly called First Blood II: The Mission, is discussed alongside his Terminator and Aliens work. Stallone’s changes are said to simplify the plot, remove a technical sidekick and alter the politics; the hosts object to Stallone distancing himself from the finished hit.
Approx. transcript time · 00:29:30Read transcript
Jerry Goldsmith’s score, Frank Stallone’s closing song, Cosmatos’s direction, an Oscar sound-effects-editing nomination, Razzie success, budget and box office are recounted.
Approx. transcript time · 00:31:21Read transcript
The first thirty minutes are defended as active and entertaining even before any shot is fired.
Approx. transcript time · 00:32:22Read transcript
Kyle Brandt promotes his forthcoming career book and discusses skipping The Challenge; he objects to a Real World edit that appeared to show the cast watching the towers fall although the reaction footage was recorded hours later. The hosts explicitly say they recorded on September 11.
Approx. transcript time · 01:37:48Read transcript
Karate Kid III is teased for later in the year without a fixed date.
Approx. transcript time · 01:40:23Read transcript