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Left Rages Against New Rambo Film for Being 'Trumpian'

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Many in the media are hammering the newly released “Rambo: Last Blood” for being too closely aligned with President Donald Trump’s view of the U.S. border with Mexico.

The liberal Daily Beast has perhaps the most sensationalized headline in this regard: “‘Rambo: Last Blood’ Is a Trumpian, Anti-Mexican Nightmare.”

“Yes, Sylvester Stallone’s Vietnam veteran John Rambo has gone full MAGA (just like the real Sly),” The Daily Beast’s Nick Schager writes.

At the outset of his piece, the columnist argues, “Right-wing American extremism has never been more extreme, so it’s hardly surprising that Sylvester Stallone has once again resurrected his embodiment of jingoistic USA militarism, ‘John Rambo, for Rambo: Last Blood.'”

Schager goes on to describe the film as a “xenophobic bloodbath for our current Trumpian era.”

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In the movie, Rambo has returned to the United States and is living a quiet life on an Arizona ranch.

His tranquility, however, quickly ends when Rambo’s niece is snatched by a Mexican cartel while she is south of the border.

As one can imagine, this sends the former Army Green Beret on a one-man rescue mission (a la Liam Neeson’s 2008 great “Taken”) and his own personal war against the cartel. Of course, there will be blood.



Do you plan on watching Rambo: Last Blood?

Schager sees “Rambo: Last Blood” as a “thinly veiled political propaganda aimed at red-state moviegoers.”

The Daily Beast isn’t the only media outlet panning the film for promoting a pro-Trump border message.

Slate calls it “part MAGA fantasy” that “completes John Rambo’s transformation into a Trumpian hero.”

“‘Last Blood’ is clearly an attempt to cash in on Trump-era fears of immigrant invasion—as the Mexican traffickers gather themselves for their assault on Rambo’s home, there’s a pointed shot of the border fence—but its climactic American carnage is a joyless grind,” Slate’s Sam Adams writes.

In his official film review for Variety, Peter Debruge is a little more subtle in hitting the movie for its “Trumpian” themes.

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“Mexico’s gonna want a wall to keep bad hombres like John Rambo out in this cartel-smashing sequel to a franchise that’s long since run its course,” the article’s subheading reads.

Debruge contends that “Last Blood” should be called, “Rambo: Bad Hombres Edition.”

Trump has characterized drug dealers, human traffickers and other criminals crossing into the U.S. as “bad hombres.”

Debruge writes that the film features “fresh south-of-the-border mayhem from ‘Get the Gringo’ director Adrian Grunberg — in which screenwriters Matthew Cirulnick and Stallone adopt the racist view of Mexicans as murderers, drug dealers and rapists, devoid of cultural context or exceptions, beyond the ‘independent journalist’ (Paz Vega) keeping tabs on their whereabouts.”

WBUR-FM’s Sean Burns, meanwhile, sees “Last Blood” as “chock full of trendy, Fox News fear-mongering about our neighbors to the South, complete with loving shots of border walls that land like elbows to the ribs.”

The filmmakers have reversed John Rambo’s “entire iconography and made the insurgent indistinguishable from his oppressors,” Burns laments.

“I guess they think they’ve made Rambo great again.”

Moviegoers do not seem to be dissuaded by these and other reviewers panning of the 5th installment of the Rambo franchise, which first hit the big screen during the Reagan presidency in 1982’s “First Blood.”

Deadline reported that “Last Blood” took in $1.5 million in special Thursday night previews, which bodes well for a strong opening weekend.

Rambo rides again and while many in the media may not like it, a lot of Americans are glad to see his return.

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Randy DeSoto has written more than 2,000 articles for The Western Journal since he joined the company in 2015. He is a graduate of West Point and Regent University School of Law. He is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths" and screenwriter of the political documentary "I Want Your Money."
Randy DeSoto is the senior staff writer for The Western Journal. He wrote and was the assistant producer of the documentary film "I Want Your Money" about the perils of Big Government, comparing the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama. Randy is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths," which addresses how leaders have appealed to beliefs found in the Declaration of Independence at defining moments in our nation's history. He has been published in several political sites and newspapers.

Randy graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a BS in political science and Regent University School of Law with a juris doctorate.
Birthplace
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Nationality
American
Honors/Awards
Graduated dean's list from West Point
Education
United States Military Academy at West Point, Regent University School of Law
Books Written
We Hold These Truths
Professional Memberships
Virginia and Pennsylvania state bars
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Entertainment, Faith




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