The Expendables

Short review:

ultimate testosterone ... guns, bombs, planes, rapid-fire shotguns,explosions and fire, really bad guys, and good guys who are bad, tattoos, motorcycles and car chases ... and even some good acting now and then ... Mickey Rourke and Stallone have a moment of conversation that's profound about when the soul dies in so much violence and blood ... and that saving someone else might just save the lost soul!

The story lifts up the power of loyalty. When the "beautiful woman" in the story chooses to remain behind in evident danger, while Stallone's character flees, he's haunted by her courage, and returns to save her. I was intrigued by the way in which this was handled - this wasn't about lust, or even love, but the human response to courage, and the need to save a soul - his own - ravaged by violence, by saving someone else.

But don't let the story get in the way of gutsy entertainment. If ya' want comic book violence, with a solid background story, you'll find it here.

I was entertained on a Friday afternoon when I wanted some entertainment.

Gals, stay away ... a good friend challenged me on this, and she's a gal!

Guys, this one's for you!

And maybe for anyone who likes a shoot-'em-up story with hints of real depth.

Rambo

Okay, so I'm a sucker for Stallone.

I liked it.

Great soundtrack, good story, Rambo with his sullen, silent rage, and all the 50-caliber mayhem you could want.

I was particularly taken with the story and its portrayal of Christians. So often, Christians are simply stereotyped as either bigoted and shallow, or perverted and evil. Here, they're real people, with passion and compassion. They're shown interacting with the people: doctors dressing wounds and giving out medications; missionaries teaching the gospel - caught in the middle of a terribly difficult situation, where violence, sadly, has its place. The writer of Ecclesiastes said it well: "There is a time for war."

The soundtrack was one of the best - the visual beauty of the jungle and the river was captured well - reminded me of "Apocalypse Now" and "The Mosquito Coast."

The battle scene at the end - what we're all expecting - doesn't disappoint. Well choreographed, well filmed and edited, it's one of the best!

Is Stallone an actor?

Yes. I've never forgotten him in "Cop Land," one of Stallone's best performances. Here, in Rambo, Stallone, captures a character - troubled, alone, carrying huge demons of the soul, nonetheless, with a sense of justice and shreds of compassion. And like all beasts, here we see beauty taming him. The plot at this point might have gone south - a first kiss and then some steamy sex - but thankfully, the writers didn't go there. Rambo remains Rambo - a man looking at life from afar.

Stallone is criticized for this roll, but it touches a nerve in our spirit and tells a story lived by many. Veterans of war all carry some demons, but millions of human beings live lives of quiet desperation, never quite knowing who they are or where they're going, weighted down by some unnamed weight of rage.

In the end, we see him back in the US of A, on a country road by a weathered mailbox, and on it, the name Rambo. As the credits roll, we watch John walk the long driveway downhill to the farm where his father lives. How long has it been?

It's home for him.

And that's a good prayer ... for all the Rambos of our world - for they are many - to find home again ... if not literally, at least in their own soul and memories, or with a friend ... with God ... somewhere, somehow, to be reconciled and find peace.