Week 5: January 27 - February 2

Shoot ‘Em Up [DVD]
Rambo [Regal Hollywood 20]

My hopes of watching more than one movie this week were met, but just barely.  Tuesday night, I sat in my room with nothing much to do while a friend, erm, borrowed music from my computer so I decided to grab one of my un-opened, un-watched DVDs that was lying around and opted on Shoot ‘Em Up, a movie that I saw back when it was on the big screen, but hadn’t given a whole lot of thought to since.  I’d forgotten how utterly (and purposely) ridiculous the whole affair was.  It is one of the most vile displays of not-quite-humanity ever committed to film.  It’s like watching Bugs Bunny vs. Elmer Fudd with guns, cursing, and sex.  In other words, an absolute, stupid blast.

Of course, even the over-the-top violence of that movie couldn’t prepare me for what I’d see the next day in Rambo.  Who knew?  Sylvester Stallone has somehow managed to make two movies back-to-back that were not only entirely watchable, but actually, well, good.

Not that Rambo is the same kind of good that Rocky Balboa was.  Although the beginning of the film kind of tricks you into thinking that this might be a different kind of Rambo movie, one with — what’s that? — social commentary on the cival war/genocide going on in Burma, it quickly decides that it’d be a lot more fun to just blow a bunch of shit up.  And by “shit,” I mean “people.”

Some of the violence is there for a reason, especially towards the beginning of the film.  But the main reason even then is to just show how absolutely BAD the BAD GUYS are.  The Bad Guys are given no motive, no real character traits of any kind.  They just kind of seem to exist for the pure thrill of launching grenades at innocent women and children, just to see where their severed limbs might land. The Big Boss is even a pedophile!  How could you NOT want to see this guy Ramboed?

Yeah, this is a movie in which we see kids shot, bayonetted and maimed.  But it’s also one where you get to see John Rambo tear into the Bad Guys who are doing those Bad Things.  And he gets to do it by shooting arrows through their faces, and shredding them to bloody red pulp with a big f’n gun.