Post by masterofdisaster19 on Sept 30, 2008 19:40:30 GMT -5
Having bought the DVD and watched it a couple of million times, I have to say, reflecting on it now I find more meaning in it with each subsequent viewing.
It's about a man who has spent his whole life trying to change the world as a warrior, only to see everything he's ever done torn down immediately after he did it by bureaucracy, revisionism, and every impulse possessed by society that bristles against those who fight and all the motivations that comprise their core essence.
His criticism of the world is rooted in the resulting bitterness. The world can't accept Rambo, so he doesn't accept the world. He lives perched on the edge of what could generously be called the civilized world, watching the scum of humanity do its worst from afar, content to silently let his beliefs be confirmed. The appeasement of the Burmese junta and the atrocities they commit merely serve to confirm his beliefs. To deal with monsters you must be willing to become monstrous - to step into the abyss. It takes people like Rambo to do that, and then, society rejects them for their efforts.
So he is faced with the task of rescuing the likes of those who have looked down their noses at him and his beliefs for so long in the newest film. He resists. He doesn't want to get burned again. But the nobility that comprises his core won't let him sit idly by - despite the notion that he may be spat upon for it, Rambo decides to become monstrous again and take charge. Grim, merciless, he destroys the brutal forces of the junta to rescue the Christian missionaries. The same people who have expressed disgust and terror at his actions and beliefs. Why? Because men like Rambo are necessary.
I think the film is about Rambo realizing that, and coming to terms with it. It's about him finding peace as someone who may not be appreciated, but is always needed. In the end, he is able to go home proud, open-hearted, not fearful of what he will find there this time. He understands that his destination is more about his inner peace than changing the world. It's a long road to get there.
It's about a man who has spent his whole life trying to change the world as a warrior, only to see everything he's ever done torn down immediately after he did it by bureaucracy, revisionism, and every impulse possessed by society that bristles against those who fight and all the motivations that comprise their core essence.
His criticism of the world is rooted in the resulting bitterness. The world can't accept Rambo, so he doesn't accept the world. He lives perched on the edge of what could generously be called the civilized world, watching the scum of humanity do its worst from afar, content to silently let his beliefs be confirmed. The appeasement of the Burmese junta and the atrocities they commit merely serve to confirm his beliefs. To deal with monsters you must be willing to become monstrous - to step into the abyss. It takes people like Rambo to do that, and then, society rejects them for their efforts.
So he is faced with the task of rescuing the likes of those who have looked down their noses at him and his beliefs for so long in the newest film. He resists. He doesn't want to get burned again. But the nobility that comprises his core won't let him sit idly by - despite the notion that he may be spat upon for it, Rambo decides to become monstrous again and take charge. Grim, merciless, he destroys the brutal forces of the junta to rescue the Christian missionaries. The same people who have expressed disgust and terror at his actions and beliefs. Why? Because men like Rambo are necessary.
I think the film is about Rambo realizing that, and coming to terms with it. It's about him finding peace as someone who may not be appreciated, but is always needed. In the end, he is able to go home proud, open-hearted, not fearful of what he will find there this time. He understands that his destination is more about his inner peace than changing the world. It's a long road to get there.
