Fourth blood

John Rambo, macho action hero and post-Vietnam icon, is alive and well in Thailand, having renounced his country of origin. He lumbers through the jungles, catching snakes and working iron for a living, until a group of Christian missionaries show up and ask him to take them up river into Burmese territory. At first, Rambo, who knows the heart of darkness, refuses; he tells them, “go home”. However, the pretty blonde (Julie Benz) convinces him that there may be goodness in the world still, and up the river they go. Of course, things go wrong for the missionaries, and Rambo needs to clean up the mess. We learn that Rambo can still use his bow and arrow, and that death is imminent for many.

As in the first film, Rambo is a conflicted man, uncertain still about his place in the world. He is as complex as a Rambo can be, which doesn’t say much. At least he’s more developed than the men of the Burmese military, who are without exception murderous, sadistic bastards. The worst of them is the shades-wearing, smoking (so he must be evil) general/commander/chief (I don’t know) with a penchant for young boys. I have a problem with movies using actual war crimes as springboards for spectacle-driven, mindless slaughter. Put this film next to Joffe’s “The Killing Fields” for some perspective. In a DVD extra feature, Stallone explains that the film raised awareness about the real situation in Myanmar (maybe it did, maybe it didn’t; would the fans care?); that doesn’t excuse the film from using that gruesome conflict for a cash-in on a two decade old franchise. Socio-political qualms aside, the film has lots of action and gore, but when all is said and done, barely 80 minutes have passed (in fact, I think it’s closer to 75 minutes) and, like one of Rambo’s numerous victims, you can’t help feeling that you’ve been done in.

Oozing, still moving

Robert Rodriquez’s “Planet Terror” is all you could hope for in a “Grindhouse”-style semi-apocalyptic zombie movie driven by wonderfully clichéd characters and a never-ending river of blood and pus. Released together with Tarantino’s “Death Proof”, which seemed to enjoy the most positive criticism, “Planet Terror” has a number of things going for it, most notably a stunning Rose McGowan (who also played the blonde victim in Stuntman Mike’s first ride in “Death Proof”). Her character, Cherry Darling, is a sexy, strong minded individual – considering this is a “Grindhouse” title – who loses a leg early on in the film. If you haven’t seen the trailers or posters for the film, then let it be said that Rodriquez’s use for her leftover stump is rather innovative. In addition to McGowan, Freddie Rodriquez makes a solid action hero (like in the ‘70s and ‘80s, he’s a hero with a past that few know of…) while Marley Shelton and Josh Brolin (who’s had a glorious time in cinema for the past two years) deliver able support.

The look of the film is pure Grindhouse: scratched prints; missing reels; colour bleeding across the whole film; and camerawork that adores the female frame, although Rodriquez’s lens is admittedly even fonder of the viscera splattering everywhere. “Planet Terror” has moments of true humour and horror that exist side by side with parody, pastiche and gore so exaggerated that it cannot be taken seriously for a second. I suspect that few South Africans are familiar with “Grindhouse” style movies, and I suspect that “Planet Terror” will win over few fans. Seeing that this “Grindhouse” endeavour by the Weinstein Company was a financial disaster, I further suspect that we won’t be seeing more of these, so we should enjoy what we have.

Note: there’s a trailer for a film called “Machete” before “Planet Terror” (“Our Feature Presentation”) begins, and oh, how I wished it could be this year’s actual “Grindhouse” release. The trailer is, of course, a faked trailer for a film that doesn’t exist. Note again: the single disc edition available in South Africa has only a handful of extra features. If time is limited but you really want to know how Rodriquez and his team created the visuals for “Planet Terror”, set aside the required time to watch the “10 Minute Film School” feature.