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In Thailand, John Rambo (Stallone) assembles a group of mercenaries and leads them up the Salween River to a Burmese village where a group of Christian aid workers allegedly went missing.

"John Rambo" is the final installation of the hit Rambo franchise that began nearly a quarter of a century ago. The film pays a visit to John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) years after the end of the previous one, and sees him wrangling snakes in Thailand for local shows. He gets a visit from a group of Christian aid workers from the US, which includes Sarah Burnett (Julie Benz) and her fiance Dr. Mark Burnett (Paul Schulze). Rambo takes them up the Salween River into Myanmar where the missionaries are to give assistance to the oppressed villagers. Rambo discovers two weeks later that the Myanmar military junta have made them captives. Rambo must now lead a band of mercenaries, including a Gulf war veteran (Reynaldo Gallegos), and a sharpshooter (Matthew Marsden) on a rescue mission, reluctantly resuming a role abandoned long ago.

Rambo is reintroduced as older, wiser, and more stable (presumably) than before. He seems like a genuine development of the original character - a hardened, easily empathised veteran soldier and not some pumped up, shirtless super-steroid freak, which would have really spoiled the maturity of the character.

The "Rambo" series prides itself in presenting dilemmas that reflects the plights of the time. Apparently, Stallone chose Myanmar after discovering that the country's situation was the least highlighted of all conflict locations in the world. Indeed, the scenes of the junta abusing the villagers linger nightmarishly in one's mind, particularly when interlaced with actual footage of the recent violence. Be that as it may, placing Rambo back in the jungles also captures the original essence of the character and his guerrilla style, lending a sense of nostalgia for fans.

Stallone's portrayal of John Rambo is consistent, which is expected since he has spent so much time with the character. Fans might miss Col. Samuel Trautman who appeared in all three previous installments. The performances of the supporting actors are forgettable at best. This is made worse by the anaemic character development. The plot is as good as one can expect from the series, and nothing truly surprising or original is introduced. Audiences are spared any moral dilemma as things are laid out in pure black and white - Rambo and friends being the good guys, the whole junta being the bad guys, despite the fact that most of the military recruits are shown as unwillingly forced into the army. The lines can be really cheesy and sometimes unnecessary.

Action is definitely the film's forte, and should satisfy fans of the genre as well. In order to live up to the series' record-breaking amount of violence, "John Rambo" features plenty of blood-spatter, gutting and gore. The vivid sound effects also contribute to the overall experience, making it disturbingly realistic.

"John Rambo" should satiate hardcore fans of the series and newcomers alike. It is an excellent action flick at best, although those easily queasy or disturbed by mindless violence should avoid this film like the plague.