Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)
Rambo: First Blood Part II is a 1985 American action film directed by George P. Cosmatos from a story by Kevin Jarre, and a screenplay by James Cameron and Sylvester Stallone, who also reprises his role as Vietnam War veteran John Rambo. A sequel to First Blood (1982), it is the second installment in the Rambo film series, followed by Rambo III. It co-stars Richard Crenna, who reprises his role as Colonel Sam Trautman, along with Charles Napier, Julia Nickson, and Steven Berkoff. The film’s plot is inspired by the Vietnam War POW/MIA issue. In the movie, Rambo is released from prison in a deal with the United States government to document the possible existence of missing POWs in Vietnam, but is given strict orders not to rescue any.
Plot:
Three years after the events in Hope, Washington, former U.S. Army Green Beret John Rambo is imprisoned at a penal labor facility. He is met by Colonel Sam Trautman, his commanding officer during the Vietnam War. Trautman explains that the U.S. government is under pressure because of reports that POWs are still being held in Vietnam. To placate the public, a solo infiltration mission has been approved to confirm these reports, and Rambo’s name was suggested as he is versed with the POW camp.
Rambo agrees to take the mission in exchange for a presidential pardon.
At Thailand, Rambo and Trautman meet helicopter pilot Ericson, his partner Lifer, and Marshall Murdock, the bureaucrat overseeing the operation. He is instructed to take pictures of a suspected POW camp, but not to engage enemy personnel or attempt a rescue. Trautman is the only person involved in the operation whom Rambo trusts.
Filming:
The film was shot between June and August 1984 on location in the state of Guerrero, Mexico, and Thailand. While vacationing in Acapulco, Ron South was hired on as assistant editor and his film career began. During filming, special effects man Clifford P. Wenger, Jr. was accidentally killed during one of the film’s waterfall explosions, when he lost his footing and fell to his death.
Marketing:
Unusually for the time, a teaser trailer for Rambo: First Blood Part II—then titled First Blood Part II: The Mission—was released in 3,000 theaters in the summer of 1984, over a year before the scheduled release date of August 1, 1985, and several months before any footage for the film was completed. Producer Mario Kassar arranged this to capitalize on the popularity of the first film. The film was also marketed through merchandising, with posters of Rambo selling rapidly. Although the film was rated R and directed at adults, tie-in toys were created for it.