That Sylvester Stallone was going to resurrect, and presumably bring closure to, that “other” of his successful and initially acclaimed franchises suggested, as with Rocky Balboa, the proposed John Rambo picture – again directed by and starring Stallone – would be equally reflective and redemptive. That's partially the case.

In Rambo Stallone takes a relevant issue (in this case the plight of Burma against its violent and oppressive socio-political situation) and opens the doors on it to a wide, wide (over 18) audience. Where First Blood approached the issue of post-traumatic stress disorder, and the uphill struggle of the returning veteran, with a muted and pensive flavouring, Rambo takes its bull by the horns – appropriately. Arguments over the extreme violent content which ranges from extreme to even more extreme, are slightly redundant in the face of the clear intention to concentrate an issue and paint it in Hollywood black-and-white. Rambo is also quite clearly a franchise film. The original theme and iconography are all here in a package as much about the iconic anti-hero as the issues on the agenda. Whether the issues are tackled with enough integrity is for politicians to debate, but filmgoers will doubtless find themselves discussing the quandary of message and medium soon after the credits roll.

To label the uber-violence realistic is too far. To label it sensational is also off the mark. Stallone's blood-and-guts vision lies in an interesting spot on the media battlefield; its antagonists perpetrate horrendous acts, its protagonist is forced into the same. John Rambo's resort to violence is always a last, involuntary resort. Whether the killing-in-the-name-of ethos sits quite as well with peace activists as it does with action film fans will no doubt be a point of interest for the more cultural minded.

Stallone proved a solid level of craftsmanship with Balboa and the same can be said of Rambo. For an action film there's a solid pace, for a redemption story there's enough characterisation to continue and enhance the character's legacy and for an ensemble piece the peripheral characters are given enough time to breath and enough bullets to shut it. The theme of religious outreach versus violent oppression is handled surprisingly well for a feature film with such an exaggerated heritage but the film does trip on a midway stepping stone wherein a band of rough-and-ready mercenaries join our tortured leader.

Viewed as a document shedding light on a serious issue, Rambo is bombastic, rage-filled and determined slightly beyond its restrictive ancestry.

Viewed as the end of a franchise with a teeny political conscience to boot, Rambo is bombastic, rage-filled and one heck of a nostalgic, aggressive experience.

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