Believe it or not, Rambo is named after a brand of apples. Yes, one of the single greatest Green Berets in movie history is named after a fruit. I can't say for certain if the apple company still exists, but the movies are still revered by many as the greatest action films of all time. The series ended here with "Rambo III," a disappointment at the box office when it failed to make back one of the largest budgets in movie history at the time. This couldn't possibly be a surprise to anyone viewing it.

Working at a monastery and stick fighting on the side for extra cash, John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) now lives the solitary life. He is once again approached by his former commander, Colonel Samuel Trautman (Richard Crenna) to head into Afghanistan to help rebel forces fend off a Russian invasion. Refusing the offer, Trautman goes in with planned group but is captured. Unable to accept his commander and friends are held behind enemy lines, Rambo agrees to go in with minimal help to rescue the hostages.

With a reported budget of $63 million, "Rambo III" spends nearly all of that money on big, fiery explosions. The location shoot in Afghanistan didn't come cheap either, I'm sure. It's a shame that the movie fails so miserably. Originally tapped to direct was Russell Mulcahy, who would go on to create the excellent World War 1 film "Lost Battalion" for A & E. After dropping out, Peter MacDonald took over. His major credits include this film and "Super Dave." That should say something right there.

This is unquestionably a B-movie. They simply added on an A-movie budget. If the location shoot was scrapped and Stallone was dropped, all you would be left with is direct-to-video action flick with no substance. This is the longest film in the series, adding around ten minutes to the usual "Rambo" runtime. It takes quite a while to get going and useless scenes like the goat-carcass sport serve no purpose.

Once past this however, the movie kicks into what most people associate the Rambo films with. It sort of flows like this:

Close up of Rambo shooting in sweeping motion.

*edit*

Insert shot of men falling in a chaotic fashion.

*edit*

Repeat.

No flow is present in the action scenes and the amount of ammunition shot at this man is absurd. Either the Russian soldiers failed their marksmanship exams, or it's possible that this movie isn't very accurate. I have my money on the latter. "First Blood II" was at least a fun time and had crowds cheering for the guy. This one doesn't even qualify as a popcorn movie. It's impossible to eat anything because your mouth will be wide open in stunned amazement that someone could actually produce something like this.

To its small number of credits, "Rambo III" did make the Guinness Book of World Records. I'm not sure if it still holds the record for "most on-screen deaths," but it would certainly rank up there even today. It does feature one of the more innovative death sequences in the history of action movies, a hanging/grenade explosion combo towards the end. Otherwise, it's hard to believe the same group of people who wrote this tired sequel also gave us the script for the meaningful and innovative original. (* out of *****)