Last blood

The latest Rambo film adds to a violent caricature | Megan Basham

Karen Ballard/Lionsgate

A little over a year ago, Sylvester Stallone pulled off an impressive feat for Hollywood. He shook off the cobwebs of "has-been" that were beginning to collect on him and his most famous character by writing, directing, and starring in an impressive return to the Rocky franchise.

The PG Rocky Balboa's success with critics and audiences probably made his pitch to bring back his second-most-popular character, Rambo, a much easier sell to studios. Certainly they were willing to back him with much more money (a reported $50 million compared to $8 million), even though the action film centers on a little-known war (the Burmese civil conflict) and a little-understood group of people (missionaries).