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Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Rambo: Last Blood (4K Blu-ray) (2019)

Rambo: Last Blood (4K Blu-ray) (2019)

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Released 18-Dec-2019
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Details At A Glance

General		Extras
Category	Action	Featurette-Making Of-Drawing Last Blood Featurette-From First Note To Last Blood
Rating
Year Of Production	2019
Running Time	89:28
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered Dual Disc Set	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Ads Then Menu	Cast & Crew
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	Adrian Grunberg
Studio Distributor	Roadshow Home Entertainment	Starring	Sylvester Stallone Sergio Peris-Mencheta Adriana Barraza Yvette Monreal Paz Vega Óscar Jaenada Marco de la O Genie Kim
Case	Standard Blu-ray	Starring
RPI	$36.95	Music	Brian Tyler

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Atmos English Dolby TrueHD 7.1 English Dolby Digital 2.0 English Descriptive Audio Dolby Digital 5.1 Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.40:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	2160p
Original Aspect Ratio	2.40:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No	Miscellaneous
Subtitles	English for the Hearing Impaired Spanish	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	Yes

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Plot Synopsis

    Even for hardcore Rambo fans, the idea of a fifth instalment seemed excessive and unnecessary, given the note-perfect ending of 2008's Rambo which brings the titular character full circle. But co-writer and star Sylvester Stallone manages to do the impossible, cooking up a new story which meaningfully contributes to John Rambo's character arc and delivers the type of balls-to-the-wall, vicious mayhem that fans attend these motion pictures to witness. Rambo: Last Blood is a different type of Rambo movie, more solemn and character-focused, to the extent that some believe this should not be part of the series at all. However, with the weight of Rambo's history behind it, the material has more significance and context. Directed by newcomer Adrian Grunberg (Get the Gringo), perhaps the most refreshing thing about Last Blood is its unwillingness to force a political agenda or subscribe to ever-changing standards of political correctness, making it feel like a nasty, old-fashioned, manly revenge picture from the 1970s.

    Peacefully living on his late father's ranch in rural Arizona, Vietnam War veteran John Rambo (Stallone) keeps his inner demons under control with pharmaceutical assistance, spending his days taking care of the property's horses as well as forging blades in his underground sanctuary. While he prefers solitude, Rambo maintains a close relationship with housekeeper Maria (Adriana Barraza), and serves as a guardian for her 18-year-old granddaughter Gabrielle (Yvette Monreal) who is about to leave for college. Curious about the world, Gabrielle tracks down her absentee father (Marco de la O) in Mexico, harbouring a desire to confront him about why he abandoned the family. Rambo is quick to dissuade the young woman, but she defies his advice, travelling south of the border only to become ensnared in a cartel sex trafficking ring run by Hugo (Sergio Peris-Mencheta) and his hothead brother Victor (Óscar Jaenada). Rambo sets out to save his loved one without hesitation, awakening the dormant beast within himself as he navigates the violent city. Rambo's mission also attracts the attention of journalist Carmen (Paz Vega), who previously lost a loved one to the ruthless cartel's operation.

    The previous sequels dropped Rambo into a real-life, ripped-from-the-headlines setting that is relevant to the era, such as Vietnam in Rambo: First Blood Part II, and the Burmese Civil War in 2008's Rambo. This fifth movie continues along the same lines, setting its sights on human trafficking and forced prostitution in Mexico, which is an ongoing international concern. At just over 100 minutes in length, Last Blood has sufficient narrative breathing room, with unhurried early scenes between Rambo and his de facto family before trouble strikes in Mexico, while the screenplay additionally explores the aging soldier's broken mental state at this point in his life. The underlying theme at play here is how someone like Rambo can attain peace after living in a self-described world of death, trying to stay in control as he attempts the serene family lifestyle, using the horses as therapy. To Rambo, who still suffers from PTSD, his underground tunnels represent a Minotaur's Labyrinth of madness and memories, sparking aggressive Vietnam flashbacks. By taking the fight underground, he harnesses the violent trauma associated with these tunnels to kill his enemies, giving more substance to the climax. Like the fourth Rambo film, it might seem like I am reading too much into Last Blood, but again, I believe the critics are not reading enough into it, or acknowledging the story's thematic foundation.

    Written by Stallone and Matt Cirulnick, Last Blood does enough to build palpable relationships between the characters, creating a sense of humanity amid the chaos. Furthermore, it helps that the scenes between Rambo and Gabrielle feel genuine as opposed to perfunctory, including a standout moment in which Rambo delivers an emotional speech to his niece at the end of the second act. Now in his early 70s, Stallone confidently slips back into his iconic role, playing a world-weary Rambo who struggles to keep a lid on his animalistic instincts. Thankfully, the movie resists the temptation to give Rambo a younger protégé, with Last Blood remaining Stallone's show from start to end. Proficient support is provided by Monreal and Barraza, while Peris-Mencheta is a credible villain. Additionally, like the fourth film's depiction of Myanmar, the scenes involving violence and prostitution in Mexico are nihilistic and grim, making it all the more satisfying when Rambo finally unleashes hell upon the cartel army. However, one story element which feels short-changed is the subplot involving Carmen, while Gabrielle's father is oddly insignificant as well, though any further material involving either character would probably be too generic and slow down the narrative.

    Last Blood adopts a stark tonal change, feeling more like Logan, Sicario or Unforgiven than the jingoistic, cheesy Regan-era Rambo sequels of the 1980s. Although Rambo does not hesitate to carry out violent acts, this follow-up is not as action-packed as its predecessors, with most of the carnage reserved for the big climax, which is perhaps the most vicious, violent set-piece of the series to date. First Blood memorably showed us Rambo's ingenuity with guerrilla warfare, but he refrained from actually killing, while the sequels involved Rambo being on the offensive as he wasted countless enemies with large weapons. In Last Blood, we finally get to see Rambo unleash his guerrilla training to kill, and it is truly a sight to behold. Under Grunberg's focused direction, the final ten minutes or so amount to a taut succession of gory slayings, showing that Rambo is still a relentless one-man force to be feared. Moreover, the R rating is pushed to its boundaries, showing the gory consequences of Rambo's traps as he becomes a slasher movie antagonist, swiftly moving around his tunnel network as he mercilessly slaughters the cartel intruders. When Rambo cuts loose, it's heart-pounding cinema, sure to provoke goosebumps and foot stomping. It is also more impactful directly because of the lengthy build-up preceding it. Meanwhile, Brian Tyler returns as composer, reusing a few recognisable cues and making astute use of the iconic Rambo theme. This is not Tyler at his best, but the music ramps up the intensity and underscores the emotion effectively.

    Contrasted against the cheap, straight-to-video Escape Plan sequels, Rambo: Last Blood carries appreciable gravitas, while the story's execution is effectively sincere. It is a formulaic movie from a narrative standpoint, while villains are predictably cartoonish, but there are some unexpected plot developments which feel appropriate given the subject matter, and it creates a satisfying ending for Rambo nearly forty years after the release of First Blood. It is not on the same level as First Blood (not many movies are), and it lacks the urgency of the fourth instalment, but it still delivers the goods, even without Rambo's trademark long hair and bandana (and even with some mediocre digital effects). Be sure to stick around for the first part of the end credits, as it recaps the franchise and adds more to Last Blood's ending.

    Rambo: Last Blood was cut to 89 minutes by Lionsgate, who removed an extended opening storm sequence, more dialogue, and another angle to Rambo's PTSD which deepens his character. The longer version was released internationally, including in Australia. However, since Roadshow source their 4K discs from overseas, this 4K Ultra HD disc only contains the truncated version, which may be a deal breaker for some.

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Transfer Quality

Video

    According to IMDb's technical information, Rambo: Last Blood was captured at 5K resolution using RED cameras and was completed with a native 4K digital intermediate, making it ideal for a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release. This is the same disc that was prepared and released by Lionsgate in the United States; therefore, Roadshow was not involved in the encoding or authoring process. Placed on a dual-layered BD-66, Lionsgate presents Last Blood in 2160p using the HEVC/H.265 video codec, framed at its original aspect ratio of 2.40:1. Since this is the shorter 89-minute cut, a BD-66 is sufficient to accommodate the movie as well as the extras, resulting in an average video bitrate above 50 Mbps - while the Dolby Vision High Dynamic Range enhancement layer amplifies the video bitrate to 60 Mbps, ensuring there are no compression anomalies. As great as Roadshow's 1080p Blu-ray does look, the 4K disc undeniably ups the ante in terms of textures, highlights and colours, making it all the more disheartening that we're stuck with the truncated version on 4K.

    First things first, as stated in my review of the Blu-ray, there are numerous problems baked into Last Blood's digital intermediate, as such shortcomings were readily apparent in the theatrical DCP exhibited in cinemas during the movie's theatrical run. Most noticeably, the occasional drone shots (see 23:50 or 64:47) are soft and lacking in refinement, while such shots also exhibit severe aliasing and other artefacts. There are other soft-looking shots throughout (see a medium shot of Gabrielle at 7:49, a close-up of Hugo at 74:25, or the external shots of the tunnel explosion at 74:50), in addition to shots with distracting, ugly, blocky video noise. Furthermore, digital noise reduction was applied at the source level, and therefore, several facial close-ups look smeary and smooth, lacking in precise fine detail. See facial close-ups of Gabrielle when she confronts her father, or pretty much the entire sequence between Rambo and Gizelle in her darkened home at the 27-minute mark. Some shots carry more refined source noise - such as a scene at 18:00, or Rambo and Gizelle outside the club at the 29-minute mark - and it's therefore even more apparent when DNR has been applied haphazardly. It's a shame that none of the source-related shortcomings could be rectified, because the transfer looks d*** great at its best (just look at the close-up of Stallone at 2:39). But unfortunately, the transfer often switches between the excellent and the mediocre, with a few poor-looking shots scattered throughout to boot. Plus, all of the source-related issues are all the more apparent in 2160p.

    With these problems aside, there is much to admire about this 2160p transfer. Indeed, the native 4K finish is evident and beneficial. Texturally, this is a solid improvement over the 1080p Blu-ray, looking tighter and carrying more "pop", while the presentation is also razor-sharp more often than not. Especially when the lighting is generous, there is plenty of fine detail to behold on faces, clothing, landscapes and brickwork, while the use of HDR brings out more highlights and specular detail all-round. Skies, for instance, are better defined, while detail around harsh light sources is brought back with ease. Additionally, thanks to the improved resolution and superior video codec, source noise looks more refined, serving to augment the textures on display. (See Rambo confronting the cartel at the 35-minute mark, for instance.) Facial hair is gorgeously defined, particularly Stallone's subtle stubble, while object delineation is superb. Close-ups usually fare the best, such as coverage of Rambo and Hugo at the 38-minute mark when Rambo has been beaten and bruised. In fact, the 2160p transfer is not exactly flattering towards Stallone, with 4K capturing the intricacies of his aged face. Additionally, it's worth pointing out that the archival Vietnam newsreel footage towards the beginning of the movie is rough as hell, with serious video artefacts, but that's not a fault of the filmmakers.

    As previously outlined, this 4K disc contains a Dolby Vision HDR grade, though the movie will play in regular old HDR10 on non-DV equipment. The Dolby Vision presentation is superior (though it's not a significant difference), and therefore this review specifically concentrates on the Dolby Vision grade. Instantly, colours pop all the more thanks to the use of HDR, with added vibrancy and inkier blacks, which also results in improved contrast and image depth. The neon-soaked streets of Mexico look deeper and more accurate, the colourful club lighting is better emphasised, and there's more vibrancy to the landscape surrounding Rambo's ranch. Flames and explosions, too, look more lifelike and hotter with HDR. However, there is virtually no dynamic range in the drone shots, which still look flat and sometimes blown out, in addition to lacking in contrast and depth - not even Dolby Vision can change that. Meanwhile, in terms of Lionsgate's encode, I was unable to detect any flaws or shortcomings. There are further source-related issues, such as a spot of macroblocking at 60:14 (at the bottom right of the screen, in some headlights), or some banding in the rifle flashlights during the climax, but the encode does not introduce any additional flaws - no extra aliasing, ringing, or other compression artefacts were detected. As long as you can accept that there are issues at the source level, Rambo: Last Blood is a nice-looking 4K Ultra HD disc for the most part, which trumps the 1080p Blu-ray with ease.

    Subtitles are included in English (for the hearing impaired) and Spanish. There are also burnt-in English subtitles for the Spanish dialogue. Sampling the English subtitle track, I had no problems - it's well-formatted and easy to read.

*Video Ratings Summary*
Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    There are several audio options on this disc. There's the main attraction, an English Dolby Atmos track, as well as a lossy English Dolby Digital 2.0 track ("optimised for late-night listening"), a Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 mix, and a Descriptive Audio track. However, I do not have a full Atmos set-up, and therefore cannot comment on the overhead activity. Still, from the beginning, this is an impressive audio mix that's free of source-related or encoding anomalies - it's crystal clear, impactful, and bursting with dynamic range. Indeed, the surround sound usage is excellent, creating an immersive soundtrack. The score cue over the initial Rambo: Last Blood title card fills all available channels, while Rambo's PTSD flashbacks of Vietnam in the tunnels likewise shows superb surround activity. Atmospherics are excellent and omnipresent, from the chirping of crickets outside Rambo's ranch at night, to wind during daytime external scenes, the hustle and bustle of the streets of Mexico, subtle ambience in the underground tunnels, and music during Gabrielle's party at the 6-minute mark. At no point does the Atmos track sounds too limp or underwhelming, as no expense was spared during the mixing process. I had to crank up the volume a bit higher than for the DTS-HD MA 5.1 track on the Blu-ray, but that's not an issue.

    Like the 5.1 track, I occasionally felt that dialogue is a bit too low, though I believe the Atmos track is superior in this respect. There are no issues with prioritisation, as dialogue is always comprehensible no matter the environment. And believe me, there are no issues when it comes to the action beats. Rambo stabbing the scout in the leg at the 32-minute mark before breaking his collarbone is accompanied with vicious, impactful, gory sounds to underscore the scene's impact. Every gunshot, stabbing and explosion sounds superb, thanks to smart subwoofer use and low-frequency effects. When Rambo forges blades in his tunnels, the hammering is deafening. This is also true of scenes like Rambo preparing his tunnels with traps, from hammering things into place to firing arrows. The big explosion at 66:55 is deafening, with staggeringly effective LFE. Also see Rambo firing a shotgun at 68:54. The track roars to life during the climactic action set-piece, which is beset with vicious sound effects, while Brian Tyler's score comes through all channels with pristine clarity. Also, separation and panning effects are used when Rambo plays The Doors' "Five to One" in the tunnels.

    Aside from the occasionally low dialogue, Last Blood's Dolby Atmos mix is a winner in virtually every conceivable way. This is the type of track which will have your neighbours pounding on your door, telling you to turn it down.

*Audio Ratings Summary*
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

The 4K disc contains the same selection of extras available on Roadshow's standard Blu-ray, though it adds a theatrical trailer (and the extras are formatted differently). The lack of a Stallone audio commentary track remains a considerable disappointment. Perhaps we'll get a double-dip further down the line with the extended cut on 4K, plus a Stallone commentary.

Drawing Last Blood: Multi Part Production Diary (HD; 50:20)

Assembled by Lionsgate's to-go special features creator, Cliff Stephenson, here we have a 50-minute production diary, which is packed with insightful behind-the-scenes footage to reveal how Last Blood was created. Curiously, though perhaps deliberately, the making of the storm sequence is not covered - maybe that'll be saved for a double-dip. No direct-to-camera interviews are included; this is wall-to-wall on-set footage, with voiceovers from a variety of participants (including Stallone, Grunberg, Yvette Monreal, Paz Vega and producers Kevin King Templeton and Les Weldon) to discuss the production. It's worth noting that an introduction is only included if you hit the "Play All" function. It's broken into the following:

New Blood (7:44) - This first segment reveals the scenes that were shot during the first week of production in October 2018. The on-set footage is accompanied with cast and crew voiceovers; the commentators go over bringing Grunberg onto the movie (Templeton mentions that he and Sly liked Get the Gringo), the approach to the production, and locations used to double for Mexico, among other things.
Something To Fight For (6:38) - Featuring on-set footage from the second week of production, this featurette covers the real-world implications of the sex trafficking world, which is an ongoing concern in Mexico. Stallone, Grunberg, as well as actors Monreal and Vega provide voiceovers which accompany the extensive behind-the-scenes footage.
Heaven Above/Hell Below (13:27) - Week three of production switches to Rambo's Arizona ranch. Several commentators, including Grunberg and production designer Franco-Giacomo Carbone, discuss the process of scouting locations in both Bulgaria and the Canary Islands, and subsequently constructing the ranch (as well as the extensive tunnels) from scratch in a short period of time.
Forged In Hellfire (13:12) - Now we get to the fun part: the action. Chronicling week four of the shoot, which stretches into November of 2018, this production diary looks at Rambo's underground knife-forging, as well as his preparation and execution of the tunnel ambush. The behind-the-scenes footage is excellent, showing the extent of the practical effects (including practical blood squibs) as well as how moments like the heart rip were filmed. Second unit director Vern Nobles is also on hand for insightful comments. If anything, this one is too short - I wish it was twice as long.
Nothing Is Over (8:31) - This final production diary featurette covers the legacy of the Rambo character, and closing the franchise. The cast and crew all seem proud of their efforts, and Stallone has much to say about the film's emotionality. (There's even some behind-the-scenes footage of the filming of the final drone shot which closes the film.) Those who've dismissed the movie might get another perspective after watching these behind-the-scenes featurettes.

From First Note To Last Blood: Music For The Massacres (HD; 17:22)

The final featurette on this disc concentrates on the original score, composed by Brian Tyler. This amounts to an extended interview with Tyler in his studio, who talks us through his Last Blood compositions, including how he harkened back to the previous Rambo he composed for, and paid homage to Jerry Goldsmith.

Theatrical Trailer (HD; 1:09)

And finally, we have the best trailer from the movie's marketing campaign.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

As stated previously, this is the same 4K disc that Lionsgate prepared for the movie's home video release in the U.S. and the United Kingdom. 4K discs with the extended international version are set to land next year, in France and Germany; however, it remains to be seen if these discs contain subtitles for the Spanish dialogue. At the present time, with Roadshow's set containing the extended version on 1080p Blu-ray, this is the winner.

Summary

It took a beating from the critics, and didn't exactly light the box office on fire, but for my money, Rambo: Last Blood is a solid revenge movie that's worth watching for Rambo fans and genre enthusiasts alike. It's nasty and violent as hell, but there's also more heart and effort than the usual B-movie.

With the benefit of a native 4K finish, Last Blood is a winner on Ultra HD Blu-ray, with a superb transfer that handily bests the 1080p Blu-ray in several areas. The Dolby Atmos soundtrack is excellent, and should leave audiophiles satisfied. Throw in a robust collection of behind-the-scenes featurettes, and this set comes recommended, though I'm still disappointed that the 4K disc only contains the shorter cut.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

Review Equipment
DVD	Sony UBP-X700 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player, using HDMI output
Display	LG OLED65E6T. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 2160p.
Audio Decoder	Built in to amplifier/receiver. This audio decoder/receiver has not been calibrated.
Amplification	Samsung Series 7 HT-J7750W
Speakers	Samsung Tall Boy speakers, 7.1 set-up

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