Ain't It Cool News: The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news.

Moriarty’s DVD Shelf! Round Two! MAGNUM FORCE VS. RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II!!

Best Part of the Whole Rambo Series by Autodidact	Jun 17th, 2008 08:56:20 AM
Is in part II, when he's being forced to radio out to his commanding officers. There is a lightning strike, the camera goes in tight on Rambo's fist as it curls taught around the heavy, vintage lead microphone. You can see every bead of sweat on Rambo's forearm and hear the sinew pop as he tightens his grip on the microphone. The music goes quiet except for some reedy "80's action" sounds, and then BOOM Rambo goes bugnuts! To me, that's as good as action cinema gets.
Where the fuck is ANDY RICHTER RULES THE UNIVERSE?! by Uncle Stan	Jun 17th, 2008 08:58:10 AM

Damn You Michael Bay by MCMLXXVI	Jun 17th, 2008 09:05:26 AM
Damn You Michael Bay
Dirty Harry would kick Bambos ass any day by PR1C3Y	Jun 17th, 2008 09:06:03 AM
fact.
Dirty Harry v John Rambo is actually plausible.. by A G	Jun 17th, 2008 09:08:52 AM
..20 years ago I mean.
I hated the ending of Rambo 2 by moondoggy2u	Jun 17th, 2008 09:22:00 AM
I mean, really, pointing the rocket at the helicopter WHILE HE IS INSIDE A HELICOPTER AND HAS PEOPLE SITTING RIGHT BEHIND HIM. That scene was so implausable to me that it ruined an otherwise great action film.
You're right, Harry by moondoggy2u	Jun 17th, 2008 10:07:50 AM
By itself, Rambo 2 is a really great 80s action film and, within the confines of the action genre, a relatively smart take on things. The first Rambo, however, is more of a drama: a "Fugitive" for vets. Oh sure, it has a bit more action than most drams, but just think about how many times the characters sat down and talked with another about the issues concerning the Vietnam Vets? Yeah, the first Rambo isn't exactly Shakespeare, but there were some serious issues being dealt with in that movie that were overlooked by civilians of the era, whereas Rambo 2 was just an 80s action fest whose sole issue was "rescue the vets."
I've gotta disagree by ziggy5yrs	Jun 17th, 2008 10:08:10 AM
Though I haven't seen First Blood part II in years, I don't think a rewatch would make me prefer it to the sheer awesomeness that is Magnum Force. It's a little uneven, but come on! It forces Dirty Harry to go up against the flip side of exactly what he is. Also, a naked Suzanne Sommers gets shot. And all the weird gay subtext between the cop vigilantes...it's just too good.
Weird gay subtext?? by moondoggy2u	Jun 17th, 2008 10:12:21 AM
Hey, as long as they can shoot like that, I wouldn't care if the entire department was queer!
The problem with this order is that the by Lost Jarv	Jun 17th, 2008 10:14:31 AM
Dirty Harry sequels get exponentially crapper until the Dead Pool sucks like a dyson. Rambo 2 and 3 are far better and Rambo 4 destroys DH4.
Gay Subtext? Ask XIPHOS, that guy LOVES blue films!!! by shogunshin	Jun 17th, 2008 10:17:26 AM

CGI Dirty Harry Vs, Rambo by David Cloverfield	Jun 17th, 2008 10:19:58 AM
Think about it. It makes sense. It's the 70s. Rambo just arrives back to the US from Nam he is crazy and tears shit up in San Francisco, behaving like a punk. DH doesn't like that one bit. Do it till they're both alive to do the voices!
I can't believe they killed Harry's chick partner by Spandau Belly	Jun 17th, 2008 10:21:21 AM
in The Enforcer. That was hilarious! Plus Harry busting out a rocket launcher for a big showdown on Alcatraz was pretty absurdtastic. However I'll actually the Death Wish series over Dirty Harry or Rambo.
I should give them a tie. by Nice Marmot	Jun 17th, 2008 10:26:51 AM
They're both poor sequels. But I guess I'd give it to Rambo, since I categorize it as so-bad-its-good & funny. That said, I hate to admit that, upon rewatching First Blood, I agree w/ anyone who thinks it falls apart once the weekend warriors blow up the mine entrance. I realize this comment belongs in the other talk-back.
Rambo 2 turned John Rambo into a cartoon by DEX	Jun 17th, 2008 10:29:59 AM
Just like Sly did with the Rocky series, he started with a good movie and as the series continued, he made it more and more cartoonish (even if they were occasionally entertaining). I agree with ziggy5yrs in that Magnum Force had a fantastic concept! It was probably the last really good Dirty Harry movie - Dead Pool needs to be erased from existence.
"That’s the danger in any sequel when you work too hard to repea by rev_skarekroe	Jun 17th, 2008 10:31:33 AM
And that's the problem with Darabont's Indy script right there.
Magnum Force by skimn	Jun 17th, 2008 10:40:27 AM
I did always love the scene where Harry is hanging on the hood of the car, just before the car rams into a pole, impaling the drivers side. I remember when it was a big deal between Eastwood and Reynolds doing their own stunts in the '70s.
Death Wish 3 is the best Death Wish by Spandau Belly	Jun 17th, 2008 10:40:27 AM
It turns into an urban Rambo movie at the end. In fact, I doubt John Rambo himself would even believe his own eyes if he walked into that. So yeah, Death Wish is the best of them oldschool action series that just get more and more absurd and turn out more sequels than you'd have ever thought possible. Then you get into the next generation and I'll definately take Lethal Weapon as an overall series over Die Hard. But maybe the first Die Hard film is better than the first Lethal Weapon film. But I also consider Lethal Weapon 2 the best Lethal movie.
"Magnum Force" really does feel like a TV show. by rev_skarekroe	Jun 17th, 2008 10:41:33 AM
But that may be because it seems like it's always showing on TV.
Awesome Two Face Clip Online by fassbinder79	Jun 17th, 2008 10:45:08 AM
http://www.comingsoon.net/news /movienews.php?id=46009
Mel's One thing I love today... by Mel Gibsteinberg	Jun 17th, 2008 10:59:25 AM
When people say "not to be a dick, but..." and then go on to be exactly that. I love it, its such a great qualifier, because I realize that with that power, I CAN DO ANYTHING! For example, at work from now on, I will just tell my co-worker Sally, "hey honey, not to be a dick, but your poon stanks! time to hit up that Summer's Eve Tropical Rain douche. Or how bout, "hey Ralph, not to be an asshole, but Sheila in accounting says you got a small johnson, just thought you should know everyone is talking about you and your microscopic wang!" See, by saying, not to be a dick, I am untouchable, cause I told them, I wasn't being a dick! Therefore, my actions following, are not dickish, they are fine and acceptable. Thank you Mori, you have taught me a valuable lesson!
I want to see the replay by Vern	Jun 17th, 2008 11:44:34 AM
I gotta disagree with this decision. Maybe MAGNUM FORCE isn't the hardhitting exploration of police accountability that it could've been, but it DOES take the bold step of challenging the hugely popular themes of the first movie. RAMBO doesn't challenge the audience but pampers it like a fucking baby, projecting the first movie's concern for vets into a moronic cartoon world where instead of an emotionally vulnerable killing machine Rambo is a super-powered mass murdering God who can not only single-handedly take on an army, but can refight the Vietnam war to recapture America's soul. I'm not sure why they didn't have him swing by South Africa to end apartheid. And then he could do a tour of the states massacring drug gangs while healing the wounds left over from the civil war. Don't get me wrong, I like it because it's a fuckin ridiculous movie. But MAGNUM FORCE is a smarter sequel that honors the first one better than this one does. It recaptures what was fun about the first one while putting a new spin on it. And there's an awesome motorcycle chase. Rambo doesn't even know how to ride a motorcycle.
Moriarty, are you crazy!? by DC Films	Jun 17th, 2008 11:47:07 AM
These movie are incomparable! Rambo is a brainless turd compared to it's predecessor, First Blood - that was a great movie, Rambo morphed the set-up into a shallow bang-bang crapfest! (Rambo 3 was worse still, while John Rambo re-injected some of the broken-heart and adventure, but remained weighed down by it's need for gore-spectacle and body count). Magnum Force is a great sequel. Not quite up there with it's predecessor, but almost - a worthy script that delves more deeply into the original's anti-establishment themes. It turns the tables on Clint's character, saying, OK, Harry, we know you're a badass, but where do you draw the line - that keeps him human. It's a genius turnaround for a sequel to pull (making HIM the establishment investigating cops not much more rogue than himself). Rambo is the lame duck at the funfair that's nailed to the target, so you know it'll never fall down, no matter how many times you shoot it. Magnum Force is the Ghost Train with intellectual as well as visceral scares. Are you seriously comparing these films, Moriarty?
Thank you Vern by ziggy5yrs	Jun 17th, 2008 11:47:31 AM
See? I wanted to say that, but you knew how.
Moriarity by fassbinder79	Jun 17th, 2008 11:56:41 AM
I just saw him on Attack Of The Show a little while ago. He said Hellboy 2 was better than the first (great news since I enjoyed the first film - although I am incredibly disappointed that Hyde Pierce isn't back) and Del Toro's best commercial film so far....But he said that he had heard that Dark Night was "good". Just "good"....Not great? This summer has really sucked for me movie wise and I know I am not the only person who feels this way. If Dark Night is only going to be "good" and not AMAZING then I'm in big trouble. But everything I've seen of the film so far has me really excited. And Prestige is one of the best films I've seen in recent memory.
If Magnum Force by George Peppard	Jun 17th, 2008 12:12:22 PM
feels like a TV show, wait until The Enforcer. Anyway, what some call "unfocused and meandering" I call "A Week in The Life of Harry Callahan". Magnum Force is swell. Rambo II was just ripped off from Uncommon Valor.
Vern... didn't you see First Blood? by Fawst	Jun 17th, 2008 12:34:44 PM
He rode that dirt bike like Jenna Jameson rides a cock. WITH TALENT. Trust me, the man can ride a motorcycle.
Magnum Force had the hotter Asian chick by Tacom	Jun 17th, 2008 12:39:14 PM
Both had real hot Asian women but Harry's neighbor wins hands down with that line: "So what does a girl have to do to go to bed with you?"
magnum force has charlie mccoy by Porrohman	Jun 17th, 2008 12:51:37 PM
"AM I RIGHT??" ;)
Rambo 5 might turn the tide by Spandau Belly	Jun 17th, 2008 01:00:59 PM
Right now of Dirty Harry, Rambo, and Death Wish I'm going with Death Wish as best overall series even though I think Rambo got a bit more inventive and absurd in its sequels and all four Rambos are in my opinion good films, but Death Wish appeals more to my sensibilities and the absurd urban violence of parts 3 - 5 was hysterical. The first three DWs are the best, but those last two are funny too. And I think Death Wish and Rambo have more in common in that the first of both of those series were more serious statements and the lead characters had internal struggles, whereas Dirty Harry was more of an action hero right out of the gate and had a couple weak films. However Rambo's not done. Rambo 4 wasn't a bookend film like Rocky 6 was, but I didn't mind. I was happy to see another real Rambo film after so long. But I get the feeling Rambo 5 will be that meaningful bookend film and might bring the overall series up a couple notches in book.
RAMBO II was awesome by Second Try	Jun 17th, 2008 02:32:18 PM
One the best action movies of the 80s. The ending was great too. To me the second best in the series was Rambo 4, great film too.
Don't forget to thank Cameron's Rambo script by canucklehead	Jun 17th, 2008 02:33:47 PM
That's the reason the film rolls out with so much momentum. Not to mention some of the corniest moments. My favorite: taking his girlfriend's good luck charm after she's been ripped up by machine guns.
Rambo doesn't ride motorcycles by Second Try	Jun 17th, 2008 02:34:34 PM
He rides machine guns.
stormeyes447 by DC Films	Jun 17th, 2008 03:51:58 PM
Pre-production - looks to be set in New Mexico/Arizona
Total Team America moment in Rambo II... by Nasty In The Pasty	Jun 17th, 2008 04:29:55 PM
...when Sly finally kisses his Vietnamese girlfrind...only to have her riddled with bullets and dying in his arms less than TEN SECONDS LATER. Hilarious...
Sudden Impact is the best DH sequel by wash	Jun 17th, 2008 05:07:08 PM
I thought everyone knew this?
Sudden Impact has a great first half... by moondoggy2u	Jun 17th, 2008 05:18:28 PM
but then gets bogged down with all the ex-Mrs. Eastwood garbage. For my money, Magnum Force is the best sequel.
The Gauntlet was the best Dirty Harry Sequel by moondoggy2u	Jun 17th, 2008 05:20:46 PM
and everybody knows that. Oh, sure, everyone keeps calling Harry Shockley, but I figure he was just undercover....
Not even Blade II, WhinyNegativeBitch? by Gilkuliehe	Jun 17th, 2008 06:15:39 PM
Somebody's gonna take your geek credentials away, man. Well, with that talkback name nobody's gonna say you didn't warn us.
moondoggy2u by DC Films	Jun 17th, 2008 06:22:14 PM
I agree. And Gilkuliehe, you're right - Blade 2 is one of the best sequels ever - it's like John Carpenter changed his name to Del Toro and could make great movies again!
Leonard Part 7 might turn the tide by Iowa Snot Client	Jun 17th, 2008 06:37:28 PM
Right now of Dirty Harry, Rambo, Death Wish, and Leonard, I'm going with Leonard as best overall series.
MAGNUM FORCE is dee best mon by g-ride9000	Jun 17th, 2008 07:25:20 PM
Rambo II. es caca
Magnum Force by nolan bautista	Jun 17th, 2008 08:37:48 PM
..didnt Suzanne Sommers appear topless in it? in the hot tub scene?
Vern by mr.brownstone	Jun 17th, 2008 10:23:36 PM
You say that like it's a bad thing. Rambo II is a comic book movie plain and simple.
"a man's got to know his limitations." by otm shank	Jun 18th, 2008 01:29:45 AM
words to live by.
Jack Colby by DC Films	Jun 18th, 2008 03:43:39 AM
Sounds a lot like Aliens - maybe Camerons Rambo2 script was where his Aliens script started - wouldn't that be weird! mr.brownstone, Blade 1&2, and Batman begins are comic book and they're great. Rambo2 gives comic books a bad name.
Awesome opening title music by Schifrin by KillaKane	Jun 18th, 2008 05:58:53 AM
My fave of his 70's output, funky beefy and hooky as hell, oft copied but never bested. Think it' my favourite film of the series, formulaic aspects aside, it just kicks ass in all depts, Milius and Cimino's script is note perfect and of course there's the classic throw away line "Man's got to know his limitations"
Magnum Force, best coaster in the world! by wowsucks	Jun 18th, 2008 07:25:25 AM
:) Sorry guests at Cedar Point would always ask where Magnum Force was(Actually it was Magnum XL200, Hyper Coaster) because they would confuse it with Millennium Force (Giga Coaster, same park).. Anyways :) ...
wowsucks by Abominable Snowcone	Jun 18th, 2008 11:00:10 AM
I can't believe Magnum XL200 is like, twenty years old now. Sigh...
Vern by Abominable Snowcone	Jun 18th, 2008 11:03:17 AM
Rambo can't ride a motorcycle? Um, isn't that what he used to escape from the police station in the original?
Agree with KillaKane about Schifrin's score by Tacom	Jun 18th, 2008 11:25:39 AM
Schifrin's main title music was a great followup to the already awesome themes he wrote in the first Dirty Harry movie.
watched magnum force last week by BALTIMOREJACK	Jun 18th, 2008 01:42:47 PM
saw it for the first time in years, it used to be on almost every week when i was a kid. it still holds up, very solid movie. i love the scene when callahan first figures out its the motorcycle cops. they're in the parking garage so its very dark, and all 3 cops are on their motorcycles wearing their dark sunglasses...indoors! i love that you don't really know they're there. i like how they looked very menacing, but also very "cool". when he's told that the murdered pimp killed the hooker by pouring drain cleaner down her throat, callahan waits a beat then says "shows a certain sense of style", in only a way that eastwood can deliver the line...priceless.
Abominable Snowcone by wowsucks	Jun 18th, 2008 01:45:22 PM
Next year she will be 20. Opened in 89... Really showing her age also so stay in the front 3 trains. They really need some better seats on Mag. Right now it feels like a staring role in fight club. Cool yes, painful yes! :)
okay by Vern	Jun 18th, 2008 06:00:59 PM
Rambo can ride a motorcycle. In my zeal to criticize this travesty of justice I spread falsities about Rambo's motorcycling skills. I regret the error. However I have heard from an anonymous source that Rambo is not licensed to drive a motorycle.
What Folks Forget by Hannibal5050	Jun 19th, 2008 12:27:45 PM
Dirty Harry was so controversial for the time that they'd have never gotten away with DH going further down the vigilante path. They didn't show an uncut version on UK TV for years. I for one loved MF - the theme tune at the start with the hand holding the gun, Early's haircut, "I wouldn't care if the whole damn department was queer", the hi-jacking. Certainly a lot better than the 'oh, another nutter' episodes that came later. To my 37-yr-old-eyes, it's also dated a lot better than Rambo, which while good when it came out was quickly exposed as far-too-serious by the likes of Commando.

Talkbacks

Moriarty’s DVD Shelf! Round Two! MAGNUM FORCE VS. RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II!!

User login

Quick Talkback

Talkbacks