Rambo is one of the most famous movie series of all time. Starring Sylvester Stallone as the titular Rambo, the series is a violent and intense action franchise that features some of the most insane and over the top kill-counts in movie history.
It is due to this intense violence and action that the series is one of the most loved and popular action movie franchises of all time, with the most recent film in the franchise being released in 2019. This article will list 10 of the most interesting behind the scenes facts in the Rambo franchise.
Broken Nose
Due to the fact that Rambo is an action movie franchise, there are bound to be several injuries that occurred during filming, largely due to the number of dangerous and intense stunts that actors and stuntmen are required to do.
One of the more notable injuries during the first film occurred when Sylvester Stallone accidentally broke Alf Humphrey’s nose during filming, which is why his character is seen wearing a bandaid during the film.
Stallone Hated The Original Cut
Stallone has consistently echoed the fan and critics’ belief that the first Rambo movie is the best in the franchise. What is interesting to learn, then, is that Stallone and his agent absolutely despised the first cut of the film, with Stallone wanting to buy the rights to the film so he could destroy the cut.
Fortunately, however, the film was heavily edited and cut down to a 90-minute runtime, which made the film far better in the process.
David Morrell Hated Last Blood
Some may not be aware that Rambo is based on a series of novels by the author, David Morrell. While Morrell has expressed his enjoyment of some films in the franchise, in particular 2008’s Rambo, he has also been critical of the film adaptations.
Most recently, David Morrell has said stated that he absolutely despised 2019’s Rambo: Last Blood, a sentiment that was shared by critics and fans alike.
Rambo Was Banned In Myanmar
2008’s Rambo was set in Burma, or Myanmar as the state is currently now known, and due to the film’s subject matter the Myanmar Government banned the film for its portrayal of the country.
Despite the fact that the movie was banned both theatrically and on DVD, the film was popular in Myanmar as a boot-leg film.
Rambo II Struggled To Find Asian Extras
Rambo II saw the titular Rambo return to the Vietnamese jungles in order to rescue some American prisoners of war. However, despite being set in Vietnam, most of the filming took place in Mexico.
As a result, the crew struggled to find the Asian extras necessary to make the setting feel believable. As a result, the crew had to visit local Asian restaurants in order to find extras for the movie.
The Only Rambo To Receive An Oscar Nomination
Despite the fact that the second film in the Rambo franchise is one of Stallone’s and the critic’s least favorite in the series, it was also the only Rambo movie to actually receive an Academy Award nomination.
The 1985 film was nominated for best sound editing at the Academy Awards. While not one of the ‘sexiest’ nominations to receive, it still makes it an Oscar-nominated movie.
Fake Fan
Sylvester Stallone is one of the biggest action stars of all time, so it would come as no surprise that he bumps into his fans every now and again. During the filming of the first Rambo movie, Stallone recounted that he met a girl in a bar who pretended to be a fan of his in order to get a free round of drinks.
Stallone recounted this story in the DVD commentary of First Blood, highlighting how it inspired a similar scene in Rocky Balboa.
Rambo’s Horse
Sylvester Stallone is, as a surprise to some, a talented horse rider. The actor even competed in his first game of polo at age 11. Perhaps as a result of this, Rambo III features a scene in which Rambo rides a horse. However, this horse is kind of famous in its own way.
The horse that Rambo rides in the movie also appeared in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, making the horse a big movie star!
Helicopter Blade
Accidents happen on film sets all the time and the Rambo franchise was no exception. During the filming of Rambo III, Sylvester Stallone had a very close call with a spinning helicopter blade. If contact would have been made, the American actor would’ve been decapitated.
Fortunately, Stallone managed to avoid having his head separated from his shoulders and even joked about the event later, saying ‘at least I’d have saved a fortune on haircuts.’
Guinness World Record
The Rambo movies have a reputation for being laden with murder and violence, with the titular Rambo murdering countless people during the events of every movie. However, Rambo III was known for taking this violence to the extreme.
In fact, the death in Rambo III was so over the top that the Guinness World Records recognized the film as being the most violent film (at the time) with over 108 deaths recorded.
