John Rambo is a killing machine who has difficulty going out to the local grocery store to pick up a few bags of milk without snapping. He’s been through Hell and back as a veteran of the Vietnam war, but that’s only where his troubles begin. Following his return back to the States, he came apart at the seams and nearly killed a ton of state troopers, only to be stopped by his former C.O.
Rambo’s adventures following that fateful moment ended up thrusting him into a series of situations he really didn’t want to get involved in, which meant he’d have to kill people. A lot of people! Here are 10 of the most brutal kills in the Rambo movie franchise. Think you can stomach it?
The “Gotcha!” Missile (Rambo: First Blood, Part II / 1985)
After a lengthy helicopter battle between Rambo and the main antagonist, Colonel Podovsky, the former executes a scheme to fake a hard landing in order to draw him closer to the kill. Rambo plays possum, pretending to be unconscious in the pilot’s seat, while Podovsky prepares to finish him off.
However, it’s all a ruse to lull him into a false sense of victory. Rambo comes alive, sticking a missile launcher out of the front window and firing away, obliterating Podovsky’s HIND gunship in mid-air.
The Mud Takedown (Rambo: First Blood, Part II / 1985)
Long before Predator made mud camouflage a thing, Rambo had already pioneered the tactic as a means of rendering himself invisible to those with less-than-keen eyesight.
First Blood, Part II features a scene with an unlucky Russian soldier failing to spot Rambo covered head to toe in mud against a wall-face. The moment he turns his back, Rambo’s one eye opens, zoning in on his target for a brutal knife takedown to the chest!
Hammer Smashed Face(s) (Rambo: Last Blood / 2019)
Rambo proved that he didn’t need sophisticated weaponry to dish out death and destruction on his enemies. Sometimes, a simple hammer from the local hardware store can do the job. After finding out where his beloved Gabrielle is being held, he infiltrates the compound and discovers an illicit human trafficking ring where young girls are drugged and raped by nefarious clients.
Enraged, Rambo beats multiple bad guys to death with a series of hammer blows to their skulls, dispatching each one in grisly fashion. One bad dude gets his comeuppance when Rambo nails him in the genitals first, before cracking him right in the skull, ending his immoral days once and for all.
The Grenade With A Real Kick (Rambo III / 1988)
Rambo proved why it’s a bad idea to have hand grenades dangling off one’s tactical vest. It turns out they’re more trouble than they’re worth. During a brutal fight with a rather large and imposing Russian bear, Rambo gets caught in a crushing hug that threatens to break his back.
His last recourse is to pull the pin on one of the grenades attached to the soldier’s vest, freaking the attacker out long enough to drop Rambo. Before he can react, Rambo rises up and leaps into the air with a reverse-kick, knocking the soldier down a pitfall to explode mid-air inside a cave.
Machete Kills, Again (Rambo / 2008)
When you’re the head honcho responsible for the brutal oppression of citizens, the rape and torture of innocent women and children, and a host of other horrid crimes on your rap sheet, you’re bound to get some bad karma in the end. That’s what happened to Major Pa Tee Tint after Rambo and his ragtag mercenary team beat the snot out of his forces in Burma.
With no backup, the naughty Major attempted to flee the carnage, only to be cut off at the pass by Rambo, who was waiting for him behind a tree. Catching him with a bowie knife to the stomach, Rambo emerged from behind the tree to face his opponent before disemboweling him right there on the jungle floor. It’s one of the most brutal kills in the entire franchise!
Pipe Down! (Rambo: Last Blood / 2019)
After luring Hugo Martinez’s men into his makeshift underground tunnel system, Rambo begins killing them off in a spectacularly bloody fashion by utilizing a series of booby traps. In between the carnage, he gets up close and personal with several of them, executing his enemies with throwing knives, shotguns and more.
One particularly brutal kill features a henchman who gets a bit too curious for his own good. Rambo shoves a steel pipe through a hole in the rock wall, which goes right through the baddie’s head like a ripe melon.
The Throat Tear (Rambo / 2008)
2008’s Rambo saw our hero escorting a group of Christian missionaries into Burma for humanitarian work, only for them to get captured by the ruthless and brutal Tatmadaw Army, where they are kept in a prison camp and subjected to horrible torture.
When Rambo goes behind enemy lines to rescue them, he dispatches the military personnel in the camp with a number of grotesque kills, the most notorious featuring him ripping the throat out of a would-be rapist in particularly gory fashion.
.50 Caliber Blood-Fest (Rambo / 2008)
The final act of Rambo finds the character going up against the full force of the Tatmadaw Army in war-torn Burma, and he wasn’t afraid to use their own weaponry against them. After decimating a ton of their soldiers, Rambo hops on the back of a truck equipped with a .50 caliber machine gun, making tomato paste out of countless foes.
The scene is notoriously brutal for its raw realism, featuring the .50 cal tearing through bodies, cutting them in half, knocking limbs off, and sending heads flying. The fellow who got it worst however, was undoubtedly the driver! No identifying his remains without dental records … if that!
Take A “Bow” (Rambo: First Blood, Part II / 1985)
While fleeing enemy forces deep in the jungle, Rambo stumbles upon a guy with a shot worse than every Stormtrooper in the Imperial army. After expending his AK’s magazine, the enemy soldier starts firing long-range at Rambo with a pistol, while he in turn casually draws an explosive arrow from his satchel, and takes aim.
With pinpoint accuracy, Rambo fires the arrow, which explodes on contact. The scene was hilariously lampooned by ‘Weird’ Al Yankovic in his cult classic, UHF.
Stick Around (Rambo: Last Blood / 2019)
The death of Gabrielle at the hands of Hugo Martinez’s awful human trafficking ring meant that payback had to be severe. After tormenting Martinez by killing off his entire hit squad, he lures him out into the open for one final face-off. Martinez is unprepared for Rambo’s cunning skill and finds himself stuck to a barn door after he’s pierced with several arrows.
Immobilized and in agony, Martinez can only watch in horror as Rambo approaches, drawing his bowie knife and stabbing him in the chest, before cutting an L across his torso, then ripping his still-beating heart out for Martinez to see, before he dies. Definitely over the top!
