Rambo meets Marshal Murdock (Charles Napier), an American official who is in charge of the operation and he tells Rambo that the American civic is demanding information about the POWs and they want a skilled commando to go in and search for them. Rambo is not briefed that he is only to take pictures of the POWs and not to save them, nor is he to engage any enemy soldiers. Rambo unwillingly agrees and he is then told that an agent of the American government will be there to get him in the jungles of Vietnam.
Rambo parachutes into the Vietnamese jungles, but loses the majority of his equipment in the course and is left only with his knives, his bow, and arrows. He meets the agent, a local woman named Co-Bao (Julia Nickson) who desires to go to the United States, and who arranges for her and Rambo to go upstream with a group of river pirates. Rambo comes to the campsite, and in disagreement to his briefing, he finds American prisoners there and rescues one of them from a makeshift crucifixion. Later at the campsite, a patrol discovers a dead patrol that Rambo eliminated with a throwing knife. In reply, a large patrol goes out into the jungles in search of the (unknown to them) intruder. Rambo, Co and the American POW escape with the pirates, but are attacked by a Vietnam People's Navy gunboat and are promptly betrayed by the pirates, who fear the military's reprisals should they not assist; Rambo sends Co and the POW to safety and manages to destroy the gunboat with an RPG-7 and kill all the pirates. When Rambo calls for extraction, he is denied as Murdock doubts what will happen to him and his party if the American public come to know about it.
Rambo and the American POW are recaptured. Rambo's wrists are bound to an oxen yoke and he is lowered partly naked into a leech-infested drain. Later Rambo learns that the Soviet Army is aiding the Vietnamese and training them, and is tortured badly by a Soviet officer, Lt. Col. Podovsky (Steven Berkoff) and his silent, robust henchman Sergeant Yushin. Rambo is ordered to contact the American forces and tell them that they should not send any more commandos for rescue operations in Vietnam. in the meantime, Co enters the campsite in the guise of a prostitute and comes to the hut in which Rambo is held captive. Rambo agrees to Podovsky's situation, but instead threatens Murdock on the radio that he is "coming to get you." He then escapes from imprisonment into a close by jungle with Co's help. However, they are again attacked by some Vietnamese soldiers and Co is killed. Rambo kills them all and then buries Co's body in the jungle.
Following his escape, the camp's Soviet and Vietnamese soldiers are send to look for him. Rambo assembles his weapons, and using guerilla warfare strategy, is able to kill a large number of enemy troops. He proceeds to a small enemy camp and destroys it and several vehicles with explosive arrows. He hijacks a UH-1N Twin Huey helicopter from the Soviets after killing Sergeant Yushin and proceeds towards the POW camp. He destroys the majority of the camp with the helicopter, then lands and arms himself with the M60 machine gun that is mounted on the Huey, kills the remaining soldiers, and rescues all the POWs. They get to the helicopter and head towards the American camp in Thailand. Lt. Col. Podovsky chases them in his Mil Mi-24 helicopter gunship. Although Rambo's helicopter is a lot damaged by Podovsky's helicopter, he manages to land his helicopter on a river, then fakes his death. When Podovsky comes near him and gets careless, Rambo fires a LAW at Podovsky's chopper, obliterating it.
Rambo then returns to the base and wrecks Murdock's command center. He threatens Murdock with a knife, challenging him to find and save the remaining American POWs in Vietnam. Trautman then comforts Rambo and tries to pacify him. An angry Rambo responds that he only needs his nation to love its soldiers as much as its soldiers love it. As Rambo leaves, Trautman asks him, "How will you live, John?" To which Rambo replies, "Day by day." The film credits roll as Rambo walks off into the distance while his mentor watches him.
Overall reactions from critics were generally negative. The film earned a 29% "Rotten" rating in the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes. In the 6th Golden Raspberry Awards, the film won the award for Worst Picture, Worst Actor for Sylvester Stallone, Worst Screenplay for the story written by Kevin Jarre, the screenplay written by James Cameron and Sylvester Stallone, and characters created by David Morrell, and Worst Original Song for "Peace in Our Life" by Frank Stallone, lyrics by Stallone, and music by Stallone, Peter Schless and Jerry Goldsmith. The film was nominated for Worst Supporting Actress for Julia Nickson-Soul, the Worst Director for George Cosmatos, and the Worst New Star for Julia Nickson-Soul.
Rambo: First Blood Part II opened in the US on May 22, 1985, and was the #1 movie that weekend, taking $20,176,217 on 2,074 screens (which made it the first film in the US to be shown on 2,000+ screens). Overall, in the US, the movie took $150,415,432 and then took $149,985,000 internationally, giving Rambo: First Blood Part II a box office total of $300,400,432. The movie is easily the most successful of the Rambo series.
The movie was shot totally on location in Mexico. The waterfall explosion scene was shot in Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico and the rest of the movie in Tecoanapa, Guerrero, Mexico.
Rambo: First Blood Part II opened in the US on May 22, 1985, and was the #1 movie that weekend, taking $20,176,217 on 2,074 screens (which made it the first film in the US to be shown on 2,000+ screens). Overall, in the US, the movie took $150,415,432 and then took $149,985,000 internationally, giving Rambo: First Blood Part II a box office total of $300,400,432. The movie is easily the most successful of the Rambo series.
The movie was shot totally on location in Mexico. The waterfall explosion scene was shot in Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico and the rest of the movie in Tecoanapa, Guerrero, Mexico.
