Rambo in Afghanistan

I came over something funny yesterday. It was a plot for the movie Rambo 3 from 1988 was made as “a tribute to the galant people of Afghanistan” referring to the Mujahedin. Obviously, it was not hard to figure out what the US government thought about Soviet and their invasion. Already in 1983, Reagan mentioned in his speech on the Muslim New Year about “the brave Afghan freedom fighters” and that “they are an inspiration for everyone that loves freedom”.

The film opens with the scene that Rambo is in Thailand to work with the Buddhist monks when Colonel Sam Trautman (Richard Crenna) comes to Thailand in an attempt to persuade Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) to join him in a secret mission in Afghanistan to deliver weapons to the Mujahedin who is fighting the Russian army. Despite Trautman showing him photos of the civilians suffering in the war, Rambo tells him to go on his own because his war is over.

While in Afghanistan, Trautman’s troops are ambushed by the Soviet troops and Trautman imprisoned in a Soviet base near Khost by Colonel Zaysen (Marc De Jonge). When Rambo finds out about this, he decides to go there and save him despite warnings that the U.S. government will deny any knowledge of his actions if killed or caught.

Rambo immediately flies to Peshawar (Pakistan) where he meets up with Mousa (Sasson Gabai), a weapons supplier who agrees to take him to a village deep in the Afghan desert, after Rambo threatens him, close to the Soviet base where Trautman is kept enslaved. The Mujahedeen in the village are already hesitant to help Rambo in the first place, but are definitely convinced not to help him when their village is attacked by Soviet helicopters after one of Mousa’s shop assistants has informed the Soviets of Rambo’s presence. Aided only by Mousa and a young boy named Hamid (Doudi Shoua), Rambo makes his way to the Soviet base and starts his plan to free Trautman. Just as they are about to be overwhelmed by the might of the Soviet Army, the Mujahedeen warriors, together with Mousa and Hamid, ride onto the battlefield by the hundreds in a cavalry charge, overwhelming the Soviets. In the ensuing battle, in which both Trautman wounded, Rambo somehow manages to kill Zaysen by driving a tank into the Soviet colonel’s helicopter, which he first tried to damage with a Molotov coctail, handed to him by a man on a horse. Somehow, Rambo survives the explosion and gets out of the tank. At the end of the battle Rambo and Trautman say goodbye to their Mujahedeen friends and leave Afghanistan to go home. The movie ends with two quotes: “This film is dedicated to the gallant people of Afghanistan,and I am like a bullet filled with lead and made kill”.

Another interesting aspect of the movie is the conversation between Trautman and Zaysen while Trautman is held captive;

Trautman: You talk peace and disarmament to the world, and here you are whiping out a race of people.

Zaysen: We are whiping out no one. I think you are too intelligent to believe such absurd propaganda.

Trautman: You expect sympathy? You started this damn war, now you have to deal with it.

Zaysen: We will. It’s just a matter of time before we achieve complete victory.

Trautman: You know that there won’t be victory. Every day, your war machines lose ground to a bunch of poorly armed and poorly equipped freedom fighters. The fact is that you underestimated your competition. If you had studied your history, you would know that this people have never given up to anyone. They rather die than to be slaves to an invading army. You can’t defeat people like that. We tried; we already had our Vietnam, now you are going to have yours. ¨

I must say that I never have watched the Rambo movies, but decided to watch this one. If anyone has seen the movie, feel free to leave a comment with your opinion about it.