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Rambo III

  • 1988
  • R
  • 1h 42m
IMDb RATING
5.8/10
145K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,338
721
Sylvester Stallone in Rambo III (1988)
Home Video Trailer from Artisan
Play trailer1:59
1 Video
99+ Photos
One-Person Army ActionActionAdventureThriller

Rambo mounts a one-man mission to rescue his friend Colonel Trautman from the clutches of the formidable invading Soviet forces in Afghanistan.Rambo mounts a one-man mission to rescue his friend Colonel Trautman from the clutches of the formidable invading Soviet forces in Afghanistan.Rambo mounts a one-man mission to rescue his friend Colonel Trautman from the clutches of the formidable invading Soviet forces in Afghanistan.

  • Director
    • Peter MacDonald
  • Writers
    • David Morrell
    • Sylvester Stallone
    • Sheldon Lettich
  • Stars
    • Sylvester Stallone
    • Richard Crenna
    • Marc de Jonge
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.8/10
    145K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    4,338
    721
    • Director
      • Peter MacDonald
    • Writers
      • David Morrell
      • Sylvester Stallone
      • Sheldon Lettich
    • Stars
      • Sylvester Stallone
      • Richard Crenna
      • Marc de Jonge
    • 269User reviews
    • 127Critic reviews
    • 36Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 7 nominations total

    Videos1

    Rambo III
    Trailer 1:59
    Rambo III

    Photos350

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    Top cast32

    Edit
    Sylvester Stallone
    Sylvester Stallone
    • Rambo
    Richard Crenna
    Richard Crenna
    • Trautman
    Marc de Jonge
    • Zaysen
    Kurtwood Smith
    Kurtwood Smith
    • Griggs
    Spyros Fokas
    Spyros Fokas
    • Masoud
    • (as Spiros Focas)
    Sasson Gabay
    Sasson Gabay
    • Mousa
    • (as Sasson Gabai)
    Doudi Shoua
    • Hamid
    Randy Raney
    • Kourov
    Marcus Gilbert
    Marcus Gilbert
    • Tomask
    Alon Aboutboul
    Alon Aboutboul
    • Nissem
    • (as Alon Abutbul)
    Masud Asadollahi
    Masud Asadollahi
    • Rahim
    • (as Mahmoud Assadollahi)
    Yosef Shiloach
    Yosef Shiloach
    • Khalid
    • (as Yosef Shiloah)
    Harold Diamond
    • Stick Fighter
    Mati Seri
    Mati Seri
    • Gun Dealer
    • (as Seri Mati)
    Hany Said El Deen
    • Gun Dealer
    Shaby Ben-Aroya
    • Uri
    Marciano Shoshi
    • Afghan Girl
    Sadiq Tawfiq
    • Helicopter Person
    • Director
      • Peter MacDonald
    • Writers
      • David Morrell
      • Sylvester Stallone
      • Sheldon Lettich
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Sylvester Stallone asked for a Gulfstream jet (cost: $12 million) as part of his pay for the film. He got one.
    • Goofs
      In First Blood (1982), Rambo has tons of scars on his back. In this movie, in the scene right before Rambo goes into the warehouse for the stick fight, there is a shot of his back and you can see that the scars are gone.
    • Quotes

      Hamid: What's that?

      Rambo: It's blue light.

      Hamid: What does it do?

      Rambo: It turns blue.

    • Crazy credits
      The end credits open with a message that says, "This Film is dedicated to the Gallant People of Afghanistan".
    • Alternate versions
      Released shortly after the Hungerford massacre in the UK, the BBFC removed just over 1 minute of violence from the cinema version and a total of 3 minutes of both violence and weapon scenes from the 1989 video version. Among the cuts made to the film were heavy edits to the opening stick fight, butts and kicks during fight scenes, electrical torture scenes, and heavy reductions to closeups of knives and bullet wounds. The uncut version has turned up many times on pay TV (Sky and Bravo).
    • Connections
      Edited into The Marine (2006)
    • Soundtracks
      HE AIN'T HEAVY... HE'S MY BROTHER
      Written by Bob Russell & Bobby Scott

      Harrison Music Corp. (ASCAP)

      Jenny Music, Inc. (ASCAP)

      Performed by Bill Medley

      Produced by Giorgio Moroder

      Courtesy of Voss Records

    User reviews269

    Featured review
    7/10

    A Goal Line Stance in Afghanistan

    I was wondering going in how "Rambo III" would differ from "Rambo II" besides the location. I didn't expect it to be anything like "First Blood," but why would I like this one if I did?

    "Rambo III" was based in Afghanistan, which was really relevant in 1988. The Afghans fought the invading Russians from about 1979 to 1989. The U.S. had a rooting interest in that conflict because Russia was our biggest threat on the world stage. "Rambo III" did a fine job in limiting any U.S. rhetoric and focused on the people of Afghanistan and their plight, because after all, they were the ones being slaughtered and displaced, not Americans.

    "Rambo III" made an action movie into a human interest movie in a smooth fluid manner. Yes, Rambo wanted to save his Colonel, but it's clear the movie didn't want to overlook the Afghan people and make it all about Rambo and Colonel Murdock (Charles Napier).

    Early in the movie Rambo said that his favorite sport was football. Later in the movie we got a football moment when Rambo, in a tank, went head up with the Russian commander who was in a gunship helicopter. They lined up and barreled toward each other like a running back and a linebacker on the goal line. I won't play spoiler, but I will say that that scene was a synopsis of the movie and the entire Cold War. Two powerhouses were lined up going head to head. We now know the winner of that goal line stance, but in 1988 the eventual winner was very uncertain.
    • view_and_review
    • Feb 5, 2020
    • Permalink

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    FAQ24

    • How long is Rambo III?Powered by Alexa
    • What was Trautman doing in Afghanistan?
    • What is 'Rambo III' about?
    • Is 'Rambo III' based on a book?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 25, 1988 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Instagram
    • Languages
      • English
      • Russian
    • Also known as
      • Rambo 3
    • Filming locations
      • Chiang Mai, Thailand(Buddhist Monestary)
    • Production company
      • Carolco Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $63,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $53,715,611
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $13,034,238
      • May 29, 1988
    • Gross worldwide
      • $189,015,611
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 42 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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