Movie:
To celebrate the twentieth anniversary of First Blood, Artisan has remastered and remixed the Rambo Trilogy, releasing them both separately as special editions and packaged together as part of a special box set that includes a bonus fourth disc of extras.

Rambo III concluded the extremely successfully trilogy in 1988. Directed by Peter MacDonald, the film stars Stallone (Rambo), Crenna (Trautman), Kurtwood Smith (Griggs), and Marc de Jonge (Colonel Zaysen). Unfortunately, the film suffered from bad timing, as the Cold War was basically over, and Rambo was still fighting the Soviets.

Now living in Thailand, Rambo is offered a chance to assist Trautman in a special covert op to investigate Russian Colonel Zaysen's stranglehold in his Afghani sector. Rambo declines, as he believes his war is over. However, when Trautman is captured by Zaysen and the military refuses to rescue him, Rambo goes to Afghanistan to free him, aided only by the Mujahedeen rebels who oppose the Soviet invasion.

While First Blood is, in my mind, the best film in the series, Rambo III is a mostly entertaining sequel that once again chooses action over character development, though there is some pathos evident in the character when he sees the plight of the Afghani people. Following Rambo: First Blood Part II's lead, Rambo III retains the "super-hero" Rambo who is able to avoid most injuries and has impeccable aim. The action scenes in Rambo III are quite good and many of them believable, though the climax, with Rambo and Trautman taking on an entire Russian army and avoiding injury, is quite laughable.

Note: Rambo III is missing the burned in subtitle translations for the Russian dialogue that the original DVD release contains.

Picture:
Rambo III is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and 1.33:1 full frame, each on opposite sides of the disc. Of the trilogy, the transfer is the best of the bunch, predictably so, as it is the most recent. It can, at times, appear to be a bit soft, however. The print is clean throughout, with only some minor specks, and no shimmering or artifacts. Colors are vibrant throughout, with accurate flesh tones and solid blacks.

Sound:
Rambo III is presented in DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1, and Dolby 2.0 Surround. Previously, the film was only available on DVD in Dolby 2.0 Surround, and as expected, the newly mixed DTS and DD5.1 tracks sound much more rich and full. The DTS and DD5.1 soundtracks for Rambo III sound fantastic and are incredibly dynamic. Surrounds are strong and aggressive throughout, with some great directionally in the gunfire. The explosions are terrific with the presence of the LFE channel. Dialogue is crisp and clean throughout with no distortion that I detected. Optional subtitles are available in Spanish.

Extras:
The main extras on the disc are the commentary with director Peter MacDonald and the new documentary, Afghanistan: Land in Crisis. While the commentary had quite a few pauses, MacDonald manages to share a lot of interesting information, mostly about the technical aspects of the film's numerous action sequences. Certainly not the best commentary, but worlds better than Cosmatos's on Rambo: First Blood Part II. The documentary runs about twenty-nine minutes in length, and features interviews with Stallone and a few people familiar with Afghani history, such as professors. Interspersed with the interviews are clips from Rambo III and real life footage of day-to-day life in Afghanistan. The interviewees do a great job of communicating the struggle and conflicts of the Afghani people and touch on some of the events that lead up to 9/11/01 and how America is trying to ensure that, this time, Afghanistan is not a breeding ground for terrorists.

Also available on the disc are extensive cast and crew biographies and filmographies, informative production notes, and the film's trailer.

Summary:
Artisan has re-released Rambo III with improved picture and fantastic sound quality, retained the original release's commentary, and added a new and interesting documentary. While the film isn't as good as First Blood or Rambo: First Blood Part II, Rambo III is certainly worth an occasional viewing for fans. However, if you plan to buy all three, definitely consider the Rambo Trilogy which adds a fourth disc of extras. Rent it.