'Rambo: First Blood Part II' With Bill Simmons and Kyle Brandt
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What is the opening ad read‑out and sponsorship for this episode?
The Rewatchables is brought to you by the Ringer Podcast Network. You can't find Kyle Brandt on the Ringer Podcast Network except for here. You can find him on ESPN doing a whole bunch of NFL stuff. The season has started. By the time people hear this, we will know just about everything that has happened in week one. And we're also going to know that our guy, John Rambo, came back for a Rewatchables. And it's coming right after this. This episode of The Rewatchables is presented by Mazda. One reason why Mazda was named Consumer Reports' safest new car brand? Confidence isn't an upgrade. It's a given. Take the Mazda CX-50 Hybrid. It comes standard with a suite of proactive safety features. Mazda. Move and be moved.
Visit MazdaUSA.com and discover how confidence comes standard. Consumer Reports does not endorse products or services. Visit mazdausa.com to learn more. Rambo, First Blood Part 2. Do you think they should have called it First Blood 2? What would you have done here?
I think I would have called the first one Rambo. And I think Stallone wishes he could have gone back. All for him, it's about the branding. I got Rocky. I'm going to get to Cobra. And I should have gone back and named it after my character so I can own more of it and we can run with this. This is Rambo 2. First Blood should have just been called Rambo.
Yeah, I think I agree. Well, it's impossible to explain how huge this movie was in 1985. This was an absolute, it was a top three movie of the year. It was a Reagan-era wet dream action movie. Reagan talked about it. He made Rambo a character. It then became a political football for the conservatives and the liberals. It became an avatar for Cold War America, and more importantly, for our purposes. Arnold vs. Sly. It was on starting in 1985 because Arnold had Commando and we were off. This was our bird versus magic for action movie heroes.
It's also... one of the more hilarious Vietnam movies. You don't see a lot of funny Vietnam movies. I found myself on the rewatch bill. I was laughing at some parts I think you're supposed to, and then some parts you're definitely not supposed to. I loved it so much as a kid. It's one of these where I taped it off of cable onto a VHS tape and put the piece of masking tape on the back and just wrote Rambo 2. Yeah,
I did
too. I get home from school and I get a snack and I put in Rambo 2. And I get home from school and I put a snack for like weeks. And I remember I thought it was badass. Now as an adult, I was so entertained by the comedy of it. And just Stallone being a thousand out of ten Stallone in this movie. It's like he's never gone for it more. He's never been more ripped. He's never done more of a caricature of himself without knowing that he's doing it. I smiled through the whole thing.
The unintentional comedy factor of this movie has gone up each year, starting in about 1995. I felt the same way. I was openly laughing during a lot of the scenes. I have a backstory with this movie.
How do the hosts explain Rambo II’s cultural and political impact in the 1980s?
Let's
hear it. HBO, every once in a while in the mid-80s, would have these movies on the schedule, but they wouldn't tell you what it was. It would be like, and you would get the little HBO guide every year. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Or you could see in your cable guide, and it was just like a mystery movie. And the biggest one they did for this was Christmas Eve 1985 Ghostbusters. Yeah. where there was just like, we have a Christmas present for you. It's like, you do? What is it? And then it was Ghostbusters. And this is an era where it was, the movie would come out, it would be in the theaters forever. Then it would move to home video, and home video is starting to take off here, and that would take forever. And it would just never be on cable.
Some of the bigger movies, it would take over a year. So Rambo, on July 4th, 1986... um they're like we have a we have a surprise for you on july 4th and i me and my friends were all like it's gonna be rambo it's gonna be rambo too this is what it's gonna be but we didn't know for sure and then they start you see the hbo logo they do the whole thing the little preview and then it goes right into the music and it's like yeah by the way
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the opening ad read‑out and sponsorship for this episode?
0:06–3:23
2
How do the hosts explain Rambo II’s cultural and political impact in the 1980s?
3:23–6:28
3
Why do the hosts bring up the Rambo Saturday‑morning cartoon and its bizarre premise?
6:28–11:52
4
Which supporting cast members and their later roles are highlighted in the discussion?
11:52–51:06
5
Why does the host compare Troutman to a pro‑wrestling manager and what does that say about his role in Rambo II?
51:06–58:03
6
How do the hosts explain the confusing title “Rambo First Blood Part II” and why it isn’t just called “Rambo 2”?
58:03–1:05:30
7
What behind‑the‑scenes stories (on‑set pranks, lost special‑effects crew member, video‑game tie‑ins) do the hosts share about the making of Rambo II?
1:05:30–1:19:16
8
What theories do the hosts propose for Rambo’s fate after the film ends (sewage infection, later life, possible sequel ideas)?
1:19:16–1:40:15
Speakers
3 identifiedMore from The Rewatchables
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