Sylvester Stallone reprises his role as Rambo, who is living and working at a Buddhist temple in Thailand when he’s approached by Col. Trautman (Richard Crenna) with a proposition: travel to Afghanistan and help the Afghan people against the Soviet presence there. His motivation, however, isn't patriotic duty but rather rescuing someone close to him. The film also features Sasson Gabai as Mousa, Rambo’s companion; Spyros Fokas portrays Masoud, an Afghan elder; and Marc de Jonge plays Soviet Col. Zaysen. “Rambo III,” released in 1988, delivers exactly what viewers expect from a Rambo film: a physically imposing hero, a scenario where he takes on the role of a one-man army, a righteous cause, and plenty of action sequences. It also benefits from strong performances by the actors involved, beautiful filming locations, and an effective musical score. The movie feels like “Conan the Barbarian” transplanted into a contemporary setting, possessing a comic book feel similar to the earlier film, though not quite as flawed. Everything functions well within the framework of an action/adventure story until the final fifteen minutes, which suffer from an excess of action. It’s a curious phenomenon: too much action can become tedious, and that's what happens in this film’s conclusion. To clarify, Rambo was not fighting alongside what would later become the Taliban. He encounters Masoud, a leader among the Mujahadeen resisting the Soviets. This character is named in honor of Ahmad Shah Massoud, a prominent commander within the Northern Alliance who battled both the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Massoud had previously cautioned European leaders about Bin Laden and was assassinated by Al Qaeda on September 9, 2001, just two days before the events of September 11th. In my personal ranking of the Rambo movies, “First Blood” comes first, followed by “Rambo IV,” “Last Blood,” "Rambo III," and finally “Rambo II.” While only the initial two installments are truly exceptional, the remaining three offer some degree of entertainment for those who enjoy action/adventure films. The film’s runtime is 1 hour and 42 minutes, and filming took place in Chiang Mai, Thailand; Arizona; and Israel. GRADE: B-/C+

Source on TMDB