Speaking of propaganda, can we talk about how good the movies Wolf Warrior and Wolf Warrior 2 is? Both films feature Chinese military protagonists and both films feature western villains.
These films remind me of Rambo even including the jingoistic pro-nation-of-origin message.
I think the international market accepted Rambo because they thought USA was cool. I wonder if we will find ourselves consuming “Chinakana” (riff on “Americana”) when we think China is “cool.”
The original Rambo film is a remarkably thoughtful study of the challenges Vietnam veterans faced reintegrating into society, including a look inside PTSD (the book even more so than the film... the book was commonly included in high school history and civics courses in the decade after it was written). The sequels, which are the films best remembered today, were of course nothing but pure adrenaline rides with nothing to recommend them, but don't taint the original film with the sins of its sequels. Even the portrayal of the "evil" small town sheriff Rambo battles is remarkably interesting and nuanced. Yes, it's still a popcorn film, but it's one of the most thoughtful and intelligent action films you're likely to find (there is much more than meets the eye in Sylvester Stallone, writer of both the original Rambo script and the Rocky script).
Rambo is a case of dramatic irony which has backfired such that the deeper, satirical meaning has been lost on the audience. This may have to do with the problem that the original film, First Blood, was way less popular than the sequels and that those films dialed up the violence to ridiculous levels, making it harder for the audience to see the original message.
I've only watched the trailer but I liked the part where the protagonist forces the tank to stop by standing in front of it, a bit like the famous tank man picture
These films remind me of Rambo even including the jingoistic pro-nation-of-origin message.
I think the international market accepted Rambo because they thought USA was cool. I wonder if we will find ourselves consuming “Chinakana” (riff on “Americana”) when we think China is “cool.”