View source for Rambo III

{{short description|1988 film by Peter MacDonald}}
{{About|the 1988 film|the video game|Rambo III (video game){{!}}''Rambo III'' (video game)}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| image          = Rambo3poster.jpg
| alt            = 
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Peter MacDonald (director)|Peter MacDonald]]
| writer         = {{Plainlist|
* [[Sylvester Stallone]]
* [[Sheldon Lettich]]
}}
| based_on       = {{based on|[[List of Rambo characters|Characters]]|[[David Morrell]]}}
| producer       = [[Buzz Feitshans]]
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* Sylvester Stallone
* [[Richard Crenna]]
}}
| cinematography = John Stanier
| editing        = {{Plainlist|
* James Symons
* Andrew London
* O. Nicholas Brown
}}
| music          = [[Jerry Goldsmith]]
| studio         = [[Carolco Pictures]]<ref name="AFI">{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/59082|title=Rambo III (1988)|work=[[AFI Catalog of Feature Films]]|access-date=October 3, 2018}}</ref>
| distributor    = [[Tri-Star Pictures]]<ref name="AFI" />
| released       = {{Film date|1988|05|25|United States}}
| runtime        = 101 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 101:33--><ref name="bbfc">{{cite web|url=https://bbfc.co.uk/releases/rambo-iii-0 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140110094132/http://bbfc.co.uk/releases/rambo-iii-0 |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 10, 2014 |title=BBFC Cinema Rating, 1988|website=Bbfc.co.uk|access-date=17 December 2017}}</ref>
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $58–63 million<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Hall |first1=Sheldon |last2=Neale |first2=Stephen |title=Epics, spectacles, and blockbusters: a Hollywood history |year=2010 |publisher=[[Wayne State University Press]] |isbn=978-0-8143-3008-1 |pages=239–240 |quote=''Rambo III'' (1988) cost a then-record $58 million.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Patrick |last=Robertson |title=Guinness Book of Movie Facts and Feats |year=1991 |publisher=[[Abbeville Press]] |isbn=9781558592360 |page=33}}</ref>
| gross          = $189 million<ref name="mojo"/>
}}
'''''Rambo III''''' is a 1988 American [[action film]] starring [[Sylvester Stallone]] as [[Vietnam War]] veteran [[John Rambo]]. Directed by [[Peter MacDonald (director)|Peter MacDonald]], the script was co-written by Stallone and [[Sheldon Lettich]]. It is a sequel to ''[[Rambo: First Blood Part II]]'' (1985) and the third installment in the [[Rambo (franchise)|''Rambo'' film series]]. [[Richard Crenna]] reprises his role as Colonel [[Sam Trautman]].

The film depicts fictional events during the [[Soviet–Afghan War]]. In the film, Rambo sets out on a dangerous journey to the [[Democratic Republic of Afghanistan]] in order to rescue his former commander and his longtime best friend, Col. Trautman, from the hands of an extremely powerful and ruthless [[Soviet Army]] colonel who is bent on killing both Trautman and Rambo, while helping a local band of Afghan rebels fight against Soviet forces threatening to destroy their village.

''Rambo III'' was released worldwide on May 25, 1988. At the time of its release, ''Rambo III'' was the most expensive film ever made with a production budget between $58 and $63 million. The film was not well received by critics and grossed less than its predecessor, ''Rambo: First Blood Part II'', grossing $189 million worldwide. It was nominated for five categories at the [[9th Golden Raspberry Awards]], winning [[Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor|Worst Actor]]. A sequel, ''[[Rambo (2008 film)|Rambo]],'' was released in 2008 with Stallone reprising his role and also directing the film.

==Plot==
<!-- Plot summaries are usually between 400-700 words. Please see WP:FILMPLOT for more information. -->
After leaving the military behind, former [[U.S. Army]] [[United States Army Special Forces|Green Beret]] [[John Rambo]] has settled in a [[Thai Buddhist]] monastery, helping with construction work and competing in [[krabi–krabong]] matches in [[Bangkok]], donating his winnings. His old friend and ally Colonel [[Sam Trautman]] visits and explains that he is putting together a mercenary team for a [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]]-sponsored mission to supply the [[Mujahideen]] and other tribes as they fight the [[Soviet Army]] in [[Democratic Republic of Afghanistan|Afghanistan]]. Despite being shown photos of civilians suffering at the hands of the Soviets, Rambo refuses to join, as he is tired of fighting. Trautman proceeds anyway but is ambushed at the border by Soviet forces, who kill his team and capture him. Trautman is sent to a large mountain base to be interrogated by Soviet Colonel Zaysen and his henchman Sergeant Kourov.

Embassy official [[List of Rambo characters#Robert Griggs|Robert Griggs]] informs Rambo of Trautman's capture but refuses to approve a rescue mission for fear of drawing the U.S. into the war. Aware that Trautman will die otherwise, Rambo receives permission to undertake a solo rescue on the condition that he will be disavowed in the event of capture or death. Rambo flies to [[Peshawar]], [[Pakistan]], where he convinces arms dealer Mousa Ghani to bring him to [[Khost]], the town closest to the Soviet base where Trautman is held captive.

The Mujahideen in the village, led by chieftain Masoud, hesitate to help Rambo free Trautman. Meanwhile, a Soviet informant in Ghani's employ alerts the Soviets, who send two [[attack helicopter]]s to destroy the village. Though Rambo destroys one with a [[DShK]] heavy machine gun, the rebels refuse to aid him any further. Aided only by Mousa and a young boy named Hamid, Rambo attacks the base and inflicts significant damage before being forced to retreat. Rambo and Hamid are wounded during the battle, and Rambo sends him and Mousa away before resuming his infiltration.

Evading base security, Rambo reaches and frees Trautman before he can be tortured with a [[flamethrower]]. He and Trautman rescue several other prisoners and hijack a helicopter to escape the base, but it is damaged during takeoff and crashes, forcing the escapees to flee on foot. An attack helicopter pursues Rambo and Trautman to a nearby cave, where Rambo destroys it with an explosive arrow. A furious Zaysen sends [[Spetsnaz GRU|Spetsnaz]] commandos under Kourov to kill them, but they are routed and killed. An injured Kourov fights Rambo in [[hand-to-hand combat]], but is overcome and killed as well.

Rambo and Trautman make their way to the [[Durand Line|Pakistani border]] but are intercepted by Zaysen and his [[mechanized infantry]]. Suddenly, Masoud's Mujahideen forces, including Mousa and Hamid, arrive to rescue them in a massive [[cavalry]] [[Charge (warfare)|charge]]. In the midst of the battle, Rambo hijacks a tank and fights Zaysen's [[Mil Mi-24|Mi-24 Hind-D]], culminating in a head-on charge as both unleash their vehicles' weaponry on each other; Rambo survives by destroying the Hind-D with his tank's [[Tank gun|main gun]] before it can ram him, after killing Zaysen with the tank's machine gun. After the battle, Rambo and Trautman bid farewell to the Mujahideen and leave Afghanistan.

==Cast==
{{main|List of Rambo characters{{!}}List of ''Rambo'' characters}}
{{cast listing|
* [[Sylvester Stallone]] as [[John Rambo|John J. Rambo]]
* [[Richard Crenna]] as [[Sam Trautman|Colonel Samuel R. "Sam" Trautman]]
* [[Kurtwood Smith]] as Robert Griggs
* [[Marc de Jonge]] as Colonel Alexei Zaysen
* [[Sasson Gabai]] as Mousa Ghani
* Doudi Shoua as Hamid
* [[Spiros Fokás|Spiros Fokas]] as Masoud
* Randy Raney as Sergeant Kourov
* [[Marcus Gilbert (actor)|Marcus Gilbert]] as Tomask
* [[Alon Abutbul]] as Nissem
* [[Yosef Shiloach]] as Khalid
* Masoud Assadollahi as Rahim
* Shaby Ben-Aroya as Uri 
}}

==Production==

===Development and writing===
[[Sylvester Stallone]] later said his original premise of the film "was more in keeping with the theme of ''[[Tears of the Sun]]'', but set in Afghanistan."<ref name="sly"/> [[Harry Kleiner]] was hired to write a draft, but his script was rejected by Stallone.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-05-10-ca-6236-story.html|title=Son Of 'Bullitt'|first=Pat H.|last=Broeske|date=May 10, 1987|website=Articles.latimes.com|access-date=December 17, 2017}}</ref>
 
Several weeks into filming, many of the film's crew were fired including the [[director of photography]]. Stallone said:

<blockquote>The canvas of this movie is so large you have to constantly think 10 scenes ahead. You can't wing it. They didn't go into the [[Battle of Waterloo]] not knowing what their strategy would be. Well, this movie is kind of like a cinematic warfare. We have a huge cast and crew (more than 250 people) and tough locations to deal with. Everyone and everything has to coordinate.<ref>{{cite news |last= Broeske |first= Pat H. |date= September 22, 1987 |title= Rambo III' Gets Back On The Track In Israel |url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-09-22-ca-9679-story.html |work= [[Los Angeles Times]] |location= |access-date=July 7, 2023}}</ref></blockquote>

===Pre-production===
In a 2008 online Q&A, Stallone stated that a disagreement over casting led to him firing original director [[Russell Mulcahy]] as the director:
<blockquote>He went to Israel two weeks before me with the task of casting two dozen vicious looking Russian troops. These men were {{sic|suppose}} to make your blood run cold. When I arrived on the set, what I saw was two dozen blond, blue-eyed pretty boys that resembled rejects from a surfing contest. Needless to say Rambo is not afraid of a little competition but being attacked by third rate male models could be an enemy that could overwhelm him. I explained my disappointment to Russell and he totally disagreed, so I asked him and his chiffon army to move on.<ref name="sly">{{cite web| url=https://www.aintitcool.com/node/35350|title=Day 3 - Stallone guts some more questions and lets the answers spill out!|website=Aintitcool.com|access-date=December 17, 2017}}</ref></blockquote>

Mulcahy was replaced by [[Peter MacDonald (director)|Peter MacDonald]], a veteran second unit director. It was MacDonald's first film as director but he was very experienced and had directed the second unit action sequences in ''[[Rambo: First Blood Part II]]''. MacDonald later said, "I tried very hard to change the Rambo character a bit and make him a vulnerable and humorous person, I failed totally."<ref name="peter">{{cite web |url= http://filmint.nu/?p=10089 |title= Peter MacDonald: The Man Who Failed to Change Rambo |last=Ellis |first=David |date= 20 November 2013 |website= [[Film International]] |publisher= |access-date=July 7, 2023 |quote=}}</ref> "I knew instinctively what was a good and bad shot," he added. "Stallone knew his character because it was his third outing as Rambo. I wasn't shooting [[Shakespeare]] and at times it was hard to take it seriously."<ref name="peter"/> MacDonald shot the stick fighting sequence in [[Bangkok]] himself using a [[Hand-held camera|handheld camera]].<ref name="peter"/>

The character Masoud, played by Greek actor Spiros Focás, was named after Mujahideen commander [[Ahmad Shah Massoud]] who fought the Soviets and later the [[Taliban]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-05-27-ca-3994-story.html|title=Rambo III|website=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=May 27, 1988}}</ref>

Costumes were procured by buying articles of clothing from Afghan refugees.<ref>{{cite journal
 | last = La Motte
 | first = R.
 | title = Designing Costumes for the Historical Film
 | journal = Cinéaste
 | volume = 29
 | issue = 2
 | pages = 53
 | date = 2004
 | jstor = 41689715
 | url = http://www.jstor.org/stable/41689715
}}</ref>

===Filming===
The film was shot in Israel, Thailand, and [[Arizona]]. According to MacDonald:

<blockquote>There were so many restrictions in Israel, where you could and couldn't shoot. The producers and Stallone decided they would go back to Arizona where they had looked long before I was on the film. There was a group there called the [[Historical reenactment|re-enactors]]. We had around two hundred and fifty of these guys who re-enact the [[American Civil War]]. They were called on to do fight sequences, which they loved.<ref name="peter"/></blockquote>

The scenes at the Thai temple at the beginning of the film were filmed at [[Wat Phra Phutthabat Tak Pha]] in [[Lamphun province]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The Naga Staircase of Buddhist Temples|url=https://www.chiangmai-alacarte.com/the-naga-staircase-of-buddhist-temples/#elementor-toc__heading-anchor-2|website=Chiangmai-alacarte.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210910022122/https://www.chiangmai-alacarte.com/the-naga-staircase-of-buddhist-temples/|archive-date=10 September 2021|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Equipment===
The [[Mil Mi-24]] helicopters seen in the film are modified [[Aérospatiale]] [[Aérospatiale Puma|SA 330 Puma]] transport helicopters with fabricated bolt-on wings similar to the real Hind-Ds which were mainly used in the former [[Eastern Bloc]].{{citation needed|date=January 2014}} The other helicopter depicted is a slightly reshaped [[Aerospatiale Gazelle]].{{citation needed|date=January 2014}}

===Dedication===
The film ends with the on-screen caption, "This film is dedicated to the gallant people of Afghanistan." At some point after the [[September 11 attacks]], an [[urban legend]] began that the dedication had actually read "... to the brave Mujahideen fighters of Afghanistan" when the film was released in theaters, but then changed to "the gallant people of Afghanistan" after the 2001 attacks, since the Mujahideen were now associated to some extent with the [[Taliban]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Does Rambo III actually pay tribute to the 'Mujahideen Fighters of Afghanistan'? {{!}} indy100 |url=https://www.indy100.com/showbiz/rambo-iii-afghanistan-mujahideen-taliban-b1904082 |access-date=2024-06-13 |website=www.indy100.com |language=en}}</ref> This urban legend has been repeated by some scholars.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Prorokova|first=Tatiana|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hx-ODwAAQBAJ&pg=PT227|title=Docu-Fictions of War: U. S. Interventionism in Film and Literature|date=2019|publisher=U of Nebraska Press|isbn=978-1-4962-1444-7|pages=227|language=en|quote=[T]he ending quote of ''Rambo III'' glorifies the Afghan nation: "This film is dedicated to the gallant people of Afghanistan." This dedication appeared in the film only after 9/11. Prior to that, the film concluded with the phrase "This film is dedicated to the brave Mujahideen fighters of Afghanistan," which proves that the U.S. was on the side of the mujahideen, supporting them in the war against the Soviet Army.}} - Also 9781496207746, 1496207742: page [https://books.google.com/books?id=EeSKDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA186 186]</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Davidson|first=Christopher|author-link=Christopher Davidson|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6B29DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT140|title=Shadow Wars: The Secret Struggle for the Middle East|date=2016-10-06|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=978-1-78607-002-9|pages=140|quote=The credits of the original release included the line 'Dedicated to the brave mujahideen fighters', but after 9/11 this was quietly changed to 'Dedicated to the gallant people of Afghanistan'.}}</ref> However, this is untrue, and some reviews of the film upon its release even mentioned the "gallant people of Afghanistan" dedication.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Howe |first=Desson |date=27 May 1988 |title='Rambo III' Shooting, Sitting Ducks, Redux |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1988/05/27/rambo-iii-shooting-sitting-ducks-redux/595a4e56-4418-4624-8d9f-66c6fb0c3c4d/|quote=Because the movie's "dedicated to the gallant people of Afghanistan,"}}</ref><ref name="Maslin">{{cite news|title= Reviews/Film; Stallone's 'Rambo III,' Globe-Trotting Cowboy For the 80's Audience |work= The New York Times|date=1988-05-25|url= https://www.nytimes.com/1988/05/25/movies/reviews-film-stallone-s-rambo-iii-globe-trotting-cowboy-for-the-80-s-audience.html|access-date=2010-10-29|first=Janet|last=Maslin |author-link=Janet Maslin |quote=''Rambo III'' is dedicated ''to the gallant people of Afghanistan,'' }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2R53AAAAMAAJ&q=%22gallant+people+of+afghanistan%22 |title=The Civil War in Popular Culture |publisher=The Smithsonian Institution |year=1995 |isbn=1560984597 |location=Washington D.C. |pages=152}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Malo |first1=Jean-Jacques |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FDxuAAAAMAAJ&q=%22gallant+people+of+afghanistan%22 |title=Vietnam war films: over 600 feature, made-for-TV, pilot, and short movies, 1939-1992, from the United States, Vietnam, France, Belgium, Australia, Hong Kong, South Africa, Great Britain, and other countries |last2=Williams |first2=Tony |publisher=Mcfarland & Co Inc Pub. |year=1994 |isbn=0899507816 |pages=355}}</ref>

==Music==
{{Main|Rambo III (soundtrack)}}
An extensive film score was written by [[Jerry Goldsmith]], who scored the previous films in the franchise, conducting the [[Hungarian State Opera|Hungarian State Opera Orchestra]]; however, much of it was not used. Instead, much of the music Goldsmith penned for the previous installment was recycled. The original album, released by [[Scotti Bros.]], contained only a portion of the new music as well as three songs, only one of which was used in the film ([[Bill Medley]]'s version of "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother", played over the end credits).

A more complete 75-minute version of the score was later released by [[Intrada Records|Intrada]].
==Release==
===Marketing===
The trailer to the film had a negative response with reports of US audiences booing it.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Premiere (magazine)|Premiere]]|date=June 1988|page=61|title=Premiere's Summer Movie Preview}}</ref>

===Cut version===
Potentially owing to the proximity of its release to the [[Hungerford massacre]],<ref name="censor">{{Cite web |title=Dear Censor: The Secret Archive of the British Board of Film Classification |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ppqutUB23A |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/3ppqutUB23A |archive-date=2021-12-22 |access-date=February 20, 2021 |website=[[YouTube]]| date=November 6, 2011 }}{{cbignore}}</ref> one minute and five seconds of footage was removed from the film before it could be granted an [[18 (British Board of Film Classification)|18 certificate]] by the [[British Board of Film Classification]]; the amount of deletions was then nearly tripled for its initial video release. Almost all of this footage was restored to the film upon video submission in 2000, aside from a compulsory cut for animal cruelty.<ref name="BBFC">{{Cite web |title=Rambo III - BBFC |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/rambo-iii-film-qxnzzxq6vlgtnjgxmdqx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211208092942/https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/rambo-iii-film-qxnzzxq6vlgtnjgxmdqx |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 8, 2021 |website=BBFC.co.uk |access-date=February 20, 2021}}</ref>

===Home media===
''Rambo III'' was released on [[DVD]] on November 23, 2004, and a [[Blu-ray|Blu-Ray]] release followed on May 23, 2008. ''Rambo III'' was released on [[4K resolution|4K]] [[Ultra HD Blu-ray|UHD Blu-Ray]] on November 13, 2018. The film's home video releases have been handled by [[Lionsgate Films|Lionsgate]], under license from French company [[StudioCanal]]. StudioCanal's parent company [[Canal+ S.A.|Canal+]] had outbid [[20th Century Fox]] for the rights to Carolco Pictures' library after it went bankrupt in 1995. The TV rights and digital distribution rights for Carolco's library belong with [[Paramount Pictures]] through its acquisition of [[Spelling Entertainment]], who itself was given these specific rights from Carolco in 1992. The film was subsequently added to Paramount's streaming services [[Paramount+]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/sylvester-stallone-rambo-trilogy-paramount-plus-streaming/|title=Sylvester Stallone Fans Will Have an Action-Packed New Year's Day|first=Lee|last=Freitag|date=December 30, 2024|website=CBR}}</ref> and [[Pluto TV]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://people.com/rambo-movies-where-to-watch-stream-11682328|title=Nothing Is Over! Here's Where to Watch All 5 'Rambo' Movies Starring Sylvester Stallone (and Which Ones Are on Netflix!)|website=People.com}}</ref>

==Reception==

===Box office===
''Rambo III'' opened in the United States on May 25, 1988, at 2,562 theaters in its opening weekend (the four-day [[Memorial Day]] weekend), ranking #2 behind ''[[Crocodile Dundee II]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Easton |first=Nina |date=June 14, 1988 |title=Weekend Box Office: Crocodile Swamps 'Rambo'; Hanks' 'Big' Hit |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-06-14-ca-4175-story.html |access-date=January 1, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Blank |first=Ed |title='Croc' Devours 'Rambo' in First Week in Theaters |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ad4cAAAAIBAJ&pg=3841,1104602 |date=June 3, 1988 |work=[[The Pittsburgh Press]] |access-date=October 29, 2010}}</ref> Overall, the film grossed $53.7 million in the United States and Canada, and $135.3 million overseas, giving ''Rambo III'' a box office total of $189 million.<ref name="mojo">{{Cite web |title=Rambo III (1988) |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0095956/ |access-date=June 29, 2021 |website=BoxOfficeMojo.com}}</ref> The film was considered to have under-performed in comparison to the previous film in the series, which grossed nearly three times as much domestically.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Easton |first=Nina J. |date=January 5, 1989 |title='Roger Rabbit' Hops to Box-Office Top; 'Coming to America' Hits 2nd |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-01-05-ca-271-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160804235944/http://articles.latimes.com/1989-01-05/entertainment/ca-271_1_box-office-information |archive-date=August 4, 2016}}</ref> Some critics noted that the timing of the movie, with its unabashedly anti-Soviet tone, ran afoul of the opening of [[communism]] to the West under [[Mikhail Gorbachev]], which had already changed the image of the Soviet Union to a substantial degree by the time the film was finished.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.exile.ru/articles/detail.php?ARTICLE_ID=10145&IBLOCK_ID=35|title=Preview Review: Rambo IV|website=Exile.ru|access-date=17 December 2017|archive-date=March 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180324101735/http://www.exile.ru/articles/detail.php?ARTICLE_ID=10145&IBLOCK_ID=35|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Critical response===
On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film holds an approval rating of 41% based on 37 reviews, and with an average rating of 4.70/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "''Rambo III'' finds its justice-dispensing hero far from the thoughtful drama that marked the franchise's beginning -- and just as far from quality action thriller entertainment."<ref>{{Rotten tomatoes|id=rambo_iii}}</ref> [[Metacritic]] gives the film a weighted average score of 36 out of 100 based on 15 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".<ref>{{Metacritic film}}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.<ref name="CinemaScore">{{Cite web |title=CinemaScore |url=https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |url-status=dead |website=CinemaScore.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180206073531/https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |archive-date=February 6, 2018}}</ref>

On ''[[At the Movies (1986 TV program)|At the Movies]]'', prominent critics [[Gene Siskel]] and [[Roger Ebert]] agreed that ''Rambo III'' delivers all the mechanical elements that audiences expect from a big budget action movie but lacks the heart seen in similar films such as the ''[[James Bond]]'' series and even its immediate predecessor, ''Rambo: First Blood Part II''. Siskel gave it a "thumbs up", while Ebert said he was undecided; however, at the end of the show Ebert's vote was logged as a "thumbs down".<ref>{{cite web |title=Funny Farm, Rambo III, Big, Call Me, Crocodile Dundee II, 1988 |url=https://siskelebert.org/?p=2760 |website=Siskel and Ebert Movie Reviews |access-date=3 February 2023 |date=December 28, 2018}} Event occurs at 6:30-10:02.</ref>

[[Janet Maslin]], reviewing the film in ''[[The New York Times]]'', described ''Rambo III'' as a modernization of the [[Western (genre)|western]] film and said that "modern special-effects technology, a huge budget and Mr. Stallone's own derring-do have conspired to let the film pack a wallop that no traditional western or war film could match." She criticized the political themes as one-dimensional, but applauded the film's sense of fun and willingness to engage in self-deprecating humor, though she noted that there are also many unintentionally humorous lines.<ref name="Maslin"/>

In [[West Germany]], the [[Deutsche Film- und Medienbewertung (FBW)]], a government film rating office whose ratings influence financial support to filmmakers, earned criticism after it awarded a "worthwhile" rating (in German: ''wertvoll'') to ''Rambo III''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fbw-filmbewertung.com/film/rambo_3|title=Rambo 3|website=Deutsche Filmbewertung und Medienbewertung FBW}}</ref>

===Accolades===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Award
! Category
! Subject
! Result
|-
|rowspan=8|[[Golden Raspberry Award]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Razzies.com - Home of the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation |url=http://www.razzies.com/asp/content/XcNewsPlus.asp?cmd=view&articleid=28 |website=Razzies.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304193735/http://www.razzies.com/asp/content/XcNewsPlus.asp?cmd=view&articleid=28 |archive-date=2016-03-04 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
|[[Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor|Worst Actor]]
|rowspan=2|[[Sylvester Stallone]]
|{{Won}}
|-
|rowspan=2|[[Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screenplay|Worst Screenplay]]
|{{Nom}}
|-
|[[Sheldon Lettich]]
|{{Nom}}
|-
|[[Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor|Worst Supporting Actor]]
|[[Richard Crenna]]
|{{Nom}}
|-
|rowspan=3|[[Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Picture|Worst Picture]]
|[[Mario Kassar]]
|{{Nom}}
|-
|[[Buzz Feitshans]]
|{{Nom}}
|-
|[[Andrew Vajna]]
|{{Nom}}
|-
|[[Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director|Worst Director]]
|[[Peter MacDonald (film director)|Peter MacDonald]]
|{{Nom}}
|-
|}

==Sequel==
{{Main|Rambo (2008 film){{!}}''Rambo'' (2008 film)}}
A sequel titled ''Rambo'', was released in 2008.

==Other media==
===Novelization===
[[David Morrell]], author of ''[[First Blood (novel)|First Blood]]'' and the novelization of ''Rambo: First Blood Part II'', wrote the film's novelization, also titled ''Rambo III''.{{ISBN needed}}<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Don |last=Vaughan |date=March 2023 |title=David Morrell's Rambo at 50 |url=https://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=98_152&products_id=1678&zenid=2hgu5onnn6uguc8o85oh8pf7q6 |magazine=RetroFan |publisher=[[TwoMorrows Publishing]] |location=United States |issue=25 |page=70}}</ref>

===Comic books===
A comic book adaptation of the film was published by [[Blackthorne Publishing]].<ref>{{gcdb issue|id=321002|title=Blackthorne Publishing: ''Rambo III''}}</ref><ref>{{comicbookdb|type=issue|id=109940|title=Blackthorne Publishing: ''Rambo III''}}</ref> Blackthorne also published a 3D version of its ''Rambo III'' comic.

===Video games===
Various companies released [[Rambo III (video game)|video games based on the film]], including [[Ocean Software]] and [[Taito]]. In 1990, Sega released its own game based on the film for the [[Master System]] and [[Sega Genesis|Genesis/Mega Drive]]. [[Sega]] later adapted some of the battle scenes in the film for the 2008 arcade game ''[[Rambo (2008 video game)|Rambo]]''. In 2014, the film was incorporated into ''[[Rambo: The Video Game]]'', based on the first three ''Rambo'' films.

==In popular culture==

* In the film ''[[Twins (1988 film)|Twins]]'', [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]]'s character looks at a poster of ''Rambo III'' featuring Stallone. He compares his biceps to Stallone's, but waves it off with a smile while shaking his head and walks away.{{Cn|date=September 2025}}
* The film ''[[Hot Shots! Part Deux]]'' is an American parody film of ''Rambo: First Blood Part II'' and ''Rambo III'', with the colonel role reprised by [[Richard Crenna]].<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/hot-shots-part-deux-1993 |last= Ebert |first= Roger |date= May 21, 1993 |title= Hot Shots, Part Deux |work=[[Rogerebert.com]]|access-date= January 13, 2014}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title|0095956}}
* {{TCMDb title|87653}}
* {{AFI film|59082}}

{{Rambo}}
{{Peter MacDonald}}
{{Sylvester Stallone}}
{{Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor}}
{{Portal bar|1980s|Film|United States}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rambo III}}
[[Category:1988 films]]
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[[Category:1980s war films]]
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[[Category:Cold War films]]
[[Category:1980s English-language films]]
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[[Category:Films adapted into comics]]
[[Category:Films directed by Peter MacDonald]]
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[[Category:Rambo (franchise)]]
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[[Category:1980s American films]]
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