The Sylvester Stallone Sequel That Got Him Accused of Starting a War With Russia
In 1988, as Washington and Moscow edged toward peace, Rambo III roared into theaters, recasting the Soviet-Afghan war with Russians as stock villains—and sparking backlash just as the Cold War was cooling.
In 1988, while Washington and Moscow were finally easing off the Cold War throttle, Sylvester Stallone dropped Rambo III. Great timing if you want headlines. Less great if your movie turns Russians into flat-out villains right as everyone is trying to shake hands. Stallone says the blowback was immediate and loud.
The timing problem
The movie is set during the Soviet-Afghan War and doesn’t exactly nuance the conflict. Rambo teams up with the Mujahideen, the Soviets are painted as one-note bad guys, and subtlety takes the day off. Meanwhile, in the real world, the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. were in a détente moment. Stallone told GQ that the temperature around the release got hotter than any explosive arrow he fired on screen.
"It was very, very dangerous. Very boiling hot. And it was really well made except from the time we were editing to the time it came out, Russia, who had been in a Cold War with us for about 40 years, decided to come over and shake hands and kiss and make up... And now everyone goes, 'What is Stallone trying to do, start another war with Russia?'"
He says he got booed at press conferences. He tried to explain that the movie was riffing on Cold War dynamics, not forecasting new hostilities. People weren’t buying it.
What the movie actually does (and doesn’t) do
The real war ran for a decade, ending in February 1989. Rambo III premiered in May 1988, so it hit theaters while the conflict was still technically on. The film streamlines a messy showdown between the Soviet-backed Afghan government and the Mujahideen (who had support from the U.S., the U.K., Pakistan, and others) into a clean hero-vs-villain setup. That disconnect between messy history and simple action beats is a big part of why critics dragged it. It still made money, but the reviews were rough.
Rambo III at a glance
- Directed by: Peter MacDonald
- Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Randy Raney, and more
- Year of release: 1988
- IMDb rating: 5.8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes score: 41%
- Worldwide box office: $189 million
- Where to watch: Paramount+
So what’s next for Rambo?
Reportedly, in summer 2025, Noah Centineo (The Recruit) was tapped to play a young John Rambo in a prequel to First Blood. Deadline’s sources had Sisu director Jalmari Helander on board, working from a script by Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani. If it’s a prequel, expect Vietnam-era Rambo. Given how Rambo III got dinged for oversimplifying real events, there’s a chance the new film leans into a more fictionalized route to dodge history debates.
Personally, I hope they don’t sand off all the real-world edges just to play it safe. Either way, with Helander calling the shots, the action should be dialed up.
Curious where you land on a Rambo prequel with Centineo. Excited, skeptical, or both?