Episode Details

In the season two premiere of the "It's a Long Road: The Rambo Series" podcast, host Ryan welcomes guest Jack from the "Drunk Bond" podcast to dissect Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), kicking off with lighthearted banter about podcasting compliments, the hosts' shared love for Sylvester Stallone's Rocky and Rambo franchises, and Jack's irreverent yet respectful breakdowns of action classics. They dive into the film's explosive opening, Rambo's prison labor release by Colonel Trautman for a covert Vietnam recon mission to photograph POWs, and early character introductions, while riffing on confusing franchise titles, Stallone's peak physique, box office inflation ($750–800 million in today's dollars), screenplay credits (Stallone, James Cameron, Kevin Jarre), and director George P. Cosmatos's hands-off approach amid Sly's 1980s superstardom—celebrating the sequel's over-the-top action shift from the original's dramatic depth as a fun, nostalgic 1980s beast.