I honestly don’t know whether to be happy or sad about Sly’s recent comments about John Rambo.

“This is the last Rambo just as Rocky Balboa is the last Rocky,” Sylvester Stallone told The Guardian. “I can’t go any further. It was a miracle that
it even got done.“

I loved Rambo for what it is. I had an absolute blast watching film number four, even as I had to shake my head at the fact that it’s barely a movie. You can call this one an honest callback to the series’ ’80s heyday, or the most loving form of self-parody. You could also call a necromancer for Burma. But where would Rambo 5 go, besides sharply down a spiral into outright absurdity? Keep in mind, that this is after the hour of people exploding that constitutes the bulk of this last flick. That’s not as crazy as this series can get. The potential musical numbers alone are enough to keep me sweating awake at night. If anyone could choreograph to a .50 cal, it’s this guy.

Hence the mixed feelings. I’m relieved that I’ll never have to endure whatever lengths or depths a fifth film would necessarily reach, and I’m sad for exactly the same reason.

And what now for Stallone? Death Wish doesn’t seem like the answer. He’s put two series to rest. That’s something almost no one ever gets to do. Stallone’s position now is as close to a clean slate as anyone ever gets in this business. So I’m torn here, too. Assuming that Harvey Weinstein and/or Nu Image can’t change his mind, this is a perfect jumping off point for a new career direction, but it’s also the ideal point from which to walk away. The part of me that grew up going to Stallone movies — the part that willingly endured Judge Dredd, even though I knew..I knew — is eager to see what happens next.