2. Rambo (2008)
It shouldnt have worked, it really shouldnt have. After the dire Rambo 3 in 1988 the series looked dead and buried, and in the years following the character had been spoofed almost to death in the likes of Gremlins 2, UHF and Hot Shots: Part Deux. So when Sylvester Stallone announced he was going to return as Rambo, at age 62 no less, the odds of a good film were pretty bleak. Yet miraculously he somehow managed to make the best film in the series, a pulse pounding and savage action (and part horror) film that rarely lets up. Set 20 years after the previous film we find Rambo living in seclusion in Thailand. A group of Christian missionaries hire him to ferry them into war torn Burma. After striking up a connection with the female member of the group he reluctantly agrees and drops them off. But when word comes of the groups kidnapping he must lead a group of hardened mercenaries in and rescue them. And with an official bodycount of 236 people, its no spoiler to say that much death ensues. This incarnation of Rambo is an angry, misanthropic loner and you get the sense that he probably hasnt had a conversation thats lasted longer than a minute in years. He looks like hes carved out of granite and is twitchy and mistrustful, and when the time comes for him to get violent he proves to be just as ruthless as the army hes up against. The scene where he rips out a mans throat with his bare hands is a good case in point. The action scenes are gory and exciting, and the relentless pace makes for a lean, intense experience. And in the final battle Rambo becomes a symbolic lawnmower as he mans a gigantic machine gun and mows down an entire squad of soldiers, and wipes out all traces of Rambo 3 with them.