a lot.
- Why you leave army?
I...
...came back to the States
and found another war going on.
What war?
Kind of like a quiet war.
A war against the soldiers returning.
The kind of war you don't win.
It's my problem.
How did you get into it?
My father
worked for intelligence agency.
He killed, and I take his place.
There's too much death here.
Death everywhere.
I just want to live.
Maybe go America. Live the quiet life.
What you want?
To win. To survive.
Not so easy to survive. Still war here.
To survive a war,
you've got to become war.
That why they pick you?
Because you like to fight?
I am expendable.
What mean "expendable"?
It's like
someone invites you to a party
and you don't show up,
and it doesn't really matter.
What's this?
It bring me good luck.
What bring you good luck?
I guess this.
No further reports. - I want to go up
with the extraction team at dawn.
Denied.
- Denied?
It's an unnecessary risk.
- We have a schedule to keep.
We don't even know if he's alive.
- Unlikely.
You said we'd go through as planned.
Okay, if you
want to go through with it, we will.
The Colonel's
gonna be joining the extraction team.
You're a damned good man, Trautman.
See? Camp empty.
We move closer.
Cyclo-girl whore from village.
Come on!
What is it?
- A bow. No sound.
You not going in there.
You're supposed to only take pictures.
What about orders?
No more orders, Co.
I've come to get you out.
Don't talk.
There are others.
- I'll be back.
Everything okay?
Let's go!
You have clearance.
Minus one hour to extraction.
I hope for his sake
we're not just wasting fuel.
Let's get moving.
A good thing you came when you did.
Why is that?
They move us around a lot. Because
of the crops. Only been there a week.
When were you last in that camp?
- A year. What year is it, anyway?
1985.
Camp supposed to be empty.
Yes, supposed to be.
Landing zone a mile up river.
What has happened?
- We've been sold out.
You bastard!
Right, jump!
- I fight!
Jump! Go on!
The gunboat!
Jump!
You made it, Rambo!
Come on.
Take this. We go on from here.
Better I stay on to end.
- This is the end.
Come on.
Rambo!
You not expendable.
Colonel, 3 minutes.
That's Rambo!
Christ, he's found one!
Rambo's found one of ours!
The ground crew has what appears to be
an American POW with him.
What did you say?
- They've got one of ours.
Yellow alert!
Meyers, Harrison, Goddell!
Everybody out! Move!
Go to your COMINT frequency!
Give me the mike!
Dragonfly, here is Coach 1.
This is a priority order.
Come on!
Abort the operation immediately!
This is a recall. Confirm. Over.
- Say it again, Coach 1.
Abort the operation!
I've been ordered to abort.
- But we've got them in sight!
Murdock, do you read?
We're going down.
- You're not going anywhere.
You damned mercenaries!
Those are our men down there!
No, your men. Don't be a hero.
Colonel!
Down!
What are you doing?
Do you know what the hell you've done?
Don't act so innocent, Colonel.
You had your suspicions,
which makes you a sort of accessory.
Don't ever
count me with you and your scum!
It was a lie, wasn't it.
Like the whole damned war. It was a lie.
What are you talking about?
That camp was supposed to be empty.
Rambo goes in, finds no POWs,
Congress buys it, case closed.
And if he happens to get caught,
nobody knows except you.
Who the hell
do you think you're talking to?
A stinking bureaucrat who's trying to
cover his ass. - A nation's!
Besides, it was your hero's fault. If
he had done what he was meant to do,
we'd be out of this clean and simple.
He was just supposed to take pictures.
And if those pictures showed something,
they'd have been lost.
You still don't understand
what this is all about.
Same as always: Money.
In '72 we were supposed to pay the Cong
4.5 billion in war reparation.
We reneged, they kept the POWs.
And you're doing the same thing
all over again.
What would you do?