Don't leave Burma to Rambo

Rambo is just a fantasy hero, but the violence and villains depicted in the latest Rambo movie are a reality in Burma. At the UK premiere of Rambo, the pro-democracy Burmese community thanked Sylvester Stallone for helping to raise awareness of the genocide and atrocities of the Burmese military junta.

The latest Rambo movie was premiered at the Vue Leicester Square on February 12th. It was filmed on the Thai border with Burma, with many Burmese extras.

A montage at the beginning of the film uses actual footage taken from inside Burma filling the screen with horrific images of peaceful protesters being shot at and people fleeing into the jungle with the Burmese military giving chase and opening fire. The film realistically portrays violent actions committed by the Burmese military towards innocent people including rape, land mine usage, and massacring a village by rolling up to it and firing their tanks and guns at the people.

At the UK Premiere Sylvester Stallone signed a Burmese democracy flag and shook hands with the pro-democracy Burmese community, some of whom had been victims of violence by the regime.

The US Burma Campaign has a Questions and Answers article putting parts of the film into their real context.