Rambo - Watch Order: Release Order

1982 - 20195 Films7h 52m3.8 Average

The Rambo series follows the journey of John Rambo, a traumatized Vietnam War veteran with exceptional combat skills, across five films spanning nearly four decades. The franchise begins with First Blood, a character-driven drama that explores Rambo's struggles with PTSD and his clash with small-town prejudice.

Starting with the second film, the series transforms into a more action-oriented spectacle, with Rambo embarking on increasingly explosive military missions around the world before facing his final battle in Last Blood. Since the story progresses chronologically through Rambo's life, this release order provides the most coherent viewing experience.

Linear Timeline: Release Order = Story Order

1
First Blood poster

First Blood

19821h 33m4.4
Director: Ted Kotcheff
Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Brian Dennehy, Bill McKinney, Jack Starrett

When former Green Beret John Rambo is harassed by local law enforcement and arrested for vagrancy, he is forced to flee into the mountains and wage an escalating one-man war against his pursuers.

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2
Rambo: First Blood Part II poster

Rambo: First Blood Part II

19851h 36m3.8
Director: George P. Cosmatos
Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Charles Napier, Steven Berkoff, Julia Nickson

John Rambo is released from prison by the government for a top-secret covert mission to the last place on Earth he'd want to return - the jungles of Vietnam.

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3
Rambo III poster

Rambo III

19881h 42m3.4
Director: Peter MacDonald
Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Marc de Jonge, Kurtwood Smith, Spiros Focás

Combat has taken its toll on Rambo, but he's finally begun to find inner peace in a monastery. When Rambo's friend and mentor Col. Trautman asks for his help on a top secret mission to Afghanistan, Rambo declines but must reconsider when Trautman is captured.

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4
Rambo poster

Rambo

20081h 32m3.8
Director: Sylvester Stallone
Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Julie Benz, Matthew Marsden, Graham McTavish, Reynaldo Gallegos

In Thailand, ex-Green Beret John James Rambo joins a group of mercenaries to venture into war-torn neighboring Myanmar to rescue a group of Christian aid workers who have been kidnapped by a ruthless local infantry unit.

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5
Rambo: Last Blood poster

Rambo: Last Blood

20191h 29m3.6
Director: Adrian Grünberg
Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Paz Vega, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Adriana Barraza, Yvette Monreal

After fighting his demons for decades, John Rambo now lives in peace on his family ranch in Arizona, but his rest is interrupted when Gabriela, the granddaughter of his housekeeper María, disappears after crossing the border into Mexico to meet her biological father. Rambo, who has become a true father figure for Gabriela over the years, undertakes a desperate and dangerous journey to find her.

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