- James Brolin was attached to play the Col. Samuel Trautman role after Richard Crenna died, but the role was written out of the script.
- Stallone intended to make this film before Rocky Balboa (2006), but Rocky was green-lighted by MGM, so he had to put Rambo on hold.
- The first Rambo film directed by Sylvester Stallone.
- The first Rambo film without the music of Jerry Goldsmith, who died in 2004.
- During its long development process, 'Rambo' went through a number of story premises. One un-produced script featured Rambo living a quiet life with wife and child, until white supremacists kidnap his family. Another script found Rambo trying to stop a hostage situation at the United Nations, where he is working as a diplomat, when terrorists (including Rambo's adopted son) take hold of the UN headquarters in New York.
- This is the first Rambo film without a companion novel by David Morrell, Rambo's creator. Morell wrote the novel "First Blood", the basis for the first Rambo film, and novelizations of 'Rambo: First Blood Part II' and 'Rambo III'.
- Ted Kotcheff who directed First Blood (1982), the original of the Rambo series, acts as a technical consultant on this particular installment.
- In many countries, the first installment, First Blood (1982) was re-titled "Rambo", so the title for the fourth installment had to be changed accordingly. In several countries, including France and Germany, the film is called "John Rambo." In Russia, the film is called "Rambo 4."
- Julie Benz was cast as Sarah because Sylvester Stallone was a big fan of the TV show "Dexter" (2006) in which she stars.
- Rambo was banned in Myanmar (formally Burma), and bootlegs are a hot item. Burmese Freedom Fighters have even adopted dialogue from the movie as battle cries, most notably "Live for nothing, or die for something." Sylvester Stallone said "That, to me, is one of the proudest moments I've ever had in film."
- Averages 2.59 killings per minute.
- Odeon, a UK cinema chain with more than 100 screens, refused to show the film for 'commercial reasons'.
- Originally, Rambo was supposed to hold the M2 .50 caliber machine gun in his hands and fire it, but when fully assembled the .50 weighed 120 lbs. Stallone was still capable of holding and firing it but it was too cumbersome for quick movements, so they mounted it on the back of a jeep instead.
- During the montage after Rambo is asked to transport the mercenaries, it shows the alternate ending to First Blood (1982) where Col. Trautman ends Rambo's revenge on Teasle by shooting him in the abdomen.
- The only "First Blood" film without a helicopter.
- Maung Maung Khin, who played the Burmese dictator Tint, fought for the Karen Rebels in real life. He was afraid his family would be murdered if he took this role, but he took it anyway.
- The first Rambo film completely without a scene in which John Rambo is without his T-shirt, showing his muscles. This is due to Stallones, by then, extensive tattoo work on both shoulders, which he started getting in late July 2007.
- The first Rambo film to break the pattern of greatly escalating the budget from one film to the next, it cost $50 million, while it's predecessor Rambo III (1988) cost $63 million.
- This is the first movie in the series that John Rambo uses a pistol.
>>> WARNING: Here Be Spoilers <<<
Trivia items below here contain information that may give away important plot points. You may not want to read any further if you've not already seen this title.
- SPOILER: Highest body count of any Rambo film (236).
- SPOILER: Richard Crenna's final film appearance. He died in 2003, but he appears in archival footage.
Related Links
