Rambo 303 (1976)
Cast: Jahanzeb, Saima, Ajab Gul, Madeeha Shah, Seema, Tariq Shah
Director: Sarwar Khayyal
Synopsis: Purana Pakistan and all the typical trappings of corruption at every institution of the land, but in this case, luckily, we have Rambo 303 to make things better!
Reviewed by: Omar Khan

It’s the early 1990s with Pakistan reeling after successive governments breaking all record levels of corruption. In these prevailing conditions in urban Lahore, a young man named Raheel, AKA Rambo 303, emerges as a ray of sunshine and hope.

Later, a young and fearless student leader joins Rambo to save the day, becoming an inspirational role model for following generations with their heroic deeds and immaculate ‘90s hairstyles.

Early on, a seedy, sleazy party man, Chaudhary (Tariq Shah), likes a young helpless bechari female. He has her brought to his pad, informing her that he always gets his way and is about to grab her crown jewels when she flees the scene in horror, but Chaudhary’s goons give chase.

By the grace of God, a hero rises to save the girl, and Rambo appears like an angel. He goes one step further, adopting the stranger as a sister and taking her home to Mom. Mother, played by Seema, can barely contain her delight in having some random woman thrust on her as a “new daughter”. Seema’s Maa ki Mamta instincts burst through, and she’s all sugar-coated goodie two-shoe exuberance.

Chaudhary and his corrupt pals are increasingly disturbed about the student leader (Ajab Khan), who is giving all sorts of dangerously provocative, idealistic and patriotic speeches and getting himself quite a fan following. They need to eliminate him, and a vast clash awaits.

Saima plays the feisty sister of a corrupt government official. She epitomises Girl Power and takes no crap from anyone, least of all men.

She gets off on the wrong foot with Muscle Boy Rambo, but all is quickly forgotten and a romance soon blossoms between the two. Rambo soon clashes with Sikander, the student leader (Ajab Khan), but their misunderstandings are soon sorted as they realise they are fighting the same evil and are better off having each other’s back.

Next, Rambo, who has this thing for snapping necks at an alarming rate, is unsurprisingly framed for murder. Now, his new BFF Sikander must find a way out and, with help, arriving from an unexpected source.

Frisky Saima is a tough cookie, but how will she cope without her beloved Rambo, who will soon hang for murder? For now, the corrupt system has the upper hand, but will our heroes be able to turn things around?

So far, so good, but soon the film falters when it should pick up a gear. The old familiar problems with song and romance situations in the movie’s second half tend to slow down the tempo when it needs to build. By the second half, the film should be twisting and turning its way to a thrilling conclusion. Two dreary songs arrive at the wrong moment, and the tempo is badly disturbed, but when the action gets going once again, it matches the phenomenal standards set from the outset.

The fights are spectacular and taken to another level of surrealism with the sound FX and editing, which had the movie’s thrill factor going through the roof!

Rambo 303 The film delivers spectacular action in spades but should have been reduced by about 45 to 50 minutes. Two songs should have been omitted, and the fight scenes were much leaner. There is also a dull b-grade villain who features in two extended fight scenes, and is a woefully insipid character who should never have been cast as a villain of any stature. He doesn’t even have a scar, a villain’s get-up, a Michael Jackson wig, a Punk Mohawk, or stylish bell bottoms. Rambo 303 might be a touch low on the emotional stuff but scores a bullseye with its exhilarating action, even if the storyline is more than a tad predictable. The plot contains no exciting or crazy twists to take things to another level.