Yes, it turns out that Rambo's real nemesis is not the communists - the same soldiers who stymied the American military, now reliably stupid - or the evil Russians that torture him, but Marshall Murdock, the intel agent in charge of the mission. He expects Rambo to find the Vietnamese base empty of prisoners so that he can assure "Congress" that no prisoners remain anywhere in the country; such is Hollywood logic. When Rambo complicates things, Murdock clashes with Colonel Trautman, Rambo's mentor/commander:
Murdock: Who the hell do you think you're talking to, Trautman?
Trautman: A stinkin' bureaucrat who's tryin to cover his ass!
Murdock: Oh Trautman, I still don't think you understand what this is all about.
Trautman: The same as it always is! Money! In '72 we were supposed to pay the Cong four-and-a-half billion in war reparations. We reneged, they kept the POWs... and you're doing the same thing all over again.
Murdock: And what the hell would you do, Trautman? Pay blackmail money to ransom our own men and finance the war effort against our allies?...Do you honestly think somebody's gonna get up on the floor of the United States Senate and ask for billions of dollars for a couple of forgotten ghosts?
To Murdock's embarrassment, ultimately Rambo does return to Thailand with some half-dozen P.O.W.s, and the movie ends. Spectators are to finish their popcorn, shake their heads over the perfidy of that "stinkin' bureaucrat," and head for the exit. According to imdb.com, the film grossed 301 million dollars.
The curtain fell, however, just when things got interesting. Does this mean "the United States Senate" wouldn't spend good money to get its men back? By every account, Washington's largesse is unlimited where our fighting men are concerned. And what about Rambo's half-dozen rescuees? Surely someone might notice their returns to Peoria and Podunk, and wonder if there might be more prisoners. Let's take these two questions in order.
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