Stallone: Myanmar Story Needs To Be Told
Sylvester Stallone says he and his "Rambo" sequel movie crew witnessed the human toll of unspeakable atrocities while filming along the Myanmar border.
"I witnessed the aftermath -- survivors with legs cut off and all kinds of land mine injuries, maggot-infested wounds and ears cut off. We saw many elephants with blown off legs. We hear about Vietnam and Cambodia and this was more horrific," Stallone told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Monday.
Stallone returned eight days ago from shooting "John Rambo," the fourth movie in the action series, on the Salween River separating Thailand and Myanmar, the Southeast Asian nation formerly known as Burma.
"This is a hellhole beyond your wildest dreams," Stallone said. "All the trails are mined. The only way into Burma is up the river."
And this was all before the crackdown leading to the largest protests in Myanmar in two decades. After the government increased fuel prices in August, public anger turned to mass protest against 45 years of military dictatorship. Last week, soldiers responded by opening fire on unarmed demonstrators.
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The "Rambo" script, written long before the current Myanmar uprising, features boatman John Rambo -- the Vietnam War-era Green Beret who specializes in violent rescues and revenge -- taking a group of mercenaries up the Salween River in search of missing Christian aid workers. The character "realizes man is just a few paces away from savagery when pushed."
"I called Soldier of Fortune magazine and they said Burma was the foremost area of human abuse on the planet," Stallone said.
Stallone is now editing "John Rambo," which will be released in January, and said he's trying to strike a balance and grapple with the question, "Are you making a documentary or a 'Rambo' movie?"
Shots were fired over the film crew's head at and there were threats, he said.
"We were told we could get seriously hurt if we went on," Stallone said, adding the families of Burmese extras in the movie were imprisoned.
"I was being accused, once again, of using the Third World as a 'Rambo' victim. The Burmese are beautiful people. It's the military I am portraying as cruel," he said.
Stallone's next challenge is trying to get an "R" rating from the Motion Picture Association of America.
"This is full-scale genocide. I want an 'R' and I want the violence in there because it is reality. It would be a whitewashing not to show what's over there," he said, noting he plans to bring Myanmar survivors before the MPAA board.
"I think there is a story that needs to be told," Stallone said.
By Jeff Wilson