Rambo II made so much money it would have been rude for Sylvester Stallone not to return for a third installment; the result did not attract the same level of "hot button" controversy at the time - though it's become notorious in later years because some think Rambo was helping the same forces America would be fighting from 2001 on wards. It's also not as good a movie.
It's still beautifully shot with lots of impressive explosions and stunts involving helicopters; and the basic set up isn't bad: Rambo turns down a chance to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan, but decides to go there when his old mentor Richard Crenna is captured.
But the story isn't as good as Rambo 2 - the absence of James Cameron perhaps? The structure isn't as clean: Rambo turns up in Afghanistan, goes to rescue Crenna, fails, then goes back and rescues him again, then fights off the Soviets, is in a hot spot, but the Afghans rescue him and he goes home. It lacks the personal resonance in the second film, where Rambo was returning to his old stomping ground, and trying to win a war that had been lost; it also lacks the twists - in the second film Rambo decided to rescue a POW (twist), was not picked up by the US who betrayed him (twist), was rescued by his girlfriend who died (twist), then went on rampage. There's no sense of progression.
And it also lacks characters. This movie only has two real characters of note - Rambo and Trautman, plus some random evil baddy, and random helpful tribespeople. In Rambo 2 there were plenty of random people (even Steven Berkoff's character) but there were more who had resonance for Rambo: a fellow veteran POW, a CIA spook who betrayed him, a woman he kind of fell in love with. This movie has opportunity for such characters but doesn't take him - Kurtwood Smith's shady operative cried out for some betraying of Rambo but he disappears; that kid soldier cried out to bond with Rambo as a kid role but he doesn't.
The best moment is when Trautman lectures the Russian: There won't be a victory. Every day, your war machines lose ground to a bunch of poorly-armed, poorly-equipped freedom fighters. The fact is that you underestimated your competition. If you'd studied your history, you'd know that these people have never given up to anyone. They'd rather die than be slaves to an invading army. You can't defeat a people like that. We tried; we already had our Vietnam! Now you're gonna have yours.
If only George W had seen the film!
In short: not as offensive as the second film but not as good either.
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