Where Was Rambo IV Movie Filmed?

2008 action thriller film “Rambo IV”. The film follows the titular character created by writer David Morrell in the 1972 novel First Blood. The storyline plunges our war veteran hero John Rambo into the brutal world of Myanmar, where the war between the state and mercenaries continues to unfold. The consequence is complete chaos against the green palette of the dense jungle. However, you might be wondering where the film was filmed. In that case, let us share everything we know!

Rambo IV Filming Locations

Rambo IV was filmed in Thailand, Myanmar, the United States and Mexico. According to sources, filming began on January 22, 2007 and ended on May 4, 2007. The franchise’s films always find themselves in the midst of unfolding geopolitical tensions, and the team behind this film sought to follow a similar path. Since they were already covering geopolitical hotspots of conflict like Vietnam and the Middle East, Stallone wanted his character to go somewhere we don’t often see in the media. So Stallone contacted the United Nations to learn more about global conflicts, and Burma fascinated him since he knew little about the country. He also wanted to make the film viscerally gory since they had a limited budget and it cost relatively less to suffocate people with fake blood. But reality hit the crew hard.

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Chiang Mai, Thailand

Several scenes were filmed in Thailand, especially in Chiang Mai (also written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai), an eloquent historic city in the northern mountainous region of Thailand. They charted the jungles near the town, setting up several sequences there. Moreover, the snake farm scenes were lensed on Mae Sa Snake Farm, which is located in the Mae Raem (Mae Rim) district of Chiang Mai. You may find it interesting to know that the actual employees of the farm were included in the filming process. But the facility is seemingly not in function anymore. In addition, the cities of Chiang Rai and Bangkok may have been visited to lens a few sequences.

Salween River, Myanmar

Most of the movie is set in Myanmar (Burma), so the team filmed scenes on the Salween River, a part of which separates Burma and Thailand. But much to the shock of the cast and crew, the reality of the volatile nation was far worse than the first-hand accounts Stallone and his team had heard. In an October 2007 interview, the lead actor shared that all the trails were heavily mined, and the only way to access interior Burma was up the river. Stallone recollected, “I witnessed the aftermath – survivors with legs cut off and all kinds of land mine injuries, maggot-infested wounds and ears cut off.” They also faced death threats, narrowly escaping shots fired by the Burmese military. In August and September 2007, months after the crew returned from the country, Burma met one of its largest pro-democratic protests, which ended in a humanitarian crisis.

Bowie, Arizona

The small unincorporated community of Bowie plays an important role in Rambo’s life, as he comes from a village. He is mentioned in four out of five films. We learn that Rambo is from Bowie when Murdoch reads out his credentials in the first film. However, we don’t see his home until the end of the third film, when Rambo returns to his ancestral horse farm. Therefore, some scenes of the fourth film in the franchise were allegedly filmed on this location. Bowie is about three hours southeast of the capital city of Phoenix.

Palmdale, California

Towards the end of the film, Rambo walks towards the horizon. Filming of this episode took place in California, namely in the village of Palmdale. The crew was given a lot located at 12140-11766 Elizabeth Lake Road in the city to film the scene. The surrounding area of the city, located north of Los Angeles in Los Angeles County, is home to a huge amount of biodiversity.

Mexico

Additionally, some scenes were filmed in Mexico. However, this was not the fictional hero’s last trip to Mexico, as the fifth installment of the franchise, Rambo: Last Blood, was also filmed in the country. Although crime and corruption exist here, as in any other country, the ancient land of the Mayans and Aztecs has stood the test of time. Modern Mexico is a mixture of old and new. With expansive beaches, dense jungles and historical charm, Mexico is one of the world’s top off-the-grid travel destinations.