- "Best way downriver. Not get army suspicious. "
- ―Co Bao on the pirates.
The pirate boat in Rambo: First Blood Part II.
Pirates are bands of criminals who taxi people downriver on boats illegally for money. They will often sell people out or force them to pay money or other valuables in exchange for passage downriver. Although the pirates aren't necessarily thought of as the traditional pirates that either pillage or take hostages, they are still very dangerous and are key figures in two of the four Rambo films.
The novelization of Rambo: First Blood Part II gives more insight on what exactly the pirates do. Co states that they are drug runners.
Rambo: First Blood Part II[]
Pirates in Rambo: First Blood Part II.
Co Bao pays Captain Kinh, the leader of a local group of pirates, to take them downriver so the North Vietnamese Army doesn't get suspicious. Kinh appears to be reasonably friendly, but John Rambo wisely doesn't trust them and is prepared when the pirates sell them out to the NVA. After Rambo sees Kinh slap Co, he flies into a rage and pulls a hidden knife which he uses to stab a pirate and use him as a human shield. Rambo then takes the pirate's shotgun and kills several pirates. Co then uses an AKM to kill a pirate trying to sneak up on Rambo from the roof. However, the NVA gunboat is quickly coming up on them. Co takes her AKM and Banks and they swim to shore while Rambo barely avoids being killed by the gunboat's dual-mounted Browning M2 Aircraft .50 caliber machine guns by destroying the ship with a rocket from an RPG-7 rocket launcher. Rambo then attempts to flee before the ship, which is on a collision course with the river pirate's boat, crashes into it. Rambo is grabbed by a hiding river pirate, who attempts to strangle him, but Rambo pulls his knife and stabs him in the stomach just in time to escape as the boat is destroyed.
Weapons[]
- Remington 870 pump-action shotgun with folding stock
- Zastava M57 Yugoslavian pistol
- RPG-7 rocket launcher
- Colt M1911A1 pistol
- AKM assault rifle
- M16A1 assault rifle
Rambo IV[]
Pirates in Rambo IV.
When John Rambo is transporting the missionaries from the Christ Church of Colorado down the Salween river, he tells everyone to get down and don't make a sound when they pass a Burmese Tatmadaw Army pirate hut. They look to be safe, but a pirate boat turns on its floodlights and speeds towards them. Rambo says not to look them in the eye or they will kill them, but the pirates respond by shooting into the water. Rambo stops the boat and the pirates drop their anchor onto Rambo's boat. The head pirate pulls a gun and asks what they are doing in their part of the river. Rambo responds that they are bringing medicine to the sick, and the pirate demands him to turn on the lights. Rambo obliges and the pirate notices Sarah Miller. He demands Sarah in exchange for passage, but Rambo attempts to negotiate, knowing that the pirates would certainly rape her dozens of times and then kill her. The pirates refuse to negotiate and despite Rambo's repeated attempts at persisted negotiation, they still demand Sarah. When all possible attempts at negotiation fail, Rambo is forced to pull his 1911 pistol and shoot all of the pirates to death, shocking the missionaries and angering Michael Burnett. Later Rambo burn the boat of the pirates and their corpses and next the boat exploding for deleted the evidence.
Weapons[]
- Walther P38 pistol
- Browning M2HB heavy machine gun
- Tokarev TT-33 pistol