An Outbreak of Rambomania

Beads of sweat glisten, pectoral muscles ripple, veins bulge in steamy close- up. They call him "a pure fighting machine," this glum-faced superhero with the Charles Atlas body. He has been sent on a daring mission to Viet Nam, a land that just a few years ago the nation was trying to forget. Improbably -- or maybe all too probably -- he has become America's newest pop hero. His name: Rambo.

Rambo is, of course, Sylvester Stallone's latest cinematic creation, a brooding Viet Nam veteran who unleashes destruction in the summer's first blockbuster hit, Rambo: First Blood Part II. In this sequel to Stallone's 1982 film First Blood, a crack veteran of the Green Beret Special Forces is sent back to Viet Nam to search for U.S. prisoners of war, only to be abandoned in the jungle and forced to guerrilla-fight his way out. In its first 23 days of release, Rambo, which cost $27 million to produce, has grossed a phenomenal $75.8 million at the box office. Only two films in history, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Return of the Jedi, have had more successful launches.

Rambomania is spreading faster than the fire storms set by the hero's explosive warheads. Hollywood megahits of summers past have flooded the market with such whimsical souvenirs as furry Gremlins and cuddly E.T.s. This year stores are stocking up with war paraphernalia: a $150 replica of Rambo's high-tech bow and arrow, Rambo knives and an assortment of toy guns, including a semiautomatic job that squirts a stream of water 10 ft. Youngsters will soon be able to pop Rambo vitamins, and New Yorkers can send a Rambogram, in which a Stallone look-alike will deliver a birthday message or carry out a tough assignment like asking the boss for a raise. The U.S. Army has started hanging Rambo posters outside its recruitment offices, hoping to lure enlistees. Rambo fever is even spreading overseas. The film has already broken box-office records in Beirut and the Philippines, and 25 companies have signed contracts to distribute Rambo merchandise, even in countries where the film has not yet opened.

Like the ubiquitous Rocky films, Rambo represents another triumph for Stallone's distinctive brand of macho Americana. Stallone, who conceived of the film and co-wrote the script, is reveling in the popularity of his latest patriotic fable. "People have been waiting for a chance to express their patriotism," he says. "Rambo triggered long-suppressed emotions that had been out of vogue. Suddenly, apple pie is an important thing on the menu."

There is more. "I want this country to love us as much as we loved it," pleads Rambo on behalf of Viet Nam vets at the end of the film, and Stallone wants the nation to take heed. "The vets were fed by a sense of duty," he says. "They wanted to come home and be heroes on their blocks. They're saying, 'We showed you we were worthy. We just want to be appreciated.' "