The Sylvester Stallone vehicle Rambo III (1988), is both a superficial commentary on the failure of war to resolve differences and a surreal interpretation of American exceptionalism through the actions of the individual. Although set in Afghanistan, with the hero besting a Russian army, the film was shot in the Israeli desert, with the involvement of the country’s military. Filmmaker Daniel Mann employs a variety of approaches to unpack what was to most audiences a brainless shoot ‘em-up, but to Mann is a work of many meanings.

Under a Blue Sun

Negev Desert, Israel, 1987. Bashir Abu Rabi'a works as a pyrotechnics and special effects assistant on the film Rambo III, starring Sylvester Stallone, a shoot that will have far-reaching consequences for the local Bedouin population.