As a helicopter encircles the ceaseless Afghan landscape, a tall, muscular, shirtless man crouches behind a craggy peak, carefully fitting a sharp arrow into its shaft. Suddenly he emerges, making eye contact with a terrified Soviet pilot. His arrow rips through the helicopter, which erupts into flames — to the delight of Americans everywhere. Delight, why? Because they have just watched one of Hollywood’s most memorable action scenes. Sylvester Stallone has taken out a murderous, pillaging Soviet invader in Rambo III. It’s a thrilling sequence and a reminder that freedom and liberty will always prevail over evil, no matter the odds.

While this beloved scene regularly resurfaces on social media, the plot context is less well-known. In Rambo III, Rambo is fighting against the invaders alongside his mujahideen brothers — or as they’re better known today, the Taliban.

Celebrating the Taliban in an action blockbuster may seem backward now, but it was normal then. The plot directly mirrored political realities at the time, when the US military was training the mujahideen to fight the invading Soviet Army.