The actor that plays their leader, Maung Maung Khin, was a former Karen soldier that agreed to take part in the film to raise awareness to the genocide going on in Burma. He also knew of their brutality firsthand, and shortly after the film was released, the country's oppressive government banned the film and imprisoned Maung Maung Khin's family because of his role in the film. Bootleg copies are common among the Karen, however, and Rambo's line: "Live for nothing, or die for something." has become their de facto motto.