The first in the very haphazardly titled "Rambo" quadrilogy, this action drama film by Ted
Kotcheff made over $100 million in profit against its small $14-million dollar budget.
Released in October of 1982, the 93-minute story follows Sylvester Stallone as a Vietnam
Veteran who uses his Green Beret training against a small town police force after they
unnecessarily arrest, and abuse him.
A slow moving and understated experience that examines the life of a war veteran struggling
with post-traumatic-stress disorder, this movie is surprisingly more layered and poignant
than it needs to be.
He later defends his violent rampage by screaming, "Nothing is over!
Nothing!
You just don't turn it off!
It wasn't my war!"
On the surface, it's an enjoyable R-rated adventure with plenty of blood, gun-fights,
and explosions... but at its heart, is a the story of a man fighting for his own identity
and purpose - a role which Stallone pulls off admirably.
Playing the villainous town sheriff hell-bent on taking Stallone in is Tony-award winning
actor Brian Dennehy, who makes his hateful antagonist actions look easy.
Richard Crenna is featured in a much smaller role as Sly's old army Colonel, brought in
to effectively "talk down" our hero before he causes any more damage.
Shot on location in the beautiful forests of British Columbia, the cinematography here
is artistic without ever being showy.
A sequence where Stallone camouflages himself in the deep brush, silently taking out every
member of a hunting party with non-lethal booby traps and takedowns is especially well
done.
When Jerry Goldsmith's quiet and melodic score intensifies, the patriotic sounds help portray
Rambo as a sympathetic individual.
I am however bothered that the hateful motivation of Dennehy is never adequately explained...
he decides to be a vengeful jerk without any strong reason.
This, coupled with a quiet, sort-of cop-out ending leaves a little to be desired.
A decently believably narrative with few twists or surprises...
this is an interesting and entertaining movie worth watching - especially since it sets
up the more successful and memorable sequels.
"First Blood", "Methodical action with complicated personalities."
Now, here's what you had to say in the YouTube comments.
Our scores for "First Blood", an EIGHT and a SEVEN.
You applauded the more nuanced approach to the action-genre, rating this a GREAT.
I too, was impressed with Stallone's performance...
but that alone didn't make the movie truly fantastic, I thought it was COOL.