First Blood (1982)
I count this as a Vietnam-film and it still in my opinion the best. We get both the war is hell and the personal consequences for those involved, but instead of the usual formula of following a group of people in the warzone, we get a very up close and personal simple narrative that manages to convey everything regardless of being set in the US. The premise and plot of the movie may be simple, but it has a lot to open up.
I want to praise Stallone’s physical acting abilities. He may not say much with his words, but his body language says ten times more. Just looking at the way he walks and moves around, and how it changes throughout the film. How he goes from trying to blend in to re-entering his combat mode, to finally succumbing to his repressed trauma.
Like most other teenage boys I was drawn to Rambo as this cool action hero, and it does provide plenty of straight up well made entertaining action, it was also a real eye opener when I first watched it, with how it also told something about being a veteran trying to return to normal life. Especially when they weren’t greeted as heroes returning like in WW2.
Of course Rambo’s story is the center here, but I also like the personal process the sheriff goes through. He may be the antagonist, but not the ultimate bad guy. We can see where he is coming from, why he forces himself into that impossible position of fighting Rambo even though he knows what he is up against.
If there are still people out there that have dismissed it because of what Rambo as an action movie stereotype have later become, this is absolutely required viewing.
Rating: 5