Rambo: First Blood
John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) a former Green Beret in the Vietnam War, travels to the small town of Hope to visit a friend he fought with in the war. Still haunted by the war and coming to grips with the loss if his friend Rambo wanders through town until he is approached by Sheriff Teasel (Brian Dennehy). Teasel is determined to keep 'drifters' like Rambo out of his peaceful town, so when Rambo refuses to leave he is arrested. Rambo is abused by the local police force, causing him to violently escape prison and flee to the surrounding forest. The local police force and eventually a band of special forces wage war against Rambo in an attempt to capture him. Rambo is left to survive by himself in the wilderness supported only bu his trusty knife.
Rambo is a good old fashion action movie, it's not the best movie ever made but it is rightfully a classic. Rambo has become some what of a legend everything from his makeshift jacket to his headband and of course to his trusty knife. He's the sort of character that never dies up there with the likes of John McClane and the Terminator. Stallone has made a name for himself from basically two movies; Rambo and Rocky and the multiple sequels that followed. Both movies have earnt their right in cinema history however Stallone is a far cry from a talented actor. In Rambo, Stallone grunts his 10 words and for the rest of the film jumps off cliffs, shoots people and hides out in the forest. Yet there is more to his performance than one might suspect. It wasn't until the final scene where Rambo suffers a breakdown screaming about the effects of the war that Stallone's true performance was revealed. Stallone delivered a believable performance throughout the movie however in the final scene he was truly believable, as he genuinely poured his emotions onto the camera, adding a depth to the film I wasn't expecting
Rambo has a reputation for being an overly violent movie, however the end body count is just one (falls from a helicopter). Rambo is in fact a nice change from the modern action movies where there is an explosion every 10 seconds with no thought put into the story. Rambo is gritty, entertaining and yes sometimes violent, but when an explosion happens (and they happen) it has some significance. Modern movies lose tough of the story as CGi is added in left, right and centre and as a result the action loses its authenticity and appeal. Rambo has all the elements of a modern action film: the car chases, gun fights and explosions, but the action is there for a purpose and ultimately adds to the movie.
The visual aspects of Rambo are excellent, the rugged woodland locations and overbearing fog adds to the feel and look of the film. As a viewer you get a sense of the harshness of the weather and the terrain, allowing you to relate to Rambo's situation. As Rambo is left to survive by himself in the wilderness the only person supposedly on his side, is his commanding officer, Colonel Samuel Trautman (Richard Crenna). Crenna delivers a strong performance similarly to Dennehy, with his main purpose to illustrate the abilities and skill of Rambo and instal a sense of fear amongst the officers going in to hunt him. Crenna does this successfully however he also allows the audience to sympathyse for Rambo by providing an insight into the decisions Rambo was forced to make and the brutality he was forced to endure during the war.
Rambo is above all an entertaining action flick that can you can easily relax on the couch with. I was left satisfied at the end of the movie but not motivated to watch any of the sequels any time soon. After watching the movie I was left contemplating who was in the wrong; the local policeman or Rambo and I guess the real question one needs to ask is who drew first blood?
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