Moving to number 61st on the list we move up one percent which will continue to happen as we move swiftly through the top 100 in the list. This movie has a real point to it but so many people just don’t see it or don’t want to. When I pointed this out to a friend they said ‘what point?’ so I asked what this movie was? Just a plain old-fashioned action adventure movie. Well let’s just move on shall we. This was released as First Blood in the states and then as popularity grew around the world it changed and in some countries it was just called Rambo. It seem to make up its mind on Rambo: First Blood in the end. It was released in 1982 and directed by Ted Kotcheff and was co-written (screenplay) by Michael Kozoll, William Sackheim and Sylvester Stallone and based on a book called First Blood by David Morrell. It stars Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna and Brian Dennehy with the music composed by the legend that is Jerry Goldsmith. Critically well liked by me and IMDb who scored it 7.7 out of 10, Rotten Tomatoes was with me with a 85% score. It was made on a budget of $15m and making $125m at the box office this was a good success. It spawned many games, some of which I enjoyed and sequel movies which I have little or no interest in. This was a good movie and one I recommend. Shall we get to the plot which I may just spoil but I will give you warning if I do.
Discharged from the Vietnam War veteran John Rambo walks into a homestead to visit and old comrade only to discover that he had died of cancer due to agent orange exposure during the war. Saddened by the news he continues to walk into a nearby small town of ‘Hope’. Before getting into town he is cut off by the town sheriff called Will Teasle. Will considers John a drifter and for his little town unwanted nuisance that can easily leave. Teasle gives Rambo a lift to the other side of town to ensure he continues on his path away from Hope Town. He points Rambo to Portland and waves him on his way, as soon as he is out of the car Rambo turns and heads back into town. Prompting Will to arrest him on charges of vagrancy, then resisting arrest and then possession of a concealed knife. Rambo is taken into custody. He is given over to the sadistic chief deputy Art Galt who see’s Rambo tortured into being washed and imprisoned, this prompts flashbacks of his torture in a POW camp of Vietnam. Rambo overcomes the patrolman and retrieves his knife and escapes. He steals a motorbike and heads for the hills. In pursuit the police corner Rambo in a valley and then half-way up a cliff face. He leaps from the cliff into a tree and there is lots of other business going on before he escapes into the woods after taking some damage. As night falls Rambo has laid traps for the hunting police to fall into and the hunt escalates with the police calling in the national guard. This is not going to end well as the stakes keep increasing.
This movie is about how bad war is on those people on the front line, with science and intelligence behind them making decision that effect peoples lives. Not just today but for the rest of their lives. This movie is an anti-war movie and highlights the subject of PTSD and how badly affected these people are. Yes, they made an action movie out of this message but at least the movie had a point. Its message was subtle enough for people well people I know to completely miss it, completely. Now this could be because of the sequels diluting the story to a war movie as the first is anti-war when all the following are look at how great Rambo is at taking down entire armies alone. He became a super-human of a tactical weapon that goes in and gets the job done. With explosions and massive weapons and the fact he had PSTD in the first movie doesn’t seem to affect him going back into battle in the next movies. I assume that as I gave up about half-way through the second movie and not bothered with the others. Which could say more about me than anything else. Anyway this is a good movie and deserve more praise (in my eyes) than the other movies. It has its dark and sadistic side with the traps for the bungling police offices chasing a green beret and winner of the medal of honour through the woods. His back garden. There are plenty of explosion to keep the boys interested whilst missing the whole reason for this destruction as Rambo circles back into the centre of town. America turned its back on the soldiers of Vietnam and that is a point, not only were they not welcomed back they were the blame or scapegoat of the whole campaign which should have been on those that made the decision to send those troops into that situation. In an extreme example imagine doing a job that just because you did it made people hate and detest you. Suddenly people for whatever reason turn against teachers, vets or bus-drivers. Just because public opinion changes doesn’t change those doing that job. When you include how horrific what these people had been through to then be shunned, that is the point. This movie and story has a very heavy point to it if you scratch the surface, oh just go and do some reading.
How can I follow an action movie with another light hearted fictional action horror movie proving that Christmas is a terrifying thing that should be shunned…
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