First Blood by Ted Kotcheff (1982)
11 August 2008I loved this film when it came out, and after watching the 4th film recently, I decided I wanted to go back and watch the other films, especially this first film which was the best of the originals, and actually had a message to it, as well as being an amazing actioner and thriller. Stalone was perfectly cast, and did a great job on a rewrite to really make this adaption great, making it so that while Rambo caused mass destruction, he never actually killed anyone. A very important point for a film making a point about these vets returning from Vietnam and trying to function in normal society. Not only is this a good action film with some great performances (Brian Dennehy is perfectly cast as the foil), but it has a powerful story, and was so different from anything else coming out at this time.
John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) is an Ex-Special Forces member, who was awarded the Medal of Honor in Vietnam, but is wandering the country trying to find the other members of his elite unit, but finds he is all that is left. So he is just wandering with his bad, his ratty army jacket, and his big old knife. Rambo comes up on a small town of Hope, Washington, and immediately gets spotted by the local sheriff, WIll Teasle (Brian Dennehy). Teasle picks him up, and drives him out of town, saying they don’t drifters in there idilic little town. He drops Rambo at the border, and Rambo turns around, determined to not be pushed around. Teasle picks him for vagrancy, and has him booked. Rambo refuses to cooperate, and is beaten by a deputy Art Galt (Jack Starett). Rambo has Vietnam flashbacks to when he was a P.O.W., and goes nuts. He beats the officers, and escapes the station with is knife. Teasle heads out in pursuit, determined to take him down.
REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS…
Rambo runs, and steals a motorcycle, and has a major pursuit, before Teasle overturns his cruiser, and has to call in re-enforcements and a helicopter. Rambo starts getting ready, getting some leather to wear and heads into the woods, as the Sheriff and his deputies head after on foot with dogs.
Rambo runs, and ends up at a cliff, where he climbs down on, but is spotted by Art in the helicopter. Rambo falls into a tree, and is hurt, but survives. He throws a rock and hits the glass of the helicopter, as Art shoots at him without orders, and Art falls to his death. Teasle blames him, and vows to avenge his friend, blaming Rambo for the death.
Teasle and his men head after Rambo, and Rambo sets up traps, killing the dogs, and wounding all the deputies. He finally gets Teasle, and warns him, that here is his territory, and tells him he could have easily killed them all.
The National Guard is called in, but Teasle remains in control. Special Forces Colonel Samuel Trautman (Richard Crenna) who trained Rambo, and worked with him in Vietnam shows up to get Teasle to back off, but Teasle won’t listen.
Rambo is cornered in a mine shaft by the national guard, who blow up the shaft with an RPG, and Rambo is presumed dead, but he is alive, and starts trying to find another exit from the abandoned mine, making a torch to see by. The search is called off.
Rambo gets out, and hijacks an army truck with an M-60 on it, and the chase is on again. He runs it into the town, and blows up a gas station, and heads out to create chaos so he can get to Teasle with his M-60.
Teasle is alone at the police station, and Rambo almost kills him, but is stopped by Trautman, who gets him to calm down and give himself up. Rambo talks about how hard life is for him, and how he couldn’t get in touch with Trautman, and how he can’t even hold down a job parking cars, but in the army he flew helicopters and drove tanks, and was the best of the best. Trautman leads Rambo out to the cops in handcuffs.
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Really a good movie, not only a great action film, but with a great message about these poor soldiers returning from war, which is just as relevant now as it was then.
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