Rating of
3.5/4
Don't mess with the vets!
Mike - wrote on 02/25/09
“They drew first blood not me." This line alone sums up the entire film. If they just left Rambo alone, he would have walked through the small town, and no harm would have came to anybody. But alas, this is not how things pan out in this superb action film.
First blood is a movie about a Vietnam War Vet who comes home from the war and realizes that he is the only one from his group that survived. All of his real friends died in the war, and now he has nothing left. So as he’s drifting through a town he gets stopped by a cop that offers to drive him to where he wants to go. Rambo gets in and asks if there’s anyplace he can get something to eat. The cop says he can go 30 miles up the highway. What ensues is Rambo getting dropped off, he heads back, the cop stops him, arrests him, Rambo gets abused in jail, breaks out, and is on the run from the cops, which leads to many shootouts and explosions. This overall plot might sound like your run-of-the-mill action flick, but there is a lot more to it that makes it unique and it delivers a great story.
The director of First Blood is Ted Kotcheff. He does a great job of showing the intensity of Rambo, and creates some unbelievable scenes that show you just how well trained Rambo is, and that he can basically survive any situation He creates enough action and dialogue so that you never really feel like their is too much action or story. The cinematography was also done well, as we get to see many environments that are very impressive looking, like an enormous cliff that Rambo tries to climb down to escape from the cops, and a dark, abandoned tunnel Rambo is forced to traverse though, with nothing but a torch for light. All of these environments further show the conditions that Rambo is capable of surviving in.
Sylvester Stallone is what makes the character of Rambo so complex, and I don’t think anybody else could have pulled off the character as well as him. He creates a character who is a complete nut, but at the same time he has a heart and cares for people. Stallone does a fantastic job displaying both traits of this character, who has obviously been through hell and back, and just wants a quiet life now. The supporting acting is also done very well, with Richard Crenna as Col. Sam Trautman and Brian Dennehy as the evil Sheriff Will Teasle. All of these actors portray their characters well and enhance the movie greatly.
Overall, First Blood is a movie every action fan should check out. You will follow a mentally unstable Vietnam war vet, and see him become a one man army after he is abused by the police force. The action is non-stop and is truly satisfying. After viewing this classic film, you will really feel bad for Rambo, and will say to yourself, “They should have just let the man grab a bite!”
