Rambo: First Blood

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He's called Tequila. He's a tough cop.
I just watched this movie for the first time and was completely surprised. Going in I thought it was a movie about some dude in Vietnam killing Vietkong, a complete action flick with tons of death and destruction. Wow, I was wrong, it's completely different and I actually thought it was quite good. I'm posting this because I was just wondering what most movie-buffs think of this flick. So, did you like it or what? Why?

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First Blood, before the name John Rambo became forever linked to an ever-increasingly cartoonish video game mentality, is a decent flick. It certainly doesn't rise to the level of a masterpiece like Deliverance, but it is a credible action flick. The man alone hunted by superior numbers, underestimated by his pursuers, wanting only to be left alone but pushed into a fight - that's all good, timeless stuff. I never really buy Dennehy's Sheriff's motivation for hassling him so much to put everything into motion, and Stallone's righteous speech at the end is a bit cringe-inducing, but the rest of it in between is a rousing adventure.

The cinematography by Andrew Laszlo, the best of his career, does a wonderful job capturing that lush wilderness (which was actually up in British Columbia, Canada and not anywhere in the lower 48). A typically good Jerry Goldsmith score and theme help a lot, and despite a couple thuds in dialogue here and there the actors all do well, including Sly. Richard Crenna really gets to steal the picture playing the wise warrior who nobody but the audience will take seriously. Some of the action strains credibility, even for an action movie, but compared to the silly Rambo installments that follow it's practically a documentary.

It's no masterpiece, but it's a good film who's reputation has probably been tarnished a bit over the years due to the over-the-top ridiculousness of the sequels.

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He's called Tequila. He's a tough cop.
Alright, cool; that's basically what I got out of it, a good movie that's reputation has been tarnished by the pop-culture perception of it. Thanks Holden!



I recently bought it ($5.50 at Target - why not?). It kinda lost my attention halfway through, but I got the picture. Will have to watch it with full participation later on.



Of terms of just general entertainment this movie is great and not just a mindless killing spree. Although, the ending sequence is a bit of a killing spree but still the film is great fun.



Originally Posted by chris017
Of terms of just general entertainment this movie is great and not just a mindless killing spree. Although, the ending sequence is a bit of a killing spree....
Only four characters die in First Blood: the one who falls from the chopper and the three in a car crash at the end. He wounds a whole bunch of folks, but only four die, and none by gun or knife. As for the sequels, Rambo: First Blood Part II has been clocked with sixty-nine deaths, Rambo III one hundred and thirty-two and the recent fourth flick Rambo has a whopping two hundred and thirty-six kills. This is why I say "an ever-increasingly cartoonish video game mentality".




He's called Tequila. He's a tough cop.
Only four characters die in First Blood: the one who falls from the chopper and the three in a car crash at the end. He wounds a whole bunch of folks, but only four die, and none by gun or knife. As for the sequels, Rambo: First Blood Part II has been clocked with sixty-nine deaths, Rambo III one hundred and thirty-two and the recent fourth flick Rambo has a whopping two hundred and thirty-six kills. This is why I say a "an ever-increasingly cartoonish video game mentality".


Holy Jesus 236?!?!?



ReservoirPup's Avatar
Stuck in the middle with you.
who would've though a 60 something year old Stallone could massacre Vietcong like that.



Originally Posted by ReservoirPup
who would've though a 60 something year old Stallone could massacre Vietcong like that.
Geeze, you are totally out of it. John Rambo only fought with Vietnamese in Rambo: First Blood Part II. Well, and during the war itself, we presume. In Rambo III he was helping the Afghanis fight off the Soviets (too bad he didn't stick around and wipe out Al-Qaeda afterwards), and in the most recent Rambo he's in Myanmar (formerly Burma).




Bright light. Bright light. Uh oh.
Yep. You really need to get ahold of Rambo: My Story in My Own Words to get your facts straight. Too bad Colonel Trautman isn't still around to translate it.
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