First Blood is a 1982 movie directed by Ted Kotcheff.
WHAT HAPPENS?
A Vietnam veteran is harassed by local police and flees into the mountains, where he wages a one-man war.
ONE LINE REVIEW
First Blood represents the end of 1970’s filmmaking and birth of 1980’s super action heroes.
THE ACTORS
Sylvester Stallone portrays John Rambo, a withdrawn Vietnam veteran who finds himself harassed by police in a small mountain town. Stallone adds subtle layers of humanity to his character – at least until he retreats to the woods and becomes a one-man killing machine. Stallone easily pulls off the action scenes, yet is effective in conveying Rambo’s intense PTSD and the ingenuity of a man adapting to his environment.
Brian Dennehy is tremendous as Teasle, the town’s sheriff who instantly targets Rambo as a “drifter.” Initially, he defends his actions as keeping the town “boring”, but then escalates his actions once both his deputies are killed and state police and military intervene. Teasle’s deputies include memorable turns by Chris Mulkey and David Caruso. However, the scene stealer is Richard Crenna’s Trautman – who reveals himself as Rambo’s Vietnam squad leader. Crenna gets to deliver some wonderfully verbose and over the top dialogue.
THE DIRECTOR
Kotcheff proves himself effective in mixing action with short bursts of humanity. He allows Stallone to channel the original book’s emotions and confusion associated with PTSD. Yet, the action scenes and eventual hunting of the deputies pursuing Rambo leave the most memorable images. While his character borders on the super human, Kotcheff creates an environment that is essential man vs. man/nature conflict.
THE BEST – The National Guard Troops
Similar to his other movies, Kotcheff creates some well-timed comic moments. When the National Guard troops – the “weekend warriors” are called out to pursue Rambo, they quickly realize they are overmatched. After Rambo survives an explosion, one of the guardsmen calls out: “I have to be back at the pharmacy on Monday!”
THE BEST Part Two – The Kills
Similar to Rocky’s training montages, Rambo would become known for its innovative killing sequences. While the movie still feels natural, Rambo’s inventive, murderous traps set the blueprint for the cartoonish ones that would follow in the saga.
THE BEST Part Three – Galt’s Voice
Jack Starrett’s Galt emerges as the movie’s top villain – despite only being in the movie for roughly a half-hour. He is easily the most vicious and impulsive of Teasle’s deputies – yet his smoky voice is hypnotizing despite his cruel actions.
THE BEST Part Four – The Dirtbike Chase
I feel the exact moment when Stallone’s Rambo rips a driver off a moving dirt bike before racing into the mountains marks the official end of 1970’s filmmaking. Stallone does a little shuffle step – a perfectly natural move – measuring when to exactly lunge forward onto the bike. In some respects, the move signals the last moment of Stallone’s extraordinarily underrated realism phase. After he takes off on the dirt bike, the 1980’s officially begin.
THE WORST – The Final Twenty-Five Minutes
Once First Blood evolves into a man on man showdown between Stallone’s Rambo and Dennehy’s Teasle, the energy is drained. After establishing Rambo as a dangerous and essentially unstoppable killing machine, there’s little suspense remaining when he finally faces the overwhelmed Teasle.
FOX FORCE FIVE RATING – 4/5
First Blood is a vastly underrated action movie that contains the last remnants of gritty 1970’s character studies. This movie marks the eventual ascent of Stallone into movie super-stardom.
