Review of First Blood (1982) by Joseph S — 27 Sep 2011

'First Blood' is not like the Rambo movies that followed it. Those films are action films, while 'First Blood' is more of a psychological thriller, in fact, there is only one death in the entire film. Based on the book by David Morrell, it shows how Vietnam veterans were treated after the war ended. Rambo returns home after the war and finds out that his last friend has died. He wanders in the small town called Hope, where he encounters Sheriff Teasle, played by Brian Dennehy. Teasle is a great villain but he is different from most. Most villains are entertaining to watch and you love them, but Teasle is despicable, especially in the scene where he first meets Rambo. Teasle arrests Rambo but Rambo ends up escaping and hiding in the woods, where he uses guerilla tactics to take down Teasle's men.

It's a short film but it seems longer. There are some great actions scenes. One that comes to mind is when Rambo is on a motorcycle being chased by a police car. There aren't many stunts but it's fun to watch. Another scene I like is when Rambo is one the side of the cliff and he being shot at by a man in a helicopter. This one involves a great stunt where Rambo jumps off the cliff from several feet in the air and uses the trees to break his fall. I like how Rambo uses his brain to get out of tough situations that he's in. There is one part of the film where he's trapped in a cave and he uses a torch as an indicator of air flow to help find his way out.

There's a great character, Col. Trautman (played by Richard Crenna), who trained Rambo in Vietnam and shows up to try to save Teasle from Rambo. The great thing about this movie is how attached you become to Rambo. You feel bad for the guy and want to see get out of this predicament that he's in. In the end, Stallone gives a dramatic monologue about the war and how unfair he's been treated. It's both sad and terrifying when he begins to talk about when he saw his friend killed in front of him.

One minor problem I have with this movie is that I feel that the original ending, where Rambo dies, would have fit the film better. The whole point of him having the police chasing him is that he wants to die fighting like he's in a war. I feel that if he did die, it would have been a more fitting ending for the character.