First Blood DVD > Reviews > First Blood to Johnny

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Liked it
Story	Satisfactory
Characters / Performances	Satisfactory
Special Effects	Standard
Soundtrack	Unmemorable

Advantages:	An 80s action classic
Disadvantages:	Violent, dated, the message may be lost

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Rambo: First Blood is the first of the Rambo films (followed by First Blood Part 2 and Rambo 3). Obviously I was aware of the cult status of Rambo films – in which Sylvester Stallone cemented the tough guy film star image he’d earned in the Rocky series – but I’d never previously seen any of them. The consensus seemed to be that, while the sequels got slightly silly, the first film was a good one; so I took the opportunity of watching it on BBC 1 Saturday (19/07/03) -–I believe they’re showing the whole trilogy, because Part 2 is due next week.

Stallone plays John Rambo, a Vietnam veteran trained to be a jungle killing machine. Returning home to America, however, he doesn’t get the hero’s welcome he expected – people are ashamed of the war, and he’s ignored like an unwanted problem. His training, and the horrific things he’s witnessed, still haunt him, and he can’t integrate back into society. Worse, when he tries to visit the only remaining member of his squadron, Rambo finds his friend has died of cancer from the Agent Orange employed in the jungle.

That he’s not wanted is reinforced when the local sheriff tries to drive Rambo out of town for vagrancy, disliking his unkempt image. Being locked up, and tortured by police guards, leads to flashbacks from ‘Nam and something in Rambo snaps. He uses his military training to bust out of the jail, escape to the surrounding forest and plan revenge in his personal war against the sheriff.

To be honest, there’s not that much plot. I was surprised when I looked at the clock and saw we were three quarters of the way through the film, as not much had happened in terms of real storyline. Nevertheless the above pretext is used for some fairly compelling action and a point is made about ‘Nam veterans – even if it largely comes out in Rambo’s last ten minutes (where is Italian-American is, unfortunately, rather incomprehensible – more suited to Rocky Balboa).

The film isn’t a straightforward black and white good and evil kind of film. There’s no one who is clearly portrayed as ‘evil’ (in the way Hitler, Bin Laden or Hussein could be) – everyone’s American. The sheriff isn’t a likeable chap certainly – he’s a narrow-minded, jobsworth with an over-inflated ego, but he’s not ‘evil’, just doing his job. Rambo, meanwhile, could be something of an anti-hero – one sympathises with his treatment, and understands his reaction, but he seems prepared to kill innocents almost without concern (of course, a consequence of his training and war experience).

As the police hunt Rambo through the forest, it takes all his training in guerilla warfare to evade them. While he’s certainly not a clean cut ‘good guy’, one can’t help backing the underdog, so this makes some exciting and entertaining viewing, as he picks off members of the first search party. Although technically they’re following him, you agree with one of the policemen who says they’re the ones being hunted – in this way, it reminds me of Predator, although in a way it’s even more scary that the unseen ‘monster’ in the woods picking the men off is known to be human.

The message of the film would depend crucially on this characterisation. To be more than a brainless action film, it needs to drive home the political message – the situation many American veterans found themselves in. This was something I didn’t find too effective personally. Stallone’s not an Oscar winning actor, he does action rather than emotion. His old army commander also plays an under-developed part (that is apparently much more significant in the later films). Maybe it’s because the film’s older now, and I didn’t live through Vietnam – but much the message could be applicable, no doubt, to many returning from the Gulf.

The effects also appear rather dated at times. The stunts and explosions are passable, but when Rambo stitches up the injury to his own arm, I thought it looked terribly bad. That’s part and parcel of old films though – you can’t expect it to match the latest blockbuster.

All in all, I though the acting and plot development failed to convey a serious message as well as they could have. The effects and acting are naturally a bit of a let down. Nevertheless Rambo is a classic action film, that I’d recommend simply for that status. Probably appeals most to males 15-30, and fans of Terminator, Predator, etc.

On its own merits, 3*. The status/reputation however mean this is a film you 'should' watch if interested in the genre, and merit an extra star.

Rated: 15 - very violent.
Duration: 97 minutes
http://us.imdb.com/Title?0083944