First Blood DVD > Reviews > "They drew first blood, not me."

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Liked it
Story	Good
Characters / Performances	Good
Special Effects	Good
Soundtrack	Average

Advantages:	a well done yet  restrained action movie
Disadvantages:	none

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Stallone's character, John Rambo, has gone down in film history as a bit of a cardboard action hero, like his Rocky and almost everything his archrival in the beef stakes, Arnie, has brought to the big screen. But before Rambo became the all American hero taking on and defeating whole armies armed with reasonably sharp steak knife, before he developed the knack of invading small near eastern countries with out breaking into a sweat, there was First Blood, the film that first brought him to our attention. Contrary to popular belief, the original film is actually quite good; no it's very good. It's surprisingly understated, well for an action movie that is, it moves at a logical pace and for all the reputation of its main character, it is not the blood bath that you expect it to be and it has a core theme that makes this slightly more thoughtful than your average action flick but which never tries to steal the show. It remains a rough and tumble boys own adventure story, but a good one at that.

John Rambo is a drifter, an ex-Vietnam veteran wandering the backwaters and by-ways of the American northwest Pacific Coast. Destined to remain an unwanted by-product of a war that the country wants to forget, his story begins when he wanders into the town of Hope and encounters Sheriff Will Teasle. Teasle doesn't work for the law, he is the law and is protective of his town, a place that he describes as "boring, but I get paid to keep it that way". He decides to give Rambo a lift through the town making it clear that he is not wanted there and the battle of wills begins between the two leads. Realising that the only way he can teach the vagrant a lesson is to lock him up he arrests him but that's where the problems really start. Rambo's trouble memories come flooding back until in his mind he is reliving the horrors of his time served in the combat zone and he escapes and takes to the hills. The main line of the film is then set around firstly, the hunt for the fugitive and then the tables turning on the town that treated him so badly. The action also takes us through the gorgeous backdrop of the scenery of the Pacific coastline. Majestic mountains, stark rocky cliffs and virgin damp forests all make a much more vivid set than the usual war torn streets, embattled airports and sun baked desserts that have become the norm for this type of film.

The film manages to maintain a restrained touch and if it does step a little too far out of the realms of realism, only does so towards the end of the film, but remember this is not meant to be an in-depth indictment of American law enforcement or attitude towards the Vietnam war, it's a just an action romp, so we can allow it that at least. The film builds well and the hunt through the woods is particularly well done pitting a trained killer against local gung-ho National Guard and over confident police deputies as he lives off of the land. The film also reins in the obvious temptation to throw in buckets of blood and tons of rounds being expended, indeed there is only one actual death in the whole film, if you don't count the pig that gets eaten by our erstwhile (anti?) hero.

Stallone is exactly right in the role and its thankful that Dustin Hoffman passed it up when offered as I can't see him making a very good job of it. Instead we get a silent and brooding portrayal of a troubled man pushed to his limits by harsh treatment both by the local town and the society that he returned to. In a totally less is more use of the script, Stallone is called on to say very little, but does get one glorious speech at the end which totally explains why he is the way he is and really exposes the attitudes at the heart of the film, the conflicts and contradictions in post Vietnam America. Brian Dennehy is also superb as the small town adversary in what is not much more than a two-character plot. As usual this stalwart of the American screen plays the role perfectly. You manage to remain understanding of the sheriff throughout, he has a job to do the same as anyone else, and you almost feel sorry that he has found himself in this situation.

The two films that followed this delivered an all American action hero to our screens, the sort that inspires cheesy Bruce Springsteen anthems, flag waving and fireworks every time he appears. In this initial part of the story though we have a normal, if troubled, character that is both believable and brilliantly portrayed by someone who has never had the easiest of treatment at the hands of the critics. A great film; just don't bother with the sequels.