It really does go a long way towards explaining how Rocky took punches so casually. Jeez, after all he's been through, boxing must've been nothing to him!
In the original novel there's more elaboration about why the Sheriff takes an instant disliking to Rambo. The Sheriff was a Korean war veteran and the way that war was prosecuted was vastly different to the Vietnam situation. The conflict was generational, with the Sheriff attributing America's defeat and shame in Vietnam to a moral weakness in the soldiers that fought it. "If my generation had been there we would have won," kind of thinking. That's the reason for his antipathy for Rambo at first sight rather than a vague and unsatisfying dislike of drifters.
America didn't lose the Vietnam War, due to a bunch of subhuman SJW hippies back home we were forced to strategically withdraw. We killed far more of them than they killed of us, we pushed them back into their territory, and we negotiated a withdrawal on our terms.
@@kidfox3971 Ah, the good old knife in the back theory. Also famously used by the nazis to blame the german defeat in WW1 on their political enemies aswell.
Those last five minutes are the real soul of the film and the book this was based on. The author David Morrell wanted to give the Vietnam vets a chance at redemption because they went through so much hell in Vietnam only to come home to another hell of being unwanted and labeled baby killers so Rambo is in a sense not a hero because of his abilities but a hero because he’s human.
It's been some while, but I don't remember the book really treating him AS a hero really, he's way WAY less relatable in the book, yeah he was mistreated by the police but dude goes on a full slaughter rampage, just murders everyone...that one kid he let's go here he only let's live because he couldn't catch him...he even admits to himself he could have just walked off but he like, feels more "at home" sort of in the killing and mayhem. In a sense he kind of likes what he does. Again, it's been decades since I read it but if I remember the book right he's neither treated as a hero or a villain, but just broken...it should also be noted that the police are also more humanized, the sheriff isn't the contemptible bigot he is in the film...again, he's no good guy hero, but he's not a villain really either, both sides have fault and both sides have reasons for what they do...
In my opinion, the first Rambo movie, they tried to really tell a story first, and the action was secondary to that. That's why people remember it so well, while the others are kinda forgotten as a product of it's time. The "one man army" movie genre has since died out, yet this movie is still remembered well. I think the idea of a soldier being alone and trying to find their spot in the world after the war, is a kinda timeless story, which is why this movie has aged far better then other movies like it.
I agree. The original First Blood was based on a best selling novel of the same name. They changed things from the book but it worked well. Rambo II and the other sequels turned Rambo into a cartoon character.
I will say I enjoyed Rambo because it brought a real sense of closure to the character. The scene of him walking up the driveway to the family farm was the perfect bookend to the opening of First Blood. The less said about Last Blood the better.
Rambo gets so little dialogue in part to give the ending that much more impact. Combined to the early scene where he finds out his friend is dead really brings home how detached from the world he's become, and the flashbacks are showing how he got that way.
He’s actually lucky that’s all he came away with. Just an absolute crazy decision to allow him to do it. No wires, No safety net, Nothing. Dude just jumped.
When I was young I always thought he was such a great actor for the painful cries he makes when he hits the trees. Had no idea they were real until many years later.
A bit of added depth is that this film was released just 7 years after the end of the Vietnam war. I saw this in theaters in 1982 and it still holds up to today.
The book was amazing but very, very, VERY violent. There was no way to show Rambo dying (he did in the book along with Teasle). He also killed the entire hunting party including the dogs. We learn this is the 15th town he was rousted from and he hit his limit. I forget how many people he killed in the book but it is mulitudes more than the one actual death (Galt) shown in the movie. It is a look at the horrors of what would later be diagnosed as severe PTSD and the book quickly devolves into a horror story. Basically the book and the movie are two different animals, one is a dark tale of two men hell-bent on destroying each other while the other is the beginning of the Modern Hollywood Action Hero; both good on their own merits, and well worth checking out but VERY different tales.
Shit, I gotta read that book. The idea of Rambo just going full Predator on those egomaniac cops is just too delicious. I wanted to see him skin one alive just for good measure.
@@mikek9297 It's been years since I read it, but IIRC the book is in ways both more tactically realistic and extreme. The movie adaptation necessarily compresses the time span and simplifies the narrative. Again IIRC, in the book Rambo turns the tables after evading, and takes the war to the town, pretty much destroying the place. The movie touches on that in the end, shooting up a street, but in the book, there were multiple explosions timed to create chaos. I should re-read .... ! Same author also wrote the novelization of the sequel, but that was just a cash-in, Stallone and Cameron wrote the screenplay, and Morrell novelized that. Only worth it for the exploitation, or for completionists.
i always love reactors who understand this first film. ive heard a lot of people assume they've watched the first rambo movie, thinking its actually the second or third, only for them to watch first blood and be confused by the american setting and lack of action. love it.
Those Army guys were the National Guard. They're like a reserve army. 90% of the time they're civilians. They get army training but only serve like two weeks a year. If you want to see a great survival situation film involving some like them look up a film called Southern Comfort. It's great and came out around the same time this did.
Yeah, reason being it's (if memory serves) technically illegal to deploy the army proper in US cities without very specific reasons...the posse comitatus act makes it illegal without congressional support. There ARE reasons they can be of course, to help in disaster relief for example, but to keep order in cities it's kind of something they put the kibosh on after the Civil War. I think they can do it if there's specific reasons, an invasion of course, the insurrection act also makes allowances for the purposes of quelling such things as a domestic uprising to depose a government (which trump has been hinting at using to fight rioters which has been a big point of contention among political leaders since its kind of a workaround). To just catch some dude killing some guys though, that's the job of the police and national guard.
National Guard can be activated in a local capacity by order of their respective governor. Army Reserve and Active Duty soldiers can only be activated at the federal level, and active duty soldiers can only be used in a combat arms capacity internally if an actual insurrection or martial law declaration. A notable difference between the state of the military readiness today versus in the late 70s and 80s is the combat readiness and veterancy of the National Guard and Reserves. Due to constant deployments from 2001 to present they actually have more soldiers who have been in combat than in the Active Duty component. Just a thought...
@@ididthisonpulpous6526 entirely probable...my knowledge of us law around that is spotty at best as I'm not American, I only really learned of the issue due to various "loopholes" I've seen in the news that people were aiming to address due to such acts being hinted at by Trump. It's a legitimate fear, we've seen firsthand what can happen in such situations to free speech, I remember watching the tiananmen square situation, protestors being faced down by lines of literal tanks
The one you saw in the jungle was Rambo 2 where he goes back to vietnam to retrieve POW's. This is a surprising deep and even at the end, a movie that touches you emotionally. That is what makes this movie so great.
Thanks for posting your reactions. I really enjoy yours over the other reaction channels because you actually appreciate what you are watching and then take time to gather your thoughts for a final analysis.
I caught the beginning of this movie one night on tv, and expected to have turned it off in five minutes -- assuming it was a dumb action movie. But i ended up watching the whole thing. It's really got a depth and tension to it that's missing in the later movies. Stallone's monologue at the end is one of the best things he's ever done. Anyone who says he can't act should watch that, and this underrated classic in general. Great reaction/review!
People forget that Stallone is an actor and not just a musclehead. He actually has had partial facial paralysis since birth, that's what gave him the trademark slur and the "Sly Sneer", and despite that he is still one of the best actors out there, especially in action.
Fun fact: The jump from the cliff was a stunt done by stallone(not the whole distance of that jump, obviously), and he did break a rib from it. And his arm did get actually cut from it. That's not makeup, that's him REALLY sewing up his arm, and it's real blood. Stallone is a fucking TANK dude. Also, the books version of Rambo, at the end, dies.
Rambo: First Blood came out in 1982. Been to the Cinema when it got out... that was quite the experience. John Rambo, a green beret special forces who received the medal of honor. a veteran of war with PTSD. You don't piss off a Vietnam Vet without facing the consequences.... this is what the movie tells you. But it also tells you how vietnam vets were treated when they got back home. Jerry Cantrell's (Guitarrist for Alice in Chains) was a Vietnam Vet and he took some lines out of his diary to write the song "Rooster", which was his Father's nickname during the war. The text goes like this: walking tall machinegun men, they spit on me in my homeland. So... it is true.
I have to apoligize to you, I first saw your reaction videos as somewhat pretentious, but after watching your Pan's Labyrinth, Robocop and Taxi Driver reactions and reviews and now this, its clear to me that you love cinema and you know what you are talking about. Keep up the good work 👱♀️💕
First Blood was one of the first movies to use what was then considered a high-speed film stock. Up to that point the highest speed film available with rated around 100 ASA. The film stock used for the majority of First Blood is rated around 300 ASA which allowed them to shoot in available light situations in British Columbia. The film stock was also pushed in exposure in post-production processing, increasing the grain visible on the screen.
You really need to understand the "time" of this movie. It was released in '82, and the loss in Vietnam was still very fresh in the minds of everyone. Not only the loss, but the atrocities committed by some of our soldiers over there, as well as the treatment of ALL of them upon their return. I remember it, even though I was only 15 when this came out. There actually were Vietnam vets who were drifters like John Rambo, who were harassed everywhere they went. I don't recall any incidents that went this far. I was a child when Vietnam ended, and honestly wasn't old enough to understand it all, but I was shocked at how the returning soldiers were spat upon on their return. They were treated like shit, and I couldn't understand why. Of course, I learned later on, but to be fair, what they experienced over there literally created some of the monsters they became. Given some of the incidents in Iraq, we still didn't learn.
The infamous 2016 Dallas shooting in which a mentally distraught Iraq War veteran (Micah Johnson) finally "clicked" and decided to go on a shooting spree taking the lives of 5 cops reminded me A LOT like First Blood. That incident is the very worst thing that could happen with someone struggling with PTSD if not treated properly. First Blood was not just a movie; it was a warning.
The Vietnam war was incredibly unpopular back home and it's important to remember that the veterans from that time were absolutely shat on by society at large when they returned home - no parades, no acknowledgement of their issues, no nothing. These days, it's common to say to (for example) an Iraqi veteran, "Thank you for your service." Vietnam vets had nothing like that and had to deal with things such as no-one wanting to talk about what they went through and America generally being ashamed of the war, and by extension, the vets themselves. Consequently, a lot of them went on to have major mental issues later in life, and some did snap, although quite not as badly as this fictionalised example.
Stallone was brilliant in this in displaying Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It had only been added to the books a couple of years before this movie and hadn't been well-defined yet. However, he captures it pretty well. What he goes through psychologically in the movie resonates with many veterans even today.
Reading about the making of this movie is well worthwhile. It was a major pain from beginning to end, a genuine grind to make (outdoors in terrible winter weather many miles from major resources); Stallone was badly hurt doing some of the stunts; there were behind the scenes conflict over casting and the script... It’s amazing that they got this movie out of what was a freezing cold mess, and yet it’s a classic.
The sheriff Brian Dennehy actually himself served as a Marine, although, he later had to apologize for misrepresenting his military career in an interview he did. He had quite a good career in film/TV/stage
That's awesome Ron! Death of a Salesman, I've heard of it before but can't remember where. Is it a movie or a play? If it is a movie, is it worth a video on the channel?
@@ShanWatchesMovies It was originally a play, written by Arthur Miller. They did a few adaptations of it. One was done back in the 80's, and Dennehey's version was on Showtime. I'd kill for a copy of that. I think if you want to go for an Arthur Miller work that blew my mind, go for 'All My Sons'. Saw the play and the film. But I saw the film first. Blew my mind. Seeing the play was a revelation. Whether you react to it, or just enjoy it on your own time, give it a watch. www.publicdomaintube.com/all-my-sons-1948/
Rocky and Rambo followed similar arcs as film series. Both started out as reasonably realistic stories with relatable protagonists and believable scenarios. And as they went on, both became hyperbolic and overdone and their protagonists became essentially superheroes. Now, I haven't watched the most recent Rambo films, but the Rocky films actually circled back to being somewhat more realistic, including both of the Creed films.
@@ShanWatchesMovies Highly recommend it as well. Cliffhanger is a ton of fun. Really excellent mix of action and tension, and John Lithgow gives an absolutely amazing performance.
I preferred Daylight to Cliffhanger - the antagonists in Cliffhanger just seemed superhumanly lucky to have ended up in that situation alive, armed and in sight of people that could help them retrieve their stolen goods. It didn't even make sense for them to kill the rescue people, why would they care when it was just money to them?
@@mnomadvfx It did demonstrate that some of them were pretty sadistic from the start, so their actions wouldn’t always play out in their favor, because they didn’t always have control over what they were doing.
Goldsmith was an old school pro going back to the 60s at least with Freud, music from which was used twice in Alien rather than music Goldsmith wrote specifically for those scenes, much to his annoyance at both the editor and Ridley Scott.
The guys in camouflage is the National Guard, which is part of the army reserves and is controlled by their respective state. Since they are the reservists, and consist of normal people who suddenly need to get dressed in uniform and they dont recieve a lot of training, they are referred to as weekend soldiers. That's also the reason for their comical portrayal in this movie.
Some of the best dvd commentary was from the author of the book. He said the book was really an antiwar book. This is just one guy fighting some cops. Imagine hundreds of people like him waging war on your country without any restrictions.
Great reaction , you provide a lot of insight in your opinions, very well done. I am very glad Stallone pushed and made changes to the ending that would have seen Rambo killed by the Colonel. Stallone seen empathy, sadness and understanding for Rambo as the Audience also have.
Always impressed by *your* editing of the subject movie of your analysis videos. You always get all the salient scenes/points to relate the fundamental theme and progression of the story. I first read the Morrell novel in the mid-late ‘70s, about 6 or 7 years before the release of the movie. I remember my dad, with a glint in his eye, handed me the book and said “Read this”. I was blown away by it. Then the movie was released. Although I wasn’t disappointed (I loved the movie), I felt the novel was much better... I think because it stimulated the reader’s imagination even more. I agree with your analysis that it’s a bit unrealistic. However, as you infer, that’s the whole point of such a form of entertainment - book or movie - to encourage (in this case) a strong rooting for the underdog against unfair/unjust oppression or subjugation... a primal instinct that relates (or should relate) to us all as human beings. Finally, I’m thinking of starting a similar channel of my own. Can you recommend any guidance videos - how, rules, etc etc etc...? PS. I’ve a dobermann... his name is “Spartacus”.
I've always seen his rampage in the town towards the end as serving two purposes. First is of course to mess with the sheriff and stress him out. But also, Rambo is at his best in war torn chaos, so by cutting power and setting off a lot of explosions and setting fires he effectively transform small town USA into his home turf - the chaos of war.
You said that this was the first film in the Rocky franchise but Rocky Balboa is a boxer and this is the first film in the "Rambo" franchise with John Rambo a Vietnam War Vet.
Stallone is a great actor. His performance in the first Rocky film is brilliant. Then money became involved and Rambo and Rocky went downhill very quickly. Great reaction. Keep them coming. 😁
Disagree Rocky 1,2,3,4 and Rocky Balboa are excellent 5 not so much enjoy Rambo 1 through 4 last blood should've had more action it's a boring family drama for most of it!!!
What would happen today to Rambo in that town? The Sheriff would notice some patch, quiz him a bit and take him to the CVSO. The CVSO who look up his records, see the MOH and his jaw would drop. The VFW, Legion, CVSO and Sheriff would do whatever they could to help Rambo.
15:57 - He not only shows his vulnerability but he also reaches for help and comfort towards the only father figure he has and that father figure is incapable of giving him that psychological and emotional help and comfort (Which was in part the message of the story explaining how returning vets could not get the support they needed in general, but also a good analogy of toxic masculinity/fatherhood that for many generations perpituated a vicious cycle of men incapable of dealing with either their own or other men's emotional scars)
9:47 They're either Guard or Reserves, not US Army. In 1982 most of the soldiers in the Reserves or Guard were green. The Guard and Reserves today are brimming with seasoned combat soldiers.
When Rambo jumped off the cliff and hit that tree limb, he actually broke some ribs and when he fell to the ground screaming in pain, that was real from his broken ribs.
The book develops the personalities of the sheriff and Rambo making the whole thing even more tragic. The sheriff is a veteran and appraises Rambo as a hippie low life wearing a surplus army jacket. Things could have gone much differently if the sheriff knew who Rambo was. He would have driven him to the diner and bought him a meal. Both men were too ridged and inflexible leading to death and destruction. Good movie, good reaction.
Also Presumed Innocent has him in - a great law and murder mystery film with Harrison Ford, Bonnie Bedelia and Raul Julia - it also has Leo and Josh from The West Wing in it for the sharp eyed.
Saw this movie for the first time when I was six back in the early 80's. I can't even begin to count how many times I've seen it. Heck, it's been 3 times this year and there's still another month left.
@@ShanWatchesMovies its my pleasure to give any encouragement I can! Keep up the great work man - its such a joy to be able to "share" these experiences - ill stay tuned brother!
When I first watched Rambo all the years ago, I enjoyed how he overpowered all the dumb sadistic cops and how Trautman warned them that he is a top notch soldier. I was cheering for him all the time to obliterate that sheriff. But the end really got me, it was so unexpected and made me cry, which is rare.
Another of Morrell's books is my favorite: "The Fifth Profession." Seeing Brian Denehy reminds me to suggest the Western, "Silverado," with it's amazing all-star cast.
A great movie trivia question is "How many people die in First Blood?" Since most people know the Rambo series as over the top action war movies, most would guess 100 rather than the correct answer which is 1 death.
In the novel this is based on both Rambo & Teasle die. Recognizing the Hero`s potential, the ending was changed for the film. The sequels are worth a look . Brian Dennehy who played the Sherriff died earlier this year. Richard Crenna started as a radio actor & was a comedic actor on television before transforming himself into a dramatic actor & director. Kirk Douglas was originally hired to play the role of Sam Trautman. Douglas left after one day of filming. Check out the film Body Heat , Crenna has a great role in that as well & it`s a great Neo- Noir film.
Great review, I like that you were able to appreciate the depth of this film. As an aside you were not wrong about those men being in the Army, they were army reservists; and I can assure you their representation is very accurate.
I don't think the film was meant to be realistic, but a metaphor about the poor treatment of Vietnam War veterans coming home and PTSD. We saw a lot of great films in the late 70s and 80s about this subject matter. Deer Hunter, Taxi Driver, Coming Home (Jon Voight, Jane Fonda, Bruce Dern), Platoon and Born on the 4th of July come to mind.
I'd say even in real life things could have played almost exactly as in the movie, but they very likely would not have since it requires an odd mix of the best and worst luck. As far as complete unrealism goes, few of the traps in the woods were done to fast, but that's pretty much it. Also, jumping from a cliff into the branches of woods is certainly possible, I also jumped from high trees to the branches of lower trees as a child, but these stunts require the right types of branches. They have to be numerous, long and thick enough to break the fall, but not so thick they cause injury, I don't think the scene was ideal for that stunt since I was not convinved by the branches, but that's something you can easily correct in your mind by exchanging the types of trees.
"He won't do anything, he's just a boy". In the book First Blood, Rambo killed every single person he encounters, with a final number somewhere around 170 people. In this movie, the only guy who dies is the cop who falls out of the helicopter.
The sequels are okay (IV is actually almost great). But they are stupid fun, First Blood is "a real movie". This movie didn't need a sequel, but Rambo 2 (yes I know, actually it's Rambo: First Blood Part II) made John Rambo a household name.
There is a 2007 British indie film called "Son Of Rambow" where two kids make an amateur version of First Blood to enter into a local filmmaking contest that you might like.
First Blood is more than a cult classic. It is a somewhat important film. First Blood is a transition from the more serious films of the 70s to the pure action movies of the 80s, the same way Schwarzenegger's Predator mated pure action with high concept.
The film stock in the cave would had to have been different because of the low light conditions. With film, changing an ISO is not a setting on a camera, it refers to the film's chemical sensitivity to light. It was a creative choice, though, because the DP didn't flood the cave with artificial light. It looks like the torch WAS the only light source and he was surrounded by darkness. It was a great choice. Really enjoying your videos. Thanks for making them!
Oh boy. "Contrast" mentioned with emphasis at least twice, key moments surrounding Distraction, Diversion and Division along with your enthusiasm for explosions...lift that Veil.
This movie went through production hell for nearly ten years. Kirk Douglas was trying to get the movie made with him playing Trautman. Al Pacino, Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman to name a few were considered to play Rambo. When Stallone came abroad he got involved with script changes, including changing the ending. Kirk Douglas was against it and left the project. Lee Marvin was suggested to play Trautman before Crenna finally got the part. Gene Hackman would have been good as the sherrif but I loved Dennehy in the part. The Final cut of the film turned out brilliantly. Pity about the sequels.
According to the commentary from Sylvester Stallone....Sheriff Teasle (Dennehy) pretty much gave Rambo a hardtime because Rambo was a Vietnam vet and Teasle was a Korean vet who was bitter about how the Nam vets were at least acknowledged while the Korean vets never were!
I've never seen this entire movie, despite the fact that a few shots of this film were done in the little ravine and creek bed in my grandma's back yard in a little town called Hope, BC
One thing you have to take into consideration when it comes to films of that era, action movies was a fairly new genre and they were still experimenting with me techniques.
This film is as much relevant today as it was when it was made. I'm no veteran but I know a few who still find it hard to transition back to civilian life. What's worse is Civilian life makes it even harder on veterans to be accepted back into society. Men and women who have given so much to protect people and their way of life are left to be forgotten about.
Rambo hits even harder when the last couple minutes is what your dad is like throughout your entire young childhood, he’s much better now but firework night is very bad for him and sometimes things just trigger and I wish I could help but I have to keep my distance for safety and it’s the worst 😖
The "Army" guys were National Guard. Basically the army for the states. They go to the same basic training as the Army. They are sometimes referred to as "weekend warriors" because they serve their time one weekend per month and two weeks in the summer.
