MPAA Rating: R/Genre: Action Thriller/Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Brian Dennehy, Bill McKinney, Jack Starrett, Michael Talbott, Chris Mulkey, John McLiam, Alf Humphreys, David Caruso, Don MacKay, David Crowley, Patrick Stack/Runtime: 93 minutes
It might come as a wee bit of a shock for some of my younger readers to learn this, but way back in the “dark ages” (or the 80s and 90s for those of us who still fondly remember it) it was not that common for a film star to have more than one franchise that was exclusively theirs and theirs alone. This is because, even though there were franchises with the same performers playing the same role with Harrison Ford being Indiana Jones, Glover and Gibson being Murtaugh and Riggs, Ahnuld being The Terminator, and Michael J. Fox plus Christopher Lloyd being Marty and Doc Brown respectively, the fact is that actors were still open to trying new things with each project they took and then going back to their particular franchise if a genuinely good story presented itself…or at least you would hope that was the reason. Of course, even when they went back to play that particular character, there was still an unspoken rule of sorts among the acting community. That being that one franchise was more than enough for a single actor to handle during the course of their career and to attempt to tackle another would be absolute madness. The reason I bring this up dear reader is because apparently no one passed this particular memo along to Sylvester Stallone. I say this because here is an actor who already had one hit franchise on his hands with boxing phenom Rocky Balboa yet who (for creative and commercial reasons) made the, for the time, truly daring choice to headline a slice of cinema that became yet another franchise in the form of the Rambo franchise. A franchise that, when you ask most people what comes to mind about it, is one that is known by and large for being a delightfully cheesy and quite larger than life action fest that is gloriously over the top fun from beginning to end. Yet if you were to take a look back at the slice of cinema that started it all, and film I happen to be reviewing for you today incidentally, in the form of 1982’s First Blood I think you might be surprised to discover something about it. That being that not only is the vast majority of what people enjoy in the other films nowhere to be found here, but also that this is not a delightfully over the top action film. Rather, it’s actually a bleak yet genuinely gripping and surprisingly dark action thriller that actually has a fair bit of emotion to it. Yet whereas some people might be dismissive of this film for that reason, I think for me that’s the reason I enjoy it as much as I do. To be sure, it might not be a perfect film by any stretch, but even so there is no denying that with the aid of grade-A quality work on both sides of the camera First Blood is not only a brilliant birthplace for one of 80s cinema’s more iconic heroes, but also a truly riveting film in its own right that will leave you hooked from beginning to end.
The plot is as follows: Based on a novel by David Morell, First Blood takes us to the Pacific Northwest and gets its riveting tale underway by introducing us to a guy doing something that we all have most likely done a million times before. That being making his way to see an old friend of his. Sadly however, we soon learn, along with the man who we also learn goes by the name of John Rambo, that his friend has tragically passed away as a result of cancer caused by his being exposed to something known as Agent Orange during his time fighting in that particularly infamous conflict known as Vietnam. More than just a tad bit disheartened, we soon witness as Rambo continues his travels which soon see him arrive in the small yet picturesque little community of Hope, Washington. A place that prides itself on being a quiet and tranquil spot that also has a no drifters policy unofficially yet firmly in place. Something that the town sheriff, one Will Teasle, is determined to ensure he is able to maintain. Perhaps this is why, upon seeing our hero making his way toward his town, we see the sheriff pick him up in his car and give him a lift through town in the hopes that he’ll keep moving ahead and just put Hope as far in his rearview mirror as he possibly can if you get my drift. Unfortunately, we see that this doesn’t quite sit right with Rambo who, upon exiting the sheriff’s car, proceeds to try and head right back into town. As you can possibly imagine dear reader, this doesn’t quite sit well with our dedicated “man of the law” and as such we see him make the choice to arrest Rambo and charge him with vagrancy, resisting arrest, and possessing a concealed knife. Yet it isn’t long before we witness as, in the middle of Teasle’s gung-ho deputies (with the exception of one) “cleaning him up”, something in Rambo just goes off and he proceeds to wipe the floor with all of them, take back his knife, and flee on a stolen motorcycle deep into the woods outside of town. As a result, we see that Sherriff Teasle and his deputies decide to give chase (as officers of the law are known for doing when someone engages in such action). By doing so however, we see that the stage has been set for a conflict unlike any other that these deputies have encountered. This is because the man they are hunting is not just a Vietnam vet himself, but also a member of that distinct yet elite group known as the Green Berets. Thus not only have the hunters now become the hunted, but a man who thought he had left the horrors of war far behind him will now have to engage his survival and combat skills once more to survive this unjust and relentless manhunt against him. As for the outcome for all the parties involved however that you will have to discover for yourself….
Now right off, it should be said that the work done behind the camera on this particular cinematic outing is truly nothing short of special. This starts with the work done by Ted Kotcheff at the helm and he does a terrific job here of, unlike this film’s over the top yet still enjoyable in their own way successors, really grounding this entry in a welcome degree of realism. This is especially true for this film’s collection of action beats which might not be over the top, but that by no means takes away from how enjoyable they are with particular regard to a car and motorcycle chase between Dennehy and Stallone. That and the manner in which he handles the flashbacks to Rambo’s time in the service is extremely well-done dear reader. Indeed they might be brief, but in those moments we see that Kotcheff is able to do a brilliantly heartbreaking job of showing just what exactly this character has had to endure and why he eventually does what he does. This slice of cinema also contains a terrifically penned screenplay as credited to no less than a trinity of writers. Indeed not only do they do a masterful job of adapting David Morrell’s novel in a way that captures the important points from the book whilst also just changing enough to ensure that it could be seen as more “audience-friendly” in a sense, but they also do something else that is absolutely vital to how this film turns out. That being that both have stretches where there is no dialogue being spoken by the characters, but that they also don’t give the lead character that much dialogue to begin with either. As a result, not only does this really allow the audience to immerse themselves in the action occurring on screen, but it also makes it so that when the main character does say something it usually winds up being that much more meaningful. This is definitely the case when it comes to a moment near the end where, without going into any spoilers, we see our main character really express himself in a way that, for an 80s action movie, is surprisingly deep and genuinely heartbreaking. Therefore, don’t be surprised if you actually find yourself having to hold back maybe a tear or 5 as you listen to it. We as an audience also find ourselves being treated to mesmerizing work from Andrew Laszlo in the cinematography department. I mean not only does Laszlo do a terrific job of making you feel like you are right there with the characters involved as they transition between being either the hunter or the hunted, but he also films the overall movie in such a way that it is able to be effectively permeated with an atmosphere of unease and tension that doesn’t let up until the credits at long last begin to roll. Lastly, I also think praise should be given here to music maestro Jerry Goldsmith for his work on this slice of cinema’s musical accompaniment. Indeed whenever Goldsmith scored a movie you knew that, regardless of the overall quality of the film proper, it was at the very least going to be a treat for the ears with scores on such films as Air Force One, 1982’s Poltergeist, The Secret of NIMH, and L.A. Confidential among others being examples of his musical brilliance. As you can imagine then, this slice of cinema is one that is in possession of a score that is equal parts pulse-pounding, genuinely suspenseful at points, and even a tad bit emotional at points here and there throughout the film’s concise 93-minute runtime. Suffice it to say that there might be some miniscule issues here and there, but overall there is no denying that the work done by the various departments behind the camera is definitely a cinematic grand slam in every sense of the word.
Alongside the top-tier work done by the various departments behind the camera however, this slice of cinema is also one that benefits quite immensely from the strong work done by the small yet undeniably immensely talented cast of players that have been assembled in front of the camera to bring the collection of characters in this tale to life. Without a doubt in my mind this starts with none other than Sylvester Stallone in the lead role and he is magnificent here. Indeed not only does Stallone bring the necessary physicality to the part, but he also does a wonderful job of giving us as movie goers a genuine performance here that really permits him to flex more acting muscles than the ones that show up whenever he flexes his arms in front of a camera. Yes the character of John Rambo (or Rambo if you prefer) is one who is very much the typical action hero that can definitely wipe the floor with people left and right. With that said though, he is also someone who has the added dimension of having been broken by the experiences that he had whilst serving in Vietnam and who hasn’t yet been able to begin putting himself back together for whatever reason. Yet what Stallone does here remarkably well is, rather than use that inner psychological turmoil to make the guy into a remorseless one-man killing machine, he instead utilizes it in a manner that allows us to really feel for Rambo and empathize with him to such an extent that it isn’t all that difficult to root for him as he goes through this rather distinct predicament. Suffice it to say that the character is definitely one of the more iconic that Stallone has portrayed in his career and his performance here is definitely a highlight of the film overall. Besides the remarkable work given by Stallone however, this slice of cinema also contains one heck of a turn from the vastly underrated Brian Dennehy as Sheriff Teasle. Indeed Dennehy always was a delight whenever he popped up in a movie and here he does fantastic at playing this more than slightly hiss worthy antagonist who is an equal blend of despicable, sleazy, stubborn, and unwilling to back down even when events really make it obvious that he is very much out of his element here. Lastly, I would definitely be in the wrong if I didn’t devote some time in this section to talk about the remarkable job done here by Richard Crenna in the role of Rambo’s former commanding officer Colonel Sam Trautman. Yes, it does take a fair bit of the film before he appears in this, but once he does Crenna does a terrific job at being someone who is both empathetic to our hero yet also a stern voice of reason to the Sheriff in regards to trying to get him and his men to back down before any further bloodshed occurs. Suffice it to say that when you also factor in solid support work from an array of talented individuals including Bill McKinney, Jack Starrett, Michael Talbott, John McLiam, and David Caruso, who a fairly solid argument could be made is actually playing a much younger either Horatio Caine or John Kelly from CSI: Miami and NYPD Blue respectively here, among others it’s clear that this slice of cinema might not be perfect, but everyone in front of the camera still manages to do a terrific job with the material that they are given to work with here.
All in all and at the end of the day is First Blood a spotless and perfect slice of cinema? Sadly that is most definitely not the case. With that being said, is this the worst action film that Stallone has ever done this side of Expendables 4? Thankfully, I can definitely let you know that is incorrect as well much to my level of overall enjoyment. As it is, I must admit that, even though there are some minuscule issues scattered about this particular cinematic outing, I have always enjoyed this film since the first time I saw it when I was 7 years old (sorry Mom, but you remember the time I was sick from school and we had HBO/Showtime? Well about that….). Indeed not only is the work behind the camera incredibly riveting and solid at both bringing you into the world of the film and adding a degree of welcome realism to the narrative to say nothing of leaving you on the edge of your seat in the finest way possible, but the work done by the cast of talent in front of the camera is all incredibly well-done no matter how big or small their role in the overall narrative may be. Suffice it to say that if you are looking for an 80s action flick that is delightfully over the top in nearly every single facet possible then I can wholeheartedly recommend to you the 2nd and 3rd Rambo movies since those are most assuredly, for all intents and purposes, spot-on examples of amazingly over the top and just plain fun popcorn 80s action cinema at its finest. On the other hand however if you are looking for an action film that is well-made, well-acted, and actually a bit on the grim and ominous side that might also leave you with something to ponder after it’s over then definitely give this slice of cinema a try. Suffice it to say that while a lot of people might simply choose to view First Blood as nothing more than movie goers’ initial intro to one of the 80’s most iconic action heroes, it should also be said that, when taken on its own merits, it is very much a riveting and engaging action flick that is sure to leave you hooked from beginning to end. Make of that what thou will dear reader. On a scale of 1-5 I give First Blood “82” a solid 4 out of 5.
