First Blood Movie review

An interesting look at a post Vietnam Vet who is still reeling from the war, but I did not feel that it reached the emotional level it could have. There are two roles that Sylvester Stallone will be known for, John Rambo and Rocky Balboa. John Rambo is a completely different character than Rocky, more reserved, psychologically traumatized, just different.

What I like most about this film and where you are able to see what Vietnam has done to him is in the beginning and the end. The middle is Rambo being a badass and essentially going to war against an entire town's police force. Do not get me wrong while watching the film you instantly know that Rambo is a highly trained badass Green Beret. Yes the Vietnam war basically turned him into that and that is what the viewer needs to constantly remember. The ending of the film is actually where you see Rambo go through a mental breakdown and see how psychologically damaged he is and I thought that is what was missing throughout the film.

Where it loses stars with me is that the film basically slips into a popcorn action flick in the middle and then at the end it delves into the serious stuff but in a very brief moment. What I thought was odd, perhaps not negative, was that you had a main character that hardly ever spoke so we never really got to know much about him. In the final moments when he broke down is probably the most he spoke in the entire film combined.

Is this film worth a watch? Yes. It is considered a classic 80s action film and that is true, but with that expect 80s effects as well. The effects are quite dated compared to even a 90s action film. But most of what Rambo does in this film is on a lower scale, like setting up traps and things like that, while First Blood part II is where the action is ramped up. This is not the best film that has to do with Vietnam, I would suggest watching Oliver Stone's Platoon or the Legendary Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket. This film is however well known in our film culture and it is good to watch it at least once. 3.5 out of 5 stars.