This film is one of those infamous pieces of popular culture from the 80s that actually deserves its popularity. It's one of the top action movies of all time.
The premise is simple - inappropriate policing pushes a man who probably wasn't in too great mental shape over the edge and he wreaks havoc on a small town.
Amidst the background of a beautiful mountain forest, you get some exciting scenes of forest guerilla warfare which then spill back over into the town. At first Rambo is dressed normally but he slowly begins to look like the movie poster and you barely even notice it. At some point you see him in full guerilla regalia and it looks absolutely outlandish.
But that highlights Stallone's "deer caught in headlights" style of acting for Rambo in what is the performance of his career. Less is more here and Stallone simply looking sullen and stubborn throughout most of the film speaks volumes. Much has been made of the tortured final dialogue that betrays a very mentally distraught man. I found it effective, but really a bit slurry. It suffered from the delivery. No, Stallone's best performance is conveyed in silence while looking dead inside.
The dialogue is a little bit cheesy sometimes, but honestly lots of bang for your buck.
Honourable Mentions: Lonely are the Brave (1962). I bet you didn't know First Blood was a remake. Well, surprise!
The premise is simple - inappropriate policing pushes a man who probably wasn't in too great mental shape over the edge and he wreaks havoc on a small town.
Amidst the background of a beautiful mountain forest, you get some exciting scenes of forest guerilla warfare which then spill back over into the town. At first Rambo is dressed normally but he slowly begins to look like the movie poster and you barely even notice it. At some point you see him in full guerilla regalia and it looks absolutely outlandish.
But that highlights Stallone's "deer caught in headlights" style of acting for Rambo in what is the performance of his career. Less is more here and Stallone simply looking sullen and stubborn throughout most of the film speaks volumes. Much has been made of the tortured final dialogue that betrays a very mentally distraught man. I found it effective, but really a bit slurry. It suffered from the delivery. No, Stallone's best performance is conveyed in silence while looking dead inside.
The dialogue is a little bit cheesy sometimes, but honestly lots of bang for your buck.
Honourable Mentions: Lonely are the Brave (1962). I bet you didn't know First Blood was a remake. Well, surprise!