Rambo First Blood: Part 1

If you really twisted my arm and told me I could only watch one film again ever, I think I would choose First Blood, the first Rambo film. The script is loosely taken from Davis Morrell's novel of the same name and First Blood, shot with grainy reality, and superbly directed by Ted Kotcheff, sporned four more "big budget" Rambo films, but, in my opinion, the big budget follow ups lack the raw grit, and gripping storyline of First Blood, except, perhaps, number four, which is a truly tremendous film.

Sylvester Stallone portrays John Rambo with deep understanding and from the introduction to Rambo the vagrant to Rambo the brutally efficient Special Forces soldier the audience never loses empathy with Rambo the man. He is a peaceful man who arrives in a town where he meets Sheriff Will Teasle played by Brian Dennehy. Teasle is a bully, only this bully has picked on the wrong guy. Rambo escapes from the police station and the chase is on, only to catch John Rambo is a little like catching a tiger by the tail and it is a damned idiot who attempts that. The revenge Rambo inflicts is well researched and dynamically shot and edited with Sylvester Stallone giving us the best portrayal of a top-notch professional soldier. Stallone not only looks the part with every finely honed muscle, but it is in the quieter moments where we get to look into Rambo's eyes and get a glimpse of his psychology where Stallone's genuine talent really shines.

Then the speech at the end where Rambo has Teasle at his mercy and his colonel stops him at the point of the kill. I am an ex soldier who has fought in a war. I completely understand Rambo's plight. A man trained to be 100% professional and who has honed his skills to brutal efficiency, a man trusted with millions of dollars worth of equipment, who is now a man who can't hold down a job. There is something about war and fighting that gets under a man's skin and once experienced is hard to shake off. Rambo is the best of the best and now trapped in a world that perceives him a loser. That scene where he clings to the colonel and cries his heart out causes the tears to rain on my cheeks and the hypocrisy, the unfaireness, of society to thunder in my heart everytime I watch it... For me, it is the most emotionally draining cinematic moment...

Tim Rees

My novel Raw Nerve, a novel inspired by First Blood, is available on Kindle Click here.

And you can read my appraisal of all the Hollywood Greats on my Hollywood film stars website Click here.