I watched First Blood again last night for the umpteenth hundredth time.

This led me to seriously question if the original was even an action flick. If you really look at it a bit deeper, it’s a drama with lots of guns.

It clearly turned into a chain of over the top action genre hits.

But, I really don’t even consider First Blood an action movie.

They drew first blood. They drew first blood.

The book was intresting too. Not a lot of gunplay in it. Some comments on weapons IIRC mention of a .44 and a Colt Python.

totally agree

seeing it as a youngster -- total action movie / shoot 'em up -- cheering for Rambo

now seeing it as an adult not sure I 'identify' with Rambo as much. killing all those people 'for what'?

Sheriff wanted to keep his town a nice place to live

I have never read the book but I have heard it expounds a lot more on the sheriff character (Korea war hero) and holds Rambo in a more negative light

i need to read the book

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I read the book, but it’s been a long time and I’ve slept since then. I recall that Rambo went on the run with a Winchester lever gun, but I can’t recall specifics about character development.

First Blood is a favorite and I have also seen it many times (and bits and pieces, many more). I have to say, I think it’s an action movie.

One of my favorite movies of all time. To me it’s not about gun play and warfare even though that’s a lot of the scenes. To me it’s more about John getting spit on at the airport after fighting for his country. He returns to America and has little to no options, coming back as a hero. The fucking sheriff leaning way too hard on him, the treatment. Amazing film.

That movie had a huge influence on action films. One of my favorites.

quote:

Originally posted by Sig209:
totally agree

seeing it as a youngster -- total action movie / shoot 'em up -- cheering for Rambo

now seeing it as an adult not sure I 'identify' with Rambo as much. killing all those people 'for what'?

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Only 1 person died in First Blood (at least in the movie, never read the book), and it was more of an accident when the guy fell out of the helicopter.

I see First Blood as more of a thriller than action movie.

The only "kill" was Deputy Galt who had undone his safety harness to get a better rifle shot and fell to his death when Rambo hit the helicopter with a rock.

The Sheriff brought this on himself and his town by treating Rambo poorly. Rambo was there to see a buddy from the war and would have been on his way if the sheriff and his deputies would have not been so sadistic with him. If they'd have let him eat at the diner, he would probably have been on the road afterwards and been forgotten in a day.

quote:

Originally posted by Nismo:

quote:

Originally posted by Sig209:
totally agree

seeing it as a youngster -- total action movie / shoot 'em up -- cheering for Rambo

now seeing it as an adult not sure I 'identify' with Rambo as much. killing all those people 'for what'?

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Only 1 person died in First Blood (at least in the movie, never read the book), and it was more of an accident when the guy fell out of the helicopter.

AND, it was THE guy that was shooting at Rambo.

I can relate to what you’re saying. As a kid, that movie was an action film through and through. I have never read the book so I have no comments about character development. I watched it again about a month ago and was struck by the political tones of the way Vietnam era vets were treated upon their return home. The fact as mentioned earlier that in the book the sheriff was a Korean War hero makes even more sense to me now. My father is a Vietnam era veteran who was never deployed in country, however, will sometimes talk about the way people treated service members during and following the war. In fact, he never traveled in uniform during his time in service unless he was flying in military planes. My first job in high school was working in a locally owned pharmacy run by a Korean War veteran pharmacist. Man did he have some strong opinions about the failures of Vietnam, the MIA/POWs and, the his perception regarding the sorry state of the Armed Services. That was in the mid 1980s. As an adult watching the movie I wasn’t really rooting for Rambo like I did as a kid, I was more saddened that a war hero had been treated so poorly that he snapped and the sheriff just happened to be the one that broke the final straw.

I really enjoyed this film too. Some of Stallone's best work in my opinion. Now the second one was a full blown action film.

I thought it was a good movie with a message

don't go out of your way to be an asshole, because you never know if that asshole has the ability to destroy you

don't start anything you aren't prepared to finish

Yeah my wife was actually shocked in the good way watching this. A really interesting commentary on our veterans, being careful how we treat people and some of what we all go through, though this is obviously extreme. Nobody is a hero, Sheriff and his deputies didnt have to be dicks, Rambo didnt have to walk back into town.

You forget Stallone is actually a pretty good actor sometimes in the right roles. His monologue at the end and his conversation with Delmars mom in the beginning are fantastic. I agree I dont think of it as an action movie though it is a damn good movie.

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Originally posted by Anubismp:


You forget Stallone is actually a pretty good actor sometimes in the right roles. His monologue at the end and his conversation with Delmars mom in the beginning are fantastic. I agree I dont think of it as an action movie though it is a damn good movie.

agree. Rocky and Copland come to mind.

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Great movie. The book, while not necessarily better, did have some deeper character development. No surprise with that. If memory serves, the book talks about the sheriff being a Korean war veteran who distinguished himself. The juxtaposition was as much about how those veterans were accepted back into society while many from Vietnam were not. The weapons in the book were more in line with what one might find in rural America.

I liked the ending in the book better than the movie. I remember picking up the book in an airport store before getting on the jet. Definitely kept my attention the entire trip. I don't own the movie, but seem to catch it at least once a year on TV. Love it. And absolutely root for Rambo the whole way. THEY started it, not him. And they had plenty of chances to de-escalate all along the way.

And speaking of killing - in the book he kills a lot of people, all the deputies and a civilian I think.

Just last night as channel surfing prior to bed time and came across "First Blood 2" but did not stop and watch . As a Viet Nam era Army soldier(Korean DMZ field artillery) I can relate to the several underlining themes throughout the movies. .................. drill sgt.

I think it's all about perspective.

When First Blood came out, it was a grittier post-Vietnam War film than The Deer Hunter was; less artistic, less big name actors and music wasn't engaging, the look was cold, dreary, few relationships. I knew a lot more guys who could relate to First Blood as returning Vets, then The Deer Hunter ever did.

When Rambo came out, because of how over-the-top, action heavy that film was, First Blood became more of an action movie and less of a thriller. It also followed on the heels of the return/revenge for Vietnam sentiments that was generated by Uncommon Valor, which came out the year before.

Great theme song as well.

quote:

Originally posted by jljones:
This led me to seriously question if the original was even an action flick. If you really look at it a bit deeper, it’s a drama with lots of guns.

I really don’t even consider First Blood an action movie.

Yes, that's why one of the original choices to play John Rambo was Dustin Hoffman. Rambo was a troubled ex-soldier, and wasn't the unstoppable superhero he became yet. Hoffman had completed Peckinpah's Straw Dogs at the time.