Day 8 of 10 DAYS OF MAYHEM, features one of the greatest action films ever made and a serious game changer in action movie genre. It was the start of the OTT action of the 80s and it's success ushered in a new sort of action film, the violent, bloody, post 'nam war at home film. Obviously this gave way to the likes of Schwarzenegger, Lundgren, Van Damme and Willis...Check out the review after the jump....
Aahhhh!
the 80s, what a great decade that was, wasn't it....i was born in the
eighties, 1983 to be exact. One year before I entered
this world a small film starring Sylvester Stallone was
released...that film was FIRST
BLOOD.
Stallone had made a few films prior to this including the triple
Oscar wining Rocky
and
it's first two sequels, then Nighthawks,
F.I.S.T and
WW2 footie movie Escape
to Victory,
but it wasn't until 1982's First Blood that Stallone confirmed his
status as an action hero. He came before Schwarzenegger, before
Willis and Lundgren and Van Damme, he was the original 80s action
man, sure Bronson and Lee Marvin were still churning them out but
Stallone brought more of a brute force to the genre. Chuck
Norris was killing 'em first, but never achieved the status Stallone
ever did.
So when First Blood came along with it's guerilla warfare chase plot, with Stallone as the battle scarred Vietnam vet John J Rambo, who just discovers his best friend has died from cancer, He's ready to blow, but when he attempts to enter a small town he gets victimised by the sheriff...it doesn't take much to push him over the edge. Rambo Escapes from the sheriffs office and commandeers a dirt bike speeding through the town towards the forest that surrounds it with the sheriff in hot pursuit.
What proceeds is a 1 against 100 type guerilla war with Rambo who has switched on survival mode and finds dispatching of cops an easy chore. The pentagon get wind of this and send in Rambo's old commanding officer, Col. Troutman. He keeps trying to warn the sheriff that Rambo is unstoppable and that they would not win, but does the sheriff listen?......NOOOOO!!!
The film ends with Rambo commandeering a national guard supply truck and re-entering the town where, armed with an M60 mounted machine gun which he ably manages to carry around, proceeds to shoot the shit out of the town. He blows up a gas station and has a face to face with the ruthless sheriff out to stop him. The film ends with Rambo breaking down in a monologue about the harsh brutal times he spent in Vietnam and the friends he lost.
Onto the cast.....
John J Rambo is played of course by Sylvester Stallone, who after the success of Rocky once again proves he can actually act. He's Tough, Un-remorseful and full of hate and fear. He's just a man at the end of the day and hsi portrayal of the tortured war hero is intense and honest. This is a Highlight of Stallone's career to date...
As Sheriff Will Teasle, Brian Dennehy, is ruthless, relentless and obsessed with catching Rambo, a role which he plays all too well, When you think of Dennehy, you forget that during the 80s he was a big box office draw staring in hits such as F/X: Murder by Illusion, staring opposite Brian Brown, Coccoon, Silverado, Best Seller and Gorky Park with the late Lee Marvin, this guy was big. He excels here in one of his first main roles.
Then there's Richard Crenna as Col. Troutman. Rambo's Former commanding office, although the role isn't exactly big, Crenna manages to pull of the weary old officer who trained the lost killer and knows all to well what he's capable of. There are some other well known faces including future CSI:Miami actor David Caruso,Twin Peak's Chris Mulkey and Miami Vice's Michael Talbot. The supporting acts all manage to hold the film in their own way.
The direction by Ted Kotcheff, helmer of dead body comedy Weekend at Burnie's, is good, it flows well, the establishing shots of the town and the cold mountains that surround it are breath taking and i imagine that it would look extra ordinary on Blu-ray.
The Script by Stallone, David Morell and Michael Kozoll, is tight, the dialogue is good and the final monologue, Which im guessing was written by Stallone is heartfelt and upsetting.
This was a film where as the three sequels were 'movies'. It's just sad that after the realistic brutality of the first film, the rest descended into OTT body count counting Brain-dead Action movie, i say this but i still love the bloody things.
well there we go....that's my Review for First Blood, a film i remember very well from my childhood and a film that will never be matched again. I'll leave you with this quote...
"let it go...just let it go. or i'll bring you a war you won't believe'.
So when First Blood came along with it's guerilla warfare chase plot, with Stallone as the battle scarred Vietnam vet John J Rambo, who just discovers his best friend has died from cancer, He's ready to blow, but when he attempts to enter a small town he gets victimised by the sheriff...it doesn't take much to push him over the edge. Rambo Escapes from the sheriffs office and commandeers a dirt bike speeding through the town towards the forest that surrounds it with the sheriff in hot pursuit.
What proceeds is a 1 against 100 type guerilla war with Rambo who has switched on survival mode and finds dispatching of cops an easy chore. The pentagon get wind of this and send in Rambo's old commanding officer, Col. Troutman. He keeps trying to warn the sheriff that Rambo is unstoppable and that they would not win, but does the sheriff listen?......NOOOOO!!!
The film ends with Rambo commandeering a national guard supply truck and re-entering the town where, armed with an M60 mounted machine gun which he ably manages to carry around, proceeds to shoot the shit out of the town. He blows up a gas station and has a face to face with the ruthless sheriff out to stop him. The film ends with Rambo breaking down in a monologue about the harsh brutal times he spent in Vietnam and the friends he lost.
Onto the cast.....
John J Rambo is played of course by Sylvester Stallone, who after the success of Rocky once again proves he can actually act. He's Tough, Un-remorseful and full of hate and fear. He's just a man at the end of the day and hsi portrayal of the tortured war hero is intense and honest. This is a Highlight of Stallone's career to date...
As Sheriff Will Teasle, Brian Dennehy, is ruthless, relentless and obsessed with catching Rambo, a role which he plays all too well, When you think of Dennehy, you forget that during the 80s he was a big box office draw staring in hits such as F/X: Murder by Illusion, staring opposite Brian Brown, Coccoon, Silverado, Best Seller and Gorky Park with the late Lee Marvin, this guy was big. He excels here in one of his first main roles.
Then there's Richard Crenna as Col. Troutman. Rambo's Former commanding office, although the role isn't exactly big, Crenna manages to pull of the weary old officer who trained the lost killer and knows all to well what he's capable of. There are some other well known faces including future CSI:Miami actor David Caruso,Twin Peak's Chris Mulkey and Miami Vice's Michael Talbot. The supporting acts all manage to hold the film in their own way.
The direction by Ted Kotcheff, helmer of dead body comedy Weekend at Burnie's, is good, it flows well, the establishing shots of the town and the cold mountains that surround it are breath taking and i imagine that it would look extra ordinary on Blu-ray.
The Script by Stallone, David Morell and Michael Kozoll, is tight, the dialogue is good and the final monologue, Which im guessing was written by Stallone is heartfelt and upsetting.
This was a film where as the three sequels were 'movies'. It's just sad that after the realistic brutality of the first film, the rest descended into OTT body count counting Brain-dead Action movie, i say this but i still love the bloody things.
well there we go....that's my Review for First Blood, a film i remember very well from my childhood and a film that will never be matched again. I'll leave you with this quote...
"let it go...just let it go. or i'll bring you a war you won't believe'.
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