Sylvester Stallone couldn’t know it at the time, but “First Blood” did more than give him a second franchise to call his own.
It cemented his status as an act first, talk much later, if ever, hero.
That’s great for a star in his physical prime, but his reluctance to emote on screen hurt him badly over time.
So badly, in fact, that he scurried back to both the “Rocky” and “Rambo” franchises to resurrect his career.
Yet “First Blood,” the first of four John Rambo features, showed the kind of mileage Stallone could get out of his brooding persona. The film holds up remarkably well as a gripping actioner and a commentary on America’s involvement in Vietnam.
We’re still waiting for an Iraq War movie that connects on either level with such intensity.
Stallone’s debut as tortured Vietnam vet John Rambo finds him wandering aimlessly through the streets of Hope, Oregon. The local sheriff (Brian Dennehy) doesn’t take kindly to drifters, long-haired weirdos or anyone not born and raised in Hope, so he quickly escorts Rambo to the outskirts of town.
The sheriff’s first push starts a series of events that pits Rambo against not just the sheriff but every law enforcement official in the region.
Sounds like a mismatch, and it is. Rambo’s a decorated Green Beret, a fighting machine who slices through the sheriff’s men with his signature hunting knife.
The combatants serve as a metaphor for Rambo’s last war, with the Sheriff’s naked aggression replicating how many viewed the U.S.’s role in the conflict. And the sheriff’s minions can’t compete with Rambo’s ability to use his terrain as a weapon against them.
Rambo looks right at home fashioning traps out of fallen trees, while the cops cry out for help as soon as they see a drop of their own blood.
Stallone says less than a page of dialogue through much of the film, letting his physical presence, and those droopy eyes, speak for him. But in the film’s final sequence, he lets loose with a crying monologue that’s as gripping as any action scene preceding it.
“First Blood” represents the best the 1980s had to offer in the way of action, but the minute Richard Crenna enters the picture as Rambo’s old mentor the film shifts into franchise mode. Crenna’s swagger, stripped straight out of “A Team” parody, portends the silly action sequels to follow.
Crenna’s character talks about Rambo’s survival skills as if he had already bought tickets for “Rambo 2, 3 and 4.”
“First Blood” has little in common with those films. It’s serious, somber and stripped of anything remotely resembling fat. Just like its star in his ’80s era prime.
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(Photo: Sylvester Stallone plays a battle scarred Vietnam vet who squares off against Johnny Law in “First Blood.”)
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
The best acting Sly did in this RAMBO is at the very end. He ‘emotes’ quite nicely, thank you! No matter how many of these he makes his loyal fans will love them AND him! The same goes for ROCKY. – WE LOVE YA, SLY!
Gimmie a shearling coat and Brian Dennehy, and we’ve got a good movie … poor man’s Dennehy, Joe Don Baker!
Dianna,
Wasn’t really critiquing his performance here … it’s just part of an overall body of work that emphasized brawn over Serious Acting. Stallone can act … but for years he leaned into roles that didn’t demand much from him in that way, and audiences started to typecast him.
No problem, cftoto. Sometimes typecasting is good because then audiences know what to expect when they go see, in this case, a Stallone film. I have no problem watching Sly in WHATever! Personally, I enjoy it when not much is demanded of him but ‘brawn’ & millions of women worldwide feel the same way! (smile)