Unraveling the Legacy of First Blood
I talk often about staple movies from my childhood and in this blog, I will do so again. Normally I am not an “I want to read this book” kind of guy but in the case of First Blood, I am. First Blood the book became the movie, First Blood which became a series of movies that ONLY HAS FOUR PARTS – that last movie didn’t count. I’ve heard it said that the latest movie was better titled Sylvester Stallone vs The Cartel. We’ll go with that. Anyway, we’re going to talk about another watched it every time it came on TBS movie from the late 80s and early 90s movie that helped make Sylvester Stallone (IMDB) the action hero he is today. Get your knife and let’s go into the woods of Canada to evade capture by the police in this week’s blog on First Blood (IMDB).
Was I a fan of Rambo? Yes, I was and 100% still am to this day. I was such a fan that my career goal for the longest was to join the special ops and be like him. There’s a photo of me as a kid floating around with part of a Star Wars playset, yes original from the 70s, on my shoulder like a rocket launcher pretending to be John J. Rambo. Rambo was a hero to my generation and the example of what a man should be. I have watched First Blood enough times to burn up 16 good TV sets. A bad day in my life was the day I went to watch First Blood on DVD and realized I couldn’t find my copy.
One-Liners in First Blood
First Blood was well written. I don’t mean the overall story of the movie, but the one-liners. The story is fantastic, and we’ll talk about that in the next few sentences but, the one-liners were on point. This carries over into the sequel as well. Colonel Troutman, played by Richard Crenna (IMDB) was the one that dropped them. One was when he told the crooked police chief that if he went after Rambo, he had better have a good supply of body bags. My favorite though was when he told Chief Teasle, “I didn’t come here to save him from you. I came here to save you from him.” So, this movie was adapted from a book by the same name written by David Morrell in 1972. This book is on my to-read list and is well-rated.
There’s a little more on simple lines to explore. Rambo the character doesn’t speak a lot until the final scene. He lets his knife do the talking. Anyway, Rambo tells Colonel Troutman in a radio conversation two things that stood out and were important to the story. First, he explains that there wouldn’t be any trouble except for the “King S&*% cop” and that he only wanted to get something to eat. This revealed the real culprit in the current situation. As the conversation continues Rambo, before returning to radio silence, closes with “They drew first blood.” This was the tagline for the film’s title. He goes on later to explain that you “…just don’t turn it off.” Essentially, Rambo informed Troutman that Teasle had started a war and Rambo was going to win. This is the special ops mindset.
Exploring the Emotional Depths
Anyone who has seen this movie knows that Rambo wins. Of course he does, he’s Rambo and that’s what he does. There is a heartfelt sobbing and emotional scene where he cries and pours his heart out to his stone-faced commanding officer, Colonel Troutman. This was a glimpse into the PTSD that soldiers have always experienced after combat. I have a degree in Psychology but, I’m not a practicing therapist. After the Vietnam War, PTSD seemed to become something a lot of people talked about. As movies reflect culture, it makes sense to me at least that this was the point the closing scene of First Blood was making.
Remembering the WWII vets that I knew, their experiences overseas were just something you didn’t talk about, and kids knew not to ask about. I asked my grandfather one time about his time in the war. He told me that he was a machine gunner and that was it. The other WWII vet I knew strongly rebuked his children after they had him watch the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan. This vet was not happy and made it clear that it was too real, and he didn’t want to remember that day. Working an 8-hour shift with a Vietnam veteran led to a conversation that went to Nam and took him there too. For a few uncomfortable seconds, I could tell that he wasn’t present anymore. This was a memorable and enlightening event for me. Rambo experienced a similar situation at the police station.
First Blood: A Reflection on Law Enforcement and Vietnam Vets
Police are a common topic in the media today. There are good police and bad police just like there are good doctors and bad doctors, teachers, lawyers, etc. People fill these roles and there are only bad people. I have known many police officers. Some of them were better than others but it boils down to their character. Of course, it only takes one bad one to do a lot of damage. This is true anywhere though. First Blood focuses on an experience with one or two bad cops. America’s opinion of Vietnam vets was another idea at play. I know from working at a veteran’s home that the country had a lot of bad blood towards returning soldiers. Sheriff Teasle was one of these people and represented a real opinion some people had. John Rambo mentions the infamous “baby killer” comments in his tearful conversation with Troutman.
A Vet's Struggle Against Injustice
I guess I say all of this to say that First Blood is a powerful story. You see a man who loves his country and becomes a veteran of terrible conflict on its behalf. The conflict didn’t stop in the jungle. He arrived home to a conflict being spit on. Rambo then learns his friends have died just before being thrown back into combat. All because a sheriff wouldn’t let him eat in his town. A decision that stemmed from his political opinions. Understanding his freedoms, that he had fought for, Rambo turns around and the story begins. In the opening scene, as mentioned all of this takes place in a town set in what I think is supposed to be the US. First Blood was, however, filmed in Canada. Wow! This is some of the most amazing scenery I’ve seen. You can read about the locations here.
Takeaways and Reflections on First Blood
Takeaways from First Blood are that it remains one of the greatest films out of the action era and one of my personal favorites. I hope to visit this town one day with my wife. I know in the book that Rambo dies in the end. I’m glad that he didn’t in the movie because we wouldn’t have the rest of the story. Is there anybody reading this blog that has read the book? Is the book better than the movie? What are your thoughts? Should a fan take time to read it? Let me know in the comments. Subscribe to my YouTube channel here – Rambo Fan Art On Deck! You don’t want to miss this. Also, follow me on social media. You can do that and buy my art here. You can read more blogs here and see more of my work here. Peace.