First Blood

Though the Rambo series has come to be associated with copious amounts of violence and bloodshed, it’s certainly interesting to note that First Blood primarily comes off as a relatively tame survivalism flick – as much of the movie follows Sylvester Stallone’s John Rambo as he attempts to outwit, outplay, and outlast a series of increasingly pig-headed law-enforcement officials within a dense forest setting. The story kicks off after Rambo, a Vietnam vet with a troubled past, rolls into a sleepy little community ruled over by Brian Dennehy’s smug Sheriff Will Teasle and consequently finds himself forced to lead the town’s few cops on an arduous chase that eventually winds up at that aforementioned forest. Screenwriters Michael Kozoll, William Sackheim, and Stallone, working from David Morell’s novel, have infused First Blood with a spare, decidedly plotless sort of vibe that’s admittedly fairly intriguing for a while, yet there does reach a point at which the viewer can’t help but crave a more substantial narrative. The lack of a concrete villain only heightens the feeling that First Blood is, first and foremost, a character study of a deeply disturbed individual, with the action-packed third act seemingly at odds with the comparatively restrained opening hour (this is despite an absolutely exhilarating sequence near the outset in which Rambo wreaks havoc on Teasle’s police station). It’s only with the arrival of Richard Crenna’s Sam Trautman that Rambo begins to take on the almost mythical qualities that one has come to associate with the character, as Trautman, Rambo’s former superior officer and the man who trained him, refers to his ruthless protege using dialogue that’s nothing short of hyperbolic (eg “I didn’t come to rescue Rambo from you. I came here to rescue you from him!”) Having said that, First Blood, anchored by Stallone’s effective, surprisingly low-key performance, is generally an engaging piece of work that ultimately doesn’t have a whole lot in common with its increasingly cartoonish follow-ups.

**1/2 out of ****