We all love a good story about an underdog, who is wronged, and fights back in a way that makes the little guy sit up and cheer. Especially if the underdog is an out of his luck character whose only redeeming quality is his resourcefulness and his adherence to his principles, principles we all wish we had. "First Blood" is such a movie.
Our allegory begins with a wanderer, a veteran of the Vietnam opposition wandering into a small city. On the outside of town, he is met with some police who tell him that his brand is not appreciated in this settlement. Drifters are not permissible, as they are perceived as pests who will undermine the cities resources without giving anything back. After giving him the caution, the law leave him, and think that is that.
Yet, our central character, John Rambo, shows up yet again in town, and is arrested. He gets booked, and thrown into the county lockup. But he doesn't indicate any harm, and he hasn't yet smashed any laws. He just sought after something to wolf, and a friendly place to sleep. He may seem a little slow, but we feel for him, as the police appear to be mistreating him.
Then there is a campaign, and the police chief steps over the line. And slightly injures this seemingly big brute. Drawing primary blood, the sheriff has opened a can of worms he will quickly regret, likely for the rest of his life. Because John Rambo is a vastly skilled executioner, and well equipped to cope with any kind of opposition, and come out on top.
This begins the heart of the picture. One lone man, John Rambo, is pressed into a trap, and he responds with the only way he knows how. He retreats into the close by hills, and immediately finds himself in his element. Trained to survive, to chase, and to slaughter. The police quickly recognize that they have their hands full, and bring in as many officers as they can.
Then an army Colonel shows up, and claims that he was Rambo's commanding officer during the Vietnam war. The police erroneously consider he is there to look after his charge from the police. But they have it the other way around. Rambo's CO is there to bring him back before he does unalterable harm to the entire police force. He is there to save the police force from Rambo, not the other way around. We chase John Rambo through the boondocks, and watch him combat his own psychological demons in one rare movie that has created one of he most well known action heroes of our time. If you haven't seen this movie, you must, as it is an instance of remarkable filmmaking, acting, and directing.
Our allegory begins with a wanderer, a veteran of the Vietnam opposition wandering into a small city. On the outside of town, he is met with some police who tell him that his brand is not appreciated in this settlement. Drifters are not permissible, as they are perceived as pests who will undermine the cities resources without giving anything back. After giving him the caution, the law leave him, and think that is that.
Yet, our central character, John Rambo, shows up yet again in town, and is arrested. He gets booked, and thrown into the county lockup. But he doesn't indicate any harm, and he hasn't yet smashed any laws. He just sought after something to wolf, and a friendly place to sleep. He may seem a little slow, but we feel for him, as the police appear to be mistreating him.
Then there is a campaign, and the police chief steps over the line. And slightly injures this seemingly big brute. Drawing primary blood, the sheriff has opened a can of worms he will quickly regret, likely for the rest of his life. Because John Rambo is a vastly skilled executioner, and well equipped to cope with any kind of opposition, and come out on top.
This begins the heart of the picture. One lone man, John Rambo, is pressed into a trap, and he responds with the only way he knows how. He retreats into the close by hills, and immediately finds himself in his element. Trained to survive, to chase, and to slaughter. The police quickly recognize that they have their hands full, and bring in as many officers as they can.
Then an army Colonel shows up, and claims that he was Rambo's commanding officer during the Vietnam war. The police erroneously consider he is there to look after his charge from the police. But they have it the other way around. Rambo's CO is there to bring him back before he does unalterable harm to the entire police force. He is there to save the police force from Rambo, not the other way around. We chase John Rambo through the boondocks, and watch him combat his own psychological demons in one rare movie that has created one of he most well known action heroes of our time. If you haven't seen this movie, you must, as it is an instance of remarkable filmmaking, acting, and directing.
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