As Rocky surprised me by being an anti-sports film (in my eyes), so did First Blood by being an anti-action film (sort of). Both affected me deeply.
First Blood is less subtle than Rocky, because it has to be - it IS still an action movie, and a very compelling one at that. John Rambo is a confused and scared force to be reckoned with. He's a victim of PTSD who is built up, stripped down, and made into a symbol that he ultimately embodies without losing any dimensionality.
The intensely personal, quiet finale of First Blood features a truly great acting performance, but it was almost ruined for me by a hokey song that begins the credits. A lot of audience members seem to like it, but to me it felt like it was bludgeoning me with a message that the film had previously given with far more tact.
That's just about my only criticism for this classic film.
First Blood is less subtle than Rocky, because it has to be - it IS still an action movie, and a very compelling one at that. John Rambo is a confused and scared force to be reckoned with. He's a victim of PTSD who is built up, stripped down, and made into a symbol that he ultimately embodies without losing any dimensionality.
The intensely personal, quiet finale of First Blood features a truly great acting performance, but it was almost ruined for me by a hokey song that begins the credits. A lot of audience members seem to like it, but to me it felt like it was bludgeoning me with a message that the film had previously given with far more tact.
That's just about my only criticism for this classic film.