First Blood (Special Edition)

Rating:
Summary: Watch the Movie-Then Go to Film School With David Morrell!
Review: ***Note-This is an update to my previous review***

The latest DVD version of the classic Stallone action flick provides several supplemental features, the most notable being the outstanding commentary by David Morrell who wrote the novel the film is based on. More on that in a moment.

First Blood is about a Vietnam vet named John Rambo who comes to a small Washington state town (actually British Columbia) to find the last surviving comrade from his elite Green Beret unit. When he discovers that he too is dead, Rambo makes his way into town for a bite to eat and instead winds up being arrested by the hick local sheriff (Brian Dennehy). While in custody, Rambo is abused by the locals but manages to escape sparking an all out manhunt.

This film has 55 minutes of action out of 96 total highlighted by the jail escape and subsequent chase. Jack Starrett is great as the cop that does most of the abusing while Davis Caruso is fine as the only deputy (among the surprisingly large local force) that seems to have a conscience. Dennehy is good as always and makes a worthy opponent for Rambo. Richard Crenna is great as Rambo's former CO and he and Dennehy play off one another quite well. Even though he has limited speaking parts, this is probably one of Stallone's best performances highlighted by the "Vietnam speech" near the end of the film.

The film is presented in digitally remastered widescreen 16:9, and is without a doubt the best video presentation of First Blood to date. The movie was shot in the temperate rain forest of BC and is quite dark at times. However, the darkest scenes have been enhanced here and are much improved over the various VHS versions some of which are terrible. Sound is Dolby 2.0 only but not bad considering. Also included are a cute trivia game (get all 10 right without a mistake to see a Rambo cartoon), production notes, and a teaser and trailer. The "featurette" is nothing more than a glorified trailer.

Now on to the best feature of this DVD, one that is worth the price of admission all by itself. If you are at all interested in how films are made and the behind the scenes tidbits about Hollywood, then RUN do not walk (or let your fingers do the walking online) to your local video store and get this disc. Why? For the outstanding commentary of writer David Morrell. This talented man begins to speak before the opening credits and does not stop for 96 minutes. When he does you will wish he could have continued for 96 more. You will find yourself listening again and again and picking up something new each time. This is without a doubt far and away the best commentary on any DVD.

Here is just a partial list of the things Morrell covers:

1.The many differences between his novel and the film-very fascinating stuff. 2.His experience when seeing First Blood the very first time. 3.The three act structure of films. 4.How he chose the name Rambo and other character names. 5.How First Blood set a number of precedents for the industry. 6.Why films were kept to 90 minutes in length for so long a time. 7.A touching story about his son and Stallone. 8.The story of how Kirk Douglas was scheduled to play Troutman and why Richard Crenna ended up with the role.

And that is only scratching the surface.

In conclusion, First Blood was a precedent setting film featuring top-flight actors and some of the best believable screen action. The wonderful commentary of David Morrell caps off a great experience.

Rating:
Summary: Groundbreaking Treatment for a Groundbreaking Film
Review: In an age of cinema largely ruled by computer generated wizardry, FIRST BLOOD is a welcome throwback to an area where technologically created villains didn't yet exist.

In the simplest version of a story ever told, boy (John Rambo) meets boy (Wilford Teasle), boy (Teasle) hates boy (Rambo), and testosterone breaks out all over the place. After refusing to be run out of town, John Rambo is roughed up by several redneck police officers in the Pacific Northwest (what are they doing with rednecks?). Before you can say "pass the ammo," this former Special Forces Green Beret is enduring a flashback to his glory days in Vietnam, and the town will never be the same ... literally.

On board are Sylvester Stallone (back in the days when he was a 'serious' actor), the incomparable Brian Dennehy (who's starting to appear as regularly as Michael Caine in films), and Richard Crenna. Also, as a guilty pleasure, look for the youthful redheaded cop who's none other than David Caruso in his pre-NYPD BLUE days.

What works best about FIRST BLOOD is the tension-filled story of unrelenting action; once this film reaches a fever pitch, it truly never lets up. As the producers discuss in the documentary accompanying the film, FIRST BLOOD really set the standard for all other action films to follow. Upon this most recent viewing, the influence of this franchise on other similar outings is readily apparent.

A dynamic presentation, the Dolby 5.1 sound leaves a bit to be desired (as does the DTS). However, the commentary track (featuring best-selling FIRST BLOOD author David Morrell) is a fabulous exploration of the book-to-screen cycle so prevalent in Hollywood, sprinkled with tidbits about the movie-making process, actors originally attacked to the roles of Rambo and his mentor (Colonel Samuel Trautman), and (believe it or not) the use of iconographic and mythological symbols in the telling of the first (and best) of the Rambo tales.

The extras here (a new documentary, production notes, etc.) are fairly standard fare, but the preservation of the film is worth the price of at least the first installment of this popular feature film franchise.

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Summary: STILL THE BEST OF THE RAMBO MOVIES
Review: MOST PEOPLE REMEMBER ''RAMBO; FIRST BLOOD, PART II'' SO MUCH, THAT THEY ACTUALLY FORGOT THAT THIS MOVIE WAS THE FIRST RAMBO MOVIE. A VIETNAM VETERAN [SYLVESTER STALLONE] IS WRONGFULLY ARRESTED BY A REDNECK COP [BRIAN DENNEHY]. WHEN HE ESCAPES FROM THE POLICE STATION, THE POLICE IMMEDIATELY GO AFTER HIM IN THE NORTHWESTERN JUNGLE. THERE'S A LOT OF SUSPENSE AND THE ACTION NEVER LETS UP. SYLVESTER STALLONE IS IN TOP FORM AS THE TOUGH JOHN RAMBO. ANY ACTION FAN SHOULD HAVE THIS.

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Summary: They drew first blood. Not me. They drew first blood.
Review: Before it became one of the most cliche'-ridden action franchises in history, the saga of John Rambo was actually a very compelling and moving one. Much like actor Sylvester Stallone's other famed movie franchise 'Rocky', this series debuted with a story that was built upon elements of the human condition and focused on the interactions of the main characters. Where as the sequels in both series resorted to pandering story lines and overblown plot devices, the originals were well crafted.

The first episode in the Rambo saga, 'First Blood' (it was not called 'Rambo', despite what many moviegoers think.) tells the tragic tale of a Vietnam veteran's inability to return to a normal life in his own mind and the inability of many people to let him because of their own feelings about that misbegotten war. John Rambo (Stallone) was a highly trained Army killing who machined who commanded well-trained men and operated high-priced military machinery. He was Congressional Medal of Honor winner for whom there was no honor to be found when he returned home. All Rambo wanted to do was find an old Army buddy and grab a bite to eat in a small town as he made through and onto to wherever his next destination would be. Unfortunately, the prejudices and hatreds of a small-town sheriff's department and its vile, redneck sheriff, Will Teasle (played with slimy intensity by Brian Dennehy) just can't leave Rambo in peace. Teasle harasses and taunts Rambo before arresting him on a nebulous charge of 'vagrancy'. While in lockdown, the mistreatment his receives at the hand of other members of the sheriff's department triggers horrifying memories of his time in a P.O.W. camp and he snaps. Rambo attacks the abusive officers and then escapes to the mountains overlooking this sleepy town. Not content to let well-enough alone, Teasle and his men follow him into the mountains where Rambo's Green Beret training makes the odds of 8 to 1 (and later 200 to 1) turn in favor of the 1. Teasle was warned: 'Don't push it or I'll give you a war you won't believe.'

'First Blood' deconstructs the world as Rambo has come to know it. It's an unforgiving one for Vietnam veterans and the mercilessness of some people's perceptions of the men who fought that war made the United States as inhospitable a place for them as the thickest jungles in 'Nam. Rambo wants to forget and move on, but most of all, he just wants to be left alone. His battle with the sheriff and his deputies isn't about attrition or killing, it's about survival. He doesn't kill the men after him; he just incapacitates them. Rambo is the quintessential anti-hero whose plight we can empathize with, if not sympathize. You understand the world he is facing and what made him flip the way he did. While certainly not as well known or publicized as its glitzier sequels, 'First Blood' is an underrated gem worth investing 90 minutes in.

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Summary: Slyvster Stallone in the revenge of the Vietnam vet
Review: The most important thing to keep in mind when watching "First Blood" is not that this 1982 film was Slyvester Stallone's second most successful series after the Rocky films, but that at that point in pop culture history the Vietnam vet had essentially replaced the Nazi as the default villain in a lot of movies and television shows. The idea was that you took somebody with military training and set them off because (a) they did drugs in Nam, (b) were exposed to Agent Orange, (c) went crazy under the pressure, (d) were rejected by their government and the American people when they got home, or (e) any combination of the above. In that light, "First Blood" was one of the few films to present a Vietnam vet as a hero. John Rambo was moody and mentally unstable, in a trained killing machine sort of way, but he had a sense of honor and only struck back when pushed too far.

The rule of thumb is that a movie succeeds more on the villain than the hero, and that holds true in this case, with Brian Dennehy as Sheriff Will Teasle, who does not take a liking to a the moody, shaggy haired, Rambo when he wanders through town. Teasle take Rambo into custody and tries to show him who is boss, but has a deputy sergeant (Jack Starrett) who takes things to far. Rambo snaps, easily escapes from the police station, and the massive manhunt hunt is on. The only problem is that Teasle and all of his men are no match for an unarmed Rambo, who quickly finds a way to arm himself. Teasle has some understanding of how his men are culpable in what is going on, but stubbornly insists that the rule of law should still apply, even when Colonel Samuel Trautman (Richard Crenna) arrives right behind the National Guard to explain how big of a mistake the locals have made.

The main problem with this film is that there were sequels, which buried the strengths of the original under big budget gloss (a charge that can be leveled against the Rocky series as well). Beyond that the main complain would be that once events have been put into play and we all acknowledge that Rambo has been done wrong, the politics of the situation gives way to the action. As such, the politics become an excuse for the violence, which is one of those things that would be ironic on so many levels. Then, at the end, when the movie becomes political again, it seems rather uncomfortably forced and Rambo's articulation of the very real plight of a lot of Vietnam vets becomes exceedingly forced (actually, at the end of this film, after being moody and silent for most of the film, Rambo talks a LOT). The best of the action sequences is when Teasle and his cops (including a relatively young David Caruso), try to track down Rambo in the woods, mainly because it relies more on stealth and intelligence than big guns and bigger explosions. Against a Green Beret these boys have no chance and when Rambo offers Teasle one last chance to let it go, and when the Sheriff refuses, all of our sympathies go to Rambo.

The message of "First Blood" might be forced, but it is hard to turn in a stern indictment of the film on that basis given what was happening with Vietnam vets in Hollywood. Even in this heavy-handed effort you have to admit there was an attempt at a noble motive. Special mention should be made of the audio commentary on the DVD version by David Morell, who wrote the novel on which the film was based. Morell is an interesting choice simply because he was not really involved in the production of the film, but this has some interesting payoffs, such as the argument that "First Blood" changed the action genre as one of the first movies to feature a brief set-up and then pretty much non-stop action for the rest of the film. There are some tidbits about the film (Kirk Douglas was originally cast as Colonel Trautman) and how the ending was changed when audiences were upset that Rambo was killed.

Rating:
Summary: Best Rambo movie without question
Review: The first Rambo movie called First Blood was released in the fall of 1982. The movie was Sylvester Stallone's best performance since Rocky II. The movie is about a Vietnam veteran named John Rambo who comes to a small town in Washington the state(it was actually filmed in the dead of British Columbia, Canada's winter of 1981/82) to meet a fellow comrade/friend from his elite Green Beret unit. When he discovers that he died of cancer, Rambo sadly in disbelief makes his way into town for a bite to eat and instead winds up being harassed and arrested by the hick local Sheriff Will Teasle(Brian Dennehy). While in custody, Rambo is abused by Deputy Galt(Jack Starrett) and fellow sheriffs Ward and others but a flashback to being in POW prison while being processed causes Rambo to snap and manages to escape jail and sparking an all out manhunt between 200 people versus one Rambo. This film is a 96 minute action rollercoaster highlighted by the jail escape and subsequent chase and fighting with the national guard. Jack Starrett was great as the hillbilly cop that did all of the abusing while David Caruso was fine as the only deputy that had a conscience and a heart. Dennehy was superb and made a worthy opponent for Rambo. Richard Crenna gave his best performance as Rambo's former CO and he and Dennehy play off one another quite well(originally Kirk Douglas was to play him but that fell through at the last minute). Despite the fact he had very limited speaking parts, First Blood was Stallone's best performances highlighted by the Vietnam speech near the end of the film. Originally, the film was to end with Trautman killing Rambo but the previewers hated it so Stallone thought of Rocky and decided to rewrite the ending First Blood with Rambo having a nervous breakdown and falling into Trautman's arms sobbing which is a better way to end the movie IMHO. This DVD is well worth the money.

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Summary: First Blood (Special Edition) - DVD Aspect Ratio Issue
Review: The original Theatrical Aspect Ratio for First Blood was anamorphic widescreen - 2.35:1 (cinemascope). On its 35mm cinema film neg & stock, it is compressed horizontally in a 2:1 ratio. This interprets that on the film, it will roughly be 1.17:1 and on screen, it will magnify and stretch to its intended 2.35:1 format.

What deterred me from buying this particular DVD is that on its "Technical Information" page, it has listed this DVD's aspect ratio for Widescreen as - 1.85:1 (which is generally non-anamorphic and flat) suggesting that it has been incorrectly set to - "Letterbox" (used to cover production mechanics such as lens' barn doors, sound booms, etc.). If this is the case, certain part of its image that was originally viewed in the cinemas would now be blocked out. That's almost as bad as the 1.33:1 pan & scan. Maybe it's an info error?

I like to watch movies in the format it was intended to be seen by the filmmakers. Also, I can never understand why anyone would want to own an inferior full-screen/pan & scan format. It's like watching half a movie.

On this DVD release, it seems the studios have provided both widescreen & full-screen. I assume this equates to having both sides of the disc being used. It would have been better served to have an attractive picture on one side to reduce accidental handling faults such as dirt or finger prints on the read-areas of the disc. Of course, the flip side should be the majority's choice - Widescreen (when available).

An option for English subtitles would have been great too. When actors tend to mumble, it is handy to be able to rewind to a particular scene and turn on the subtitles to find out what the character in the script was supposed to have said.

Rating:
Summary: I'm guilty as well....
Review: of denying Stallone's genius, but no more.

If you weren't around during the Vietnam era, then this film wont have the same impact. And even if you were, you were probably so numb from it that then you may have considered this "just another action flick" when it was released.

Any serious action junkie has already seen this movie so 5* blah blah blah, you're going to watch it anyway. But I have this to say about the "Vietnam Speech" Rambo delivered at the end of the movie..... Maybe I've softened in the last 30 years, maybe I have a greater appreciation for the sacrifice of 50,000 young Americans lost in Vietnam - it doesnt matter, but I rank a 4 minute clip that I used to fastforward past now the singular highlight of the film. As great as Stallone was in those few short minutes, Richard Crenna deserved a Supporting Actor Oscar for his reaction to Rambo's heart rending speech.

This DVD collection is maybe the best on the market, particularly at the price. The restored video is sharp and crisp, and you have the choice between Widescreen and Standard. You can also select from DTS or 5.1 audio and either will completely blow you away. Who cares if the machine gun fire sounds hollow and unrealistic, you get the point anyway. 5 Grunts

Rating:
Summary: "First Blood": A Praiseworthy Action Film
Review: "First Blood" has to be, without a doubt, one of my favorite action films of all time. I believe that I enjoy it so much because it does a nice job of balancing action scenes with drama. Thus, this film does not reek of the overkill violence that plagues the two sequels (as well as the films of other action stars). Stallone actually does some acting in this film. His performance as a Vietnam Vet come home to find a thankless country is compelling and his emotional breakdown near the end of the film is fantastic. There is a lot of suspense in this film and the characters are certainly memorable. Rambo has a clear enemy in this film, played by Brian Dennehy. He is not taking on the country of Vietnam or the Russians-he is simply defending himself from a small-town cop.

My recommendation is to see this film and forget about the two sequels. Of course, any die-hard Rambo fan will tell you that the action sequences only become better as the movies progressed, but they sacrifice much to do this in my opinion. If you enjoy action films with a little class, you'll love "First Blood."

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Summary: RAMBO is the man!!!
Review: This is one of my favorite action movies of all time. John Rambo(Sylvester Stallone) is a Vietnam war vet and is looking for one of his fellow soldiers from war. He then gets picked up by the sheriff of a small town. He says that he doesn't want type of people like Rambo in town, so he takes him to the police station (For no reason, of course). Rambo gets treated terrible, and gets pushed to far. This is where he beats the crap out of a few police officers, like throwing one officer through a window(BADASS), steals a dirtbike, and heads for the mountains. From here on it is the police trying to track Rambo down, not knowing that this is exactly what he used to do in war. His old Colonel in war shows up trying to persuade Rambo from killing everyone, like at the end when he persuades Rambo not to fight the whole police force of the town.
This movie is awesome, especially the end with the gas staion incident, and the scene where he attacks about five police officers in the woods with only a knife. I also like the part when he kills the one officer(the officer that treated him so badly at the police station). Great acting by Sylvester Stallone in this (my favorite actor), and action-packed. Definetley best of the Rambo series. If you haven't seen this, GO OUT AND SEE IT.