Rambo became legendary for his violence and explosions (the pyrotechnics became exceptionally over-the-top, you know who you are “waterfall scene”), but what we get in First Blood is Rambo using his guerrilla warfare techniques to sneakily incapacitate his pursuers – as opposed to liquefying them with a 20mm automatic cannon or piloting a tank over them. Ultimately, with the exception of Teasle, Rambo’s victims in First Blood walk into traps during their pursuit and are thus justifiably incapacitated by Rambo as the defender, not aggressor. Likewise, the explosions caused by Rambo are meant only to be distractions – no one gets exploded!
It’s important to point out that, unlike all of the sequels, First Blood takes place right here in the good ‘ol U.S. of A (actually filmed in Canada), so immediately there is not that typical Rambo conflict of “us versus them” that absolves him from mercilessly slaughtering droves communist meat – this time, the meat is us. That is really the crux of meaning in First Blood, it’s about the internal struggle of America dealing with returned Vietnam vets as much as it is about the internal struggle of Rambo dealing with his nature, his past, and the difficulties moving forward into the future. Notice how I wrote “internal” when describing a Rambo film, that’s fucking crazy, right? The rest of the Rambo films really just focus on what Rambo does to people, mainly kill them, while he remains very two dimensional. Essentially, Rambo becomes a parody of Rambo and by the fourth installment I started to wonder if Sylvester Stallone and company knew this as well. For example, in Rambo (2008) when the mercenary says he’s seen Rambo’s “thousand yard stare” before, haven't we all? After First Blood that stare became a sort of short-hand for the internal world of Rambo that writers and directors of the last three films did not care to explore.
Another key feature that further distinguishes First Blood from the rest of the series is the use of figurative and symbolic elements that reveal depth in the narrative. Sure, naming the town “Hope,” in which the veteran cannot stay, is pretty obvious, but the scene in which Rambo is trapped in the dark, claustrophobic, and labyrinthine caves and beset by rats is very much appreciated. Certainly the cave scene does absolutely nothing to advance the killer reputation of Rambo, but that reinforces my point, First Blood is not about killing, it was an internal conflict. Also, there’s a whole thread running through the film about “civilian vs. non-civilian” that weaves through a lot of the things I already wrote about, but I mention it just because it is indicative of the kind of deeper thought and meaning explored in First Blood and subsequently forgotten about.
This is probably a good place to point out that First Blood was based on the novel by David Morrell and it was the only installment to have such a literary basis. Of course it is also no surprise then that the director and writer of First Blood did not come back for round two, three, or four.
So what’s the point? The Rambo Trilogy is garbage - it is just thoughtless junk, it has no meaning, and it has no substance. In particular, First Blood II is utter and irredeemable shit, Rambo III is like porn without the good stuff, and Rambo (2008) flirted with the idea of being sincere, but decided to stick an M80 in a cat’s ass instead. Those three films belong together, really, they deserve each other. But not First Blood. It doesn’t belong. It is a good film and if it is given a chance outside of the expectations put on it by subsequent Rambo films, has a lot to offer.
"Listen up kids, this is how Rambo solves problems."
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