That final monologue is enough to make any man cry. Throughout the whole film Rambo has only spoken when necessary and then it all comes out in one heartbreaking speech.
There were three people involved in the cliff jump stunt, and Sylvestre was one of the three. He did the last third of the jump, and broke a rib on a branch. The arm wound was a theatrical prop. It was so real that Sylvestre went to a local hospital where they commended him for stitching it up without anesthetic.
My dad's best friend was stabbed in the shoulder in Vietnam. The US Army sent him to Germany for medical care. After he healed they sent him back. He stepped on a landmine that spun up and blew his legs off above the knees. He came home and fought a lot of mental and physical battles. He became rather successful but was in a wheel chair until the end. In the end, he developed aggressive lung cancer due to the Agent Orange used to deforest Vietnam. That war was a nightmare, I suppose they all are, but geeze my heart goes out to those guys.
The opening scene where he finds out his friend died of cancer is referring to Agent Orange. That is a chemical defoliant used to basically destroy all the plant life to make it more difficult for enemy forces to hide. It also happened to be a highly carcinogenic chemical that gave US troops and (maybe) millions of Vietnamese terrible health conditions, mostly cancers. This is an important historical tragedy that every American should know about.
The majority of women I've seen who've reacted to that scene have zero emotions towards it. The vast majority of women simply can't relate to the horrors that men go through.
At 8 years old, we were all running around with those knives with First Aid stuff, fishing stuff, sharpening stone, compass, bottle openers, you name it. Good ole 80's.
@@joeday4293 😂 I was having a Hell of a time tryin' to fish with the line and hook. Realized later the Compass was also a bobber. Hours of fun for the Family!
@@swig1969 When you popped it out the top, underneath it was a tiny plastic ring for the line to go through, even tested! I hear ya man, I'm sure we missed a few more uses, no manual. 😂
Anyone who claims that Sylvester Stallone can't act needs to watch this movie. Also, "First Blood" is barely even an action movie. It's more of a character study and that's what makes it so great. I love it.
Sly is born from something else. He actually had a LOT of dialogue in First Blood originally, and he couldn't stand how "bad" it turned out, so he had his editors cut it down to practically no dialogue for his character as you see in the final release. Similar story with Carl Weathers and Rocky. During casting for Apollo Creed, Weathers told Sly he was the worst actor he's ever seen, Sly then hired Weathers immediately.
This movie was really the first major work that highlights PTSD and Viet Nam vets poor treatment when they returned from duty. It also helped inspire the Veterans Administration to expand programs designed to help returning vets both physically and mentally. A lot programs were not available then, and this actually helped raise awareness of the difficulty our guys had returning from a war that really wasn't anything more than trying to force a firm of government onto people in a foreign land. Raise wasn't the soldiers fault, but the public certainly didn't welcome these guys back. No hero welcomes, no parades, no celebrations.
If you watch in the beginning, he throws his address book in the fire pit. It's as if DelMar was his last hope of having a friend and/or familiar face to talk to in the world.
I'm pretty sure he was, as Troutman mentions he got out the same as Rambo while the others in his squad died before the war ended. Or at least that was my understanding of that scene. His last human connection who could understand his frustration of coming home to a country that did little to nothing to look out for their soldiers.
Stallone spent his first films healing a nation. With Rocky, he gave the public a reason for pride following Vietnam. With First Blood, he gave those returning home a voice. That needs to be respected.
If it makes you feel any better, combat Veterans these days aren’t treated very well either. My entire neighborhood wants me dead because I asked them several years ago to start their 4th of July fireworks that occur from mid-June to mid-August at a certain time, so those of us with PTSD in the neighborhood would be ready for them. My next door neighbor was arrested for assaulting me on Memorial Day last year because my dog was barking too early. Nobody gives a fk about us, really.
@@mikemodlin Any veteran who was the USMC or Amry and in combat should petition the VHA to refer to combat trauma as "Shell shock." Not PTSD. Everyone and their mother have PTSD nowadays. Were you in the US Army or the Marines?
@@jackasswhiskyandpintobeans9344 I was in the Army. Served as a door gunner on a Blackhawk during Desert Storm to help escort Apaches that weren’t authorized to shoot at troops.
People have always overlooked and underestimated Stallone as an actor, but that monologue at the end of this movie, and multiple scenes in Rocky, and in other movies he shows that he's talented. Just because he's favored action movies his whole career doesn't mean he isn't more than capable.
Yeah this movie just proves that people will hate other people base on everything and not just on one certain skin color black white brown long hair short hair hell even bald male female hate just doesnt know one color it knows all colors.
At the time Stallone's haircut stubble, lack of car, military jacket indicated drifter/homeless. Small towns back then went hard against anyone giving that vibe. The movie cuts a bit from the book too. The sheriff and the deputy that falls out of the helicopter were Korean War veterans and they hated Vietnam vets because they thought they were a bunch of whiney pansy attention seeking kids. So they haul him in initially as a hobo, find hes a vietnam vet, and commence torturing him to "teach him a lesson"
I like how Rambo doesn't listen to him and turns right back around. The dude just served his country and got news his buddy died from serving..so of course he ain't gonna let some guy tell him he can't freely walk to whatever town he wants to walk to.
I love how Stallone talks about how they filmed him saying all this tough guy cheesy BS and he thought the movie was gonna be horrible. Then they cut all of that out and made him the strong silent type and had other people talk about how dope he was and that made the movie incredible and made the last scene so much more powerful. Editing is everything in movies. Straight classic
@@howardb.6205 lol ya listening to Stallone rattle off a few of the ridiculous things they had him say is hilarious and you get a clear sense of what it could've been . So glad they changed it up to the classic that it is
Looked more like state guard. But you got it right. Your plan is to pursue a Vietnam L.R.P. Vet who won the C.M.H. in the forrest? Probably not going to end well
Not to mention the Platoon leader is a pharmacist for his day job. My cousin came from active duty Army Calvary Division to the National Guard he knew a lot Guardsman like that
I had two uncles that served in Nam. Family members said they came back very different. I only knew them after they came back. I remember that they would joke, laugh and have fun with us children but there were times when they would sit in an almost completely dark room in silence. I remember my aunts telling us they were just having a bad day, but sometimes with one uncle, he would sit like that for days. They came back from risking their lives, seeing horrible atrocities from both sides, to people protesting them, treating them like garbage. It was really sad they way Vietnam Vets were treated and how vets now are treated.
The last 10 minutes of this film are the best acting and should've at least earned Stallone an Oscar nod. It sums up the Combat Veteran experience, While mine is similar not nearly as extreme. Once you go to combat you're changed forever, the comfort one has with violence sets you apart from your fellow citizens and sometimes forces you into self imposed isolation.....I could go days with no other human interaction. My wife however would not allow me to isolate and keeps me engaged. I am one of the lucky ones.
All of my friends, everyone always says "Rambo snapped". True, but the small town officers did their fair share of snapping, too. Their hometown treatment of him inside their station is nothing short of snapping. My favorite line is: "I don't think you understand. I didn't come here to rescue Rambo from you. I came here to rescue you from him"
@@JiggyGnorrus … Hey, I guess Rambo was the inspiration behind the stomach churning culinary choices of Bear Grylls, another former military vet (British Royal Marines if I recall correctly).
The fact that Rocky and Rambo are both played by Stallone….unreal!! Because they are so drastically different from each other is a testament to Stallone’s acting abilities!!
Stallone wrote Rocky, when he was trying to get someone to take a chance and make them, they wanted him to play Rocky. I think I remember that correctly, it was a long time ago when I seen the interview
I once handled an insurance claim for Brian Dennehy's (the sheriff's) parents. when I first met them in their home, I noticed his picture up on their wall and asked them why? they were quite surprised I knew who he was......... I was quite surprised they thought I (or anybody) wouldn't know him, he was in so many great movies. they were very humble and gracious. I still declined their claim and got their insurance cancelled but it was really nice meeting them. (of course I'm f-ing kidding, sheesh. not all adjusters are a-holes every single time.)
This movie is so powerful and really brought PTSD into the social arena of conversation back then. It also had every teenage boy, myself included, not stop till they got their parents to buy them a Rambo style survival knife (I had that thing for YEARS). And yes there are several sequels, Asia. I think you will like most of them.
Rambo is a Green Beret. That means he isn’t just an exceptional soldier he is a teacher of soldiers as well. Green Berets are some of the most well rounded and educated soldiers in the US Army. If you drop a team of 6-12 Green Berets into a village behind enemy lines they will live and fight alongside the local populace. They will also train the locals up in guerilla warfare. Given a few months and material support that 12 men can build a fighting force against a mutual enemy.
"You send that many you'd better remember one thing." "What's that?" "A good supply of bodybags." He tried to warn them. They didn't listen. Such a fabulous movie. The late Richard Crenna being all badass.
One of the hardest working actors we'll ever see. Writes, directs, produces movies that eventually turn into franchises aka Rocky, Rambo and Expendables, then finds time to star in stand alone movies between these franchises like, Lock Up, Oscar, Demolition Man, Cliffhanger. Sly doesn't sleep. 💪
The looks on the faces of the cops when they find out Rambo is a Congressional Medal of Honour winner & a Green Beret are priceless 👍😄. They then realise the guy who they’re pursuing isn’t going to make it easy for them.
The craziest thing about the Medal of Honor is that 90 percent of them are awarded posthumously. Meaning after death. In order to get that Medal, you have to be born again hard.
@@9999bigb… In other words, such a bonafide badass that you make the Terminator look like a pansy huh?? I’m not from the U.S. & I have only heard of the medal but not the criteria which one is judged by in order to earn it. The truly sad thing about this film is that it is even still a reflection on the injustice & negligence that many vets to this very day which I think is appalling. How the government & law enforcement agencies can treat vets with such ignorance is absolutely sickening.
@@gerardroll6468 No problem. I could tell that you aren’t from the U.S. by the way you spell “honour”. That being said, I was once corrected harshly, but appropriately, by a Medal of Honor recipient by referring to him as a “winner”. He gave me a brief description of what he went through, and since then, I’ve never referred to a Medal recipient as a “winner”. I’ve also been correcting others in, what I hope is, a direct, yet respectful, way.
My dad was in Vietnam, in the 4th infantry. He was wounded and sent home after ~ 6 months as the APC he was in ( he ran the .50 cal in the turret ). It was hit by an RPG, and he took some pretty bad shrapnel wounds, a punctured lung and bad burns because it knocked him back onto the brass the .50 was spitting out into the floor and the fuel burning. He was exposed to quite a bit of agent orange during that time. For years after he came back they ran tests on him. They also ran them on my sister and me for a while after we were born. The two of us have been lucky so far. My dad died in 2006 from lung cancer. He smoked, worked in a rock quarry and was exposed to agent orange. There’s no way to know for sure what caused it as all three can cause the exact same type of lung cancer. The good thing for my mom, I guess, is that because the cause couldn’t be determined, the army and the quarry both paid out like it was their fault. So, she got some decent benefits out of it. But, none of that replaces him. The final death toll from agent orange can never really be known. I’m sure that it continues to shorten lives here and in Vietnam. At least the food we eat isn’t grown out of ground it effected, so we should be thankful for that. I understand why they used it. I just can’t rap my head around some of the completely asinine rules of engagement they had. No one can ever make sense out of sending in your military and then not letting them do their job. I know the death of civilians through collateral damage doesn’t look good politically, but neither does loosing a war you helped start! Sorry for the rant, it’s just personal to me and others affected by it. I saw what it did to him inside and hate that he and others had to go through it at all.
Folks will call me crazy but I think I have some answers for you. By 1962 the USA had a 10:1 advantage in nukes, missiles, and bombers. The military secretly placed missiles in Turkey, right on the Russian border. This made them go crazy with fear. So the Russians put missiles in Cuba, not as an escalation but just trying to keep up with American aggression. The world was only told about the missiles in Cuba, so it seemed that the Russians were being provocative. This was a setup to start WW3 because our generals were certain of victory. Kennedy refused to launch and he agreed to take away the missiles in Turkey if the Soviets would remove their missiles in Cuba. As the world breathed a sigh of relief, Chief of the Air Force General Curtis LeMay went public and called this deal “The greatest military defeat in American history”. He was quite angry, because Kennedy ruined their plans for a “clean start” to WW3. This anger had consequences for Kennedy a year later in Dallas. So the Joint Chiefs needed a new way to provoke the Soviets into launching first. They decided to go to Vietnam. LBJ was aware of everything. He didn’t care about war and didn’t want to start WW3 on his watch. So they forced him to lie on TV to get the war started. But he refused doing everything they wanted to win the war. Because he knew what they actually wanted was WW3. So he tried to win the war in more limited ways. Not using the full military capacity at his disposal. This wasn’t because he thought he was a good general. Rather, he simply wanted to win without provoking the Soviets into WW3. When these efforts failed, he decided not to run again in 1968. Because people like General Curtis LeMay were very angry with him. And he saw what such anger did to his former boss. He ran for his life away from the disaster. This is why they wouldn’t let our troops win. A power struggle at the highest level of government was underway and LBJ knew if he did everything the military asked this would have caused WW3. So the entire war wasn’t even about Vietnam. It was another setup to provoke the Soviets, which would give us ‘reasonable’ reason to obliterate the USSR.
@@audionmusic2787 oh I knew all that as I’ve researched the subject extensively, asked my dad and mom both about the time as a teenager in the late 80’s on up until my dad passed, and still talk to my mom about that time and all that was going on. I’ve read ~ 25 books on the war and the politics of the period. I love history in general, but WW II through the end of the Cold War is my favorite period as I lived through 72’ on and what went on before has played such a large part in shaping me as a person. I was lucky enough to be taken as a kid to the local VFW, AmVets and the American Legion. There, as a kid, I met WW I up to Vietnam vets and between my dad and them I was taught love of country, flag, fellow man, as well as being willing to fight and / or die for the right thing, even if the leaders aren’t as committed. I fall back on those lessons all the time, actually more now than even.
Remember this is set at Christmas. He's outside in the hills, with snow on the ground, in a vest and jeans. Adrenaline only gets you so far during the hectic scenes, but when he's waiting to pounce, he has to be FREEZING. The entire Rambo franchise is decent IMHO.
Best performance you will ever see. That speech was epic. Being shell-shocked like the Vietnam vets were is heartbreaking. Hope you watch the rest of the series.
An amazing commentary on the treatment of Vietnam veterans after the war. Not to mention that rural sheriffs and their deputies haven’t changed much in the 40 years since this movie came out.
This movie created quite a few soldiers in the US. Me for one. I joined the Army National Guard as a junior in HS. Spent my summer before my senior year in basic training at Ft. Benning, GA. Came back packing on 36 pounds of muscle. Most of all a newfound respect for my fellows, from all walks of life. We were soldiers and we loved it. Graduated HS and AIT (11B) Infantry. Enlisted fulltime Army at the end of it all. When Rambo said "don't push it". Don't push it.
The deputy who died falling out of the helicopter is the same actor who played the town drunk that nobody could understand in Blazing Saddles. Love you guys reactions.
I think we're all indebted to Deputy Galt for clearly stating what needed to be said. I'm particularly happy these young children were here to hear this speech today.
I've read that veterans watching this when it came out were broight to tears by this final monolog at the end of the movie. They related very much to what he was saying.
Shoot I must've seen this 20x and the end scene still gets me choked up. The Vietnam War was a very unpopular war with many Americans and most vets coming home wasn't exactly welcomed back with open arms
@@desmondw1987 I know my mom told me and my brother that shameful fact. There are many rational reasons to debate if we should have been there, etc. That had nothing to do with the men and women who were there. It's a stain on American history.
In the novel, Rambo just goes off the deep end and kills innocents so he has to be put down. But I'm glad the film held back and gave us a flawed hero instead.
I guess if you kill the main character off it makes it hard to make more movies😂 I'm glad they did tho because I loved these movies but the first was my favorite
I think the changes somewhat reflect the era the movie was made in and when the book was published. When the book was published the Vietnam War was still going on and America was hugely divided over the issue. The novel was a transposal of the war onto America but also a commentary on the political polarisation and the difference between the generations between Korea and Vietnam. When the movie was released it was almost 10 years since the US left Vietnam and Reagan was in the White House. America was changing but still trying to come to terms with Vietnam. Some of the stories about how veterans were being treated had also surfaced by now. I think in this era America appreciated the sympathetic and flawed action hero version of Rambo a lot more than Morrell's version of Rambo. I wouldn't mind seeing First Blood remade but as a two part Netflix or Amazon type of miniseries. But this time as something closer to Morrell's original novel as I think audiences nowadays would appreciate it more.
Growing up I played golf at a military golf course. It was my favorite place. I was there pretty much every day. I developed relationships with a lot of Vietnam Vets there. They told me similar stories of how they felt coming back from the war as Rambo describes at the end of the movie. Its very sad how they were treated and is mainly why Vets are now treated much kindlier today. I think this movie had a lot to do with that change.
Stallone basically showed what vets go thru with PTSD or when pushed beyond. He’s different in that he was green beret and that he was built for survival and knew hand to hand combat and had special weapons skills but, many of us vets are just messed up especially with July 4th or other triggers.
Green berets are some of the smartest soldiers we have. Besides the weapon and unconventional war training (and the ability to teach others these skills), Green Berets also speak several languages.
No one saw that end coming. Everyone thought this was just an action flick until that iconic monologue hit. To many, this was a big wake up call for America to acknowledge how the country turned its back on those who were sent to fight in Vietnam. How Vietnam veterans were treated was absolutely shameful and disgraceful, these men (many not even past 20) had to go fight in a war thousands of miles away from home. The things that they had to do and see in order to come back home alive is something that extremely few could possibly relate to. The innocence and youth they had to sacrifice, only for their country to disown them and spit in their faces after they literally went through hell to get back. Hate the war, but always love the warrior, because if anyone has the right to condemn the war and the horrors, it’s the very men who had to live, fight, bleed, and die in it.
That’s where I got mine. Best $5 I ever spent. And they were all absolute pieces of garbage. Even the $200 ones in the Rambo boxes that are “official” are just meant for display use. Hollow handled knives would never survive any real use. Tons of videos on UA-cam showing them getting destroyed with gentle use.
I have a good old friend who was in Nam and he saw a lot while he was there. Unlike most men his age, he spends his time building computers and gaming. That's how I met him back in 2002. On meeting him you would never think soldier. I made the mistake of stating that the game 'Call of Duty' was very realistic. I meant in graphics and compared to previous war games, but the moment I said it his face changed. "You don't know anything about realistic unless you were there!" His whole playful personality completely went dark in an instant. He had never raised his voice to me that way before and I was caught off guard. I went silent and listened. He told me about the fear of death constantly looming over their group until they were completely numb to it. The constant knowing that there are enemy soldiers out there that share the same motivation as you, do whatever you have to do to go home. Bottom line, you kill to survive. You kill in hopes of living long enough to see your family and loved ones again. Every man you kill, you live to fight another day. But every man you have killed has just lost their chances of seeing their family again, at least in this life. Normal life seems so far away because it really is far away for both sides. You are in a completely different world. He told me of time where they ate their rations while surrounded by burning dead bodies. The things he described, my jaw just dropped as I listened. "You learn to block it out," he said. These days movies can show realistic visuals and sound, but you know that in an hour or two there will be credits rolling and your norm comes back in. But in reality you have the phycological stresses; the lingering smell of death all around you, the constant knowing that the other guy could be watching you right now, waiting to lunge out at any given moment, counting this breath as your last. There are no ending credits, not until someone of power decides the war is over. I myself have never experienced anything even close to this kind of horror, but I have been blessed with a very good friend who has lived and told me about it. GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS! THEY KEEP US, OUR FAMILIES AND OUR COUNTRY SAFE. WITHOUT THEM WE WOULD HAVE NO COUNTRY.
Most younger reactors simply don't get the symbolism of Rambo's outfit. The military jacket with the flag combined with his long hair was pretty much the uniform of an "anti-war protestor". This is why he was instantly identified as a "troublemaker". To make matters worse, the Sherrif was a Korean War vet and there was a definite gap between the generations.
Stallone did his own stunts in this. Him screaming after hitting those tree branches was legit, he broke ribs doing that :( Great movie!! LETS GOOOOOO!! 💪😎💪
First Blood was filmed in the province of British Columbia, Canada from November 15, 1981 to April 1982. Hope, British Columbia was selected for its quaint charm, and Pitt Lake, Golden Ears Provincial Park, and Port Coquitlam were chosen to capture the beauty of the forest (per IMDb).
"In town, you're the law, out here it's me. Don't push it, or I'll give you a war you won't believe." One of the coldest lines ever with those stone cold eyes he had. It's one of the stallones' best acting credits besides the Rocky movies.
My dad was a medic on the front lines in Vietnam, the way they were treated and the trauma the veterans suffered is really seen in his breaking down in the last scene, that was real for my dad and for so many others.
It had been less than a decade since the end of the Vietnam War and the veterans were not treated well when they returned home. Many veterans suffered all types of cancers caused by exposure to Agent Orange, which was a defoliating spray that was used to remove the leaves from the jungle trees to expose the enemy which used their cover to transport men, weapons and supplies from the north to the south to fight U.S. troops. This move spawned the sequels which became more superhero type and outlandish (yet still very successful). The scene at the end where Rambo is telling the story about his buddy that got blown up and how he was spit on by his fellow citizens upon his return to the U.S. and being called, "Baby Killer" was really the first time where what we now know as PTSD was talked about. All these things happened.
Theres a deleted alternate ending scene if you look it up on UA-cam where Rambo gets killed by the Colonel at the end when he asked for it. It was like he had rather been killed by the Colonel than taken alive by the police. Overall this movie is a classic I watched growing up as a kid in the 80s. It was one of those movies I could watch when it was a rainy day because it was matching the scenery of the Pacific Northwest where it rains a lot.
Vietnam veterans were always treated bad. The PSTD was never talked about and this movie helped start a conversation about it. Rambo is a great American. Also back in the day, long hair & stuff like that was not accepted at all.
The story goes that Stallone had them bring the final cut of Rocky 3 to the filming location where he shot First blood in the town of Hope British Columbia Canada. Stallone watched Rocky 3 in the movie theatre just down the street from the police station and gave his approval for the worldwide release. He was super busy with Rambo and Rocky films .
They went with "show don't tell" and it ended up going right past a lot of people. Sheriff Will Teasle and Deputy Sgt Art Galt were both Korean War vets and look down on Vietnam vets. When Teasle sat behind his desk just past his shoulder to the left of the frame and under the lamp shade you can see some military medals that belong to the Sheriff. You did correctly see this was based on a novel, it has the same name "First Blood." In the novel Rambo is more of a bad guy than in the film. While the cops pushed him, he deserved it unlike the film. Also in the novel Rambo kills everyone. In the film only the one deputy dies, and it's his own fault. The last change from the book to the screen is that Rambo deletes himself at the end of the book (and the first ending of the film), they ended up changing it to have him instead walk out with Troutman.
We live in a culture especially in TX I think that’s where you guys are at where the military is thanked constantly (which is a great thing ) even if people don’t respect the war or the politics behind it we very rarely now take it out on the soldier, But we forget it was not that long ago that it was the exact opposite, if you walked into a restaurant or airport in uniform or a army shirt you were ridiculed and hated mostly by the youth but by some adults too. I think because of these experiences and stories like Rambo (NAM vets ) have a lot to do with how we treat our vets people don’t want to forget like it was in the 70s
My Father who was Marine Recon in Vietnam shed a tear watching this scene. He related to that whole speech... It was sad now people tell him thank you for his service he kindly just smiles... but nothing else.
For all of Sylvester Stallone's movies and parts most people realize that he is a really great writer and many of his movies were written by Stallone himself.The Rocky series and the Rambo movie series too and his newest movie series "THE EXPENDABLES". All great movie franchises. That is why he is wort over 500million million dollars!!!
Rambo: First Blood Part II takes over from where Part I leaves off. Definitely a must watch in the series. So far, there are 5 Rambo movies that have been released and rumors of a new one may or may not go into production. Keep in mind that Sylvester Stallone in 78 years old now and the chances of making another Rambo movie is slim, but he does stay in good shape for his age!
My uncle came back from the war after being exposed to Agent Orange. He's 76 now, but it really messed him up for life. He still leads a good quality of life, but he deals with the after effects every single day.
I remember when Rambo first came out. My friends and I went to see it at the drive in. We had 4 guys in the car and 2 in the trunk with a couple of cases of beer. During the movie you could hear the entire lot of people screaming and cheering for Rambo. It was so memorable. It’s a true Man movie!!
Im glad you mentioned PTSD. This was really the first major piece of media to bring attention to the concept of PTSD, which was unknown of relatively back in the day. Guys were just told to "be tough"
Omg such a good movie. I read the book a long time ago and became a huge fan of the author. I always yell at Sly in the beginning to NOT WALK BACK INTO THAT TOWN! He never listens.
The book this was based on was written by a college professor who saw a lot of young men coming home from Vietnam, going to college on the GI bill and were in his classes. They were suffering from PTSD and the government was neglecting their mental -- and often physical -- health. That ending scene is so heartbreaking. The Army turned him into a "killing machine" and did nothing to help him readjust to society when he came home.
Rambo series is timeless. Doesn't talk much but love how you see all the emotion in his eyes and pain he carried. You guys gotta watch Stallone in "Cliffhanger" as well.👍🏾
Fun Fact: The reaction Rambo elbows in the police station during the escape was genuine. Stallone legitimately broke the actors nose and they kept the scene.
In the book rambo is also a bit more crazy, they toned down his mental problems in the movie.. After all the book starts with rambo looking for a cop to hurt
"Hurting Civilians" Like killed a 100 plus...lol Rambo in book aka the KID....is completely unhinged it doesnt tell you how many people he killed, but it is alot. When the explosions happen in town it's hinted MANY died. The Chief is actually more of a empathetic character in book then the movie....but both men have too much pride and stuborness, they could have had a beer and talk about their military experiences at start and realized they had so much in common.
My mother brought the book home from the library in the late seventies... I started reading at 4:00 in the afternoon and did not put it down until I was finished
@Asia and BJ Remember the ending to this heartbreaking film when people say stallone can not act. I am still sad and angry they took such a ground breaking film on ptsd and made it just another mindless action franchise.
My uncle was in Vietnam, and he would never talk about what he had seen. My neighbor was also there about the same time my uncle was. When my neighbor and my uncle figured out they were in about the same place, they would talk for hours. My neighbor told me we could never understand what they talked about. That was one reason my uncle never talked to us about it. My neighbor was a "tunnel rat", that is what they called the guys that went in the tunnels to flush out any surviving Vietnam soldier's still hiding in the tunnels.
12:01 Never noticed before, but Rambo actually pulls on the guy's hoodie after he grabs him from the motorcycle to make sure he doesn't slam face first into the ground. I don't think that was just for the sake of the stunt guy but also to show that even under distress Rambo won't attack innocent people.
"Out there your the law. In here its me. Don't push it, I will give you a war you won't believe. Let it go. LET IT GO." - Great line. Look, at the end of the day, all they had to do was leave him alone. But they had to F around and this is the Find out portion of the story. Rambo only needs one name.
@4:02 Agent Orange Cancer, admonished by protestors, and other PTSD. That should have been still called, Shell Shock and they probably would have received the help needed. But, it was: Shell Shock -> Battle Fatigue -> Operational Exhaustion -> Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. This issue went from 2 syllables to four syllables, to 8 syllables, to 8 syllables, and a hyphen. In order to hide Vietnam under jargon.
Everyone of us, me and my Friends had the Rambo knife, survival knives! We would go out and *survive" camping/hunting with our knives, 12 years old was the best time of life!
Listen carefully at 8:40. This quite and unassuming man is devastated after receiving traumatic news about his friend's death. Just another kick in the head. The Vietnam War continues. And then swept away like dirt by a sherrif who claims moral superiority knowing nothing of his sacrifice. This is the moment Rambo snaps. The performance is so subtle and conveys so much emotion with his eyes. On the soundtrack, you hear the faint ringing of a bell. The fight is on. A masterful stroke of genius by composer Jerry Goldsmith. Quiet rage. This is a great film.
Rambo broke down because of what he went through in the war and how the veterans who fought in Vietnam were treated when they came home by people who wanted the war and the ones who didn't. Vets today are going through similar issues in this Country. And todays Government Administration is still pushing more of them to go through the same ish for other countries with too little appreciation from their own Country.
That final monologue is enough to make any man cry. Throughout the whole film Rambo has only spoken when necessary and then it all comes out in one heartbreaking speech.
Deserved an Oscar for that scene alone.
In the book the Colonel shoots him in the head which should have been the way this series died.
we can see that
@@rooster1012 Kirk Douglas walked away from his role as Troutman because they wouldn't follow the original story - respect!
@@rooster1012that is sick
That scream when Rambo hit the tree was real. Stallone broke his ribs in that stunt.
Yup they even left in the sound effect of when it broke from the actual recording and his screaming after he broke it.
he did not jump off the cliff (100 ft), but yeah, he did the stunt from a lesser height.
@@orangewarm1 Who said 100 ft ?
And he also sewed his arm up for real.
There were three people involved in the cliff jump stunt, and Sylvestre was one of the three. He did the last third of the jump, and broke a rib on a branch. The arm wound was a theatrical prop. It was so real that Sylvestre went to a local hospital where they commended him for stitching it up without anesthetic.
My dad's best friend was stabbed in the shoulder in Vietnam. The US Army sent him to Germany for medical care. After he healed they sent him back. He stepped on a landmine that spun up and blew his legs off above the knees. He came home and fought a lot of mental and physical battles. He became rather successful but was in a wheel chair until the end. In the end, he developed aggressive lung cancer due to the Agent Orange used to deforest Vietnam. That war was a nightmare, I suppose they all are, but geeze my heart goes out to those guys.
The opening scene where he finds out his friend died of cancer is referring to Agent Orange. That is a chemical defoliant used to basically destroy all the plant life to make it more difficult for enemy forces to hide. It also happened to be a highly carcinogenic chemical that gave US troops and (maybe) millions of Vietnamese terrible health conditions, mostly cancers. This is an important historical tragedy that every American should know about.
Sounds like a war crime, chemical weapons were outlawed after World War I.
And our government denied till the lawsuit of the Gulf War Syndrome Forced them to admit it.
You can remove the "(maybe)"
Agent Orange(2-4-5 T) is almost identical to Roundup...
@@patverum9051 Bayer/Monsanto
Stallone acted his butt off at the end of this movie, he should've gotten an Oscar for this movie's ending when he cries his heart out 🥺😢😭
Exactly!!!
If Y'all going classic check out Bullet with Steve McQueen. All time classic chase scene.
The majority of women I've seen who've reacted to that scene have zero emotions towards it. The vast majority of women simply can't relate to the horrors that men go through.
"It's NEVER OVER!" Always makes me break down. Sly acted his ass off. What a performance.
The crying scene in the end is indeed great acting but not enough for an Oscar. Most of the movie he says nothing. Classic action regardless.
At 8 years old, we were all running around with those knives with First Aid stuff, fishing stuff, sharpening stone, compass, bottle openers, you name it. Good ole 80's.
Well, to be fair, we needed to be prepared in case the Russkies attacked.
@@joeday4293 😂 I was having a Hell of a time tryin' to fish with the line and hook. Realized later the Compass was also a bobber. Hours of fun for the Family!
@@tapoemt3995 hold on!! how am i 46 yrs old and just now finding out the compass was a bobber
@@swig1969 When you popped it out the top, underneath it was a tiny plastic ring for the line to go through, even tested! I hear ya man, I'm sure we missed a few more uses, no manual. 😂
We were hoping to get a big cut so we could sew it back up .
Anyone who claims that Sylvester Stallone can't act needs to watch this movie.
Also, "First Blood" is barely even an action movie. It's more of a character study and that's what makes it so great. I love it.
Sly is born from something else. He actually had a LOT of dialogue in First Blood originally, and he couldn't stand how "bad" it turned out, so he had his editors cut it down to practically no dialogue for his character as you see in the final release.
Similar story with Carl Weathers and Rocky. During casting for Apollo Creed, Weathers told Sly he was the worst actor he's ever seen, Sly then hired Weathers immediately.
I think he also did a great job acting in the movie "Cop Land". Played the part of the schlubby sheriff of a corrupt New Jersey town.
I watched Oscar... He also knows how to Phone it in
@@jaritime1406Oscar was funny, I thought
facts
This movie was really the first major work that highlights PTSD and Viet Nam vets poor treatment when they returned from duty. It also helped inspire the Veterans Administration to expand programs designed to help returning vets both physically and mentally. A lot programs were not available then, and this actually helped raise awareness of the difficulty our guys had returning from a war that really wasn't anything more than trying to force a firm of government onto people in a foreign land. Raise wasn't the soldiers fault, but the public certainly didn't welcome these guys back. No hero welcomes, no parades, no celebrations.
No one expected the turn it took at the end...some of the finest acting on film by Stallone.
If you watch in the beginning, he throws his address book in the fire pit. It's as if DelMar was his last hope of having a friend and/or familiar face to talk to in the world.
Very good point. Excellent attention to detail.
I'm pretty sure he was, as Troutman mentions he got out the same as Rambo while the others in his squad died before the war ended. Or at least that was my understanding of that scene.
His last human connection who could understand his frustration of coming home to a country that did little to nothing to look out for their soldiers.
In Reality, He Still Had A Friend In Colonel Troutman!
@@richardkaltenbach3961 Not necessarily. Rambo does state that he tried to reach out to Trautman but they couldn't locate him.
I love the contrast between how Stallone plays Rambo and how he plays Rocky. He did a good job
Stallone spent his first films healing a nation. With Rocky, he gave the public a reason for pride following Vietnam. With First Blood, he gave those returning home a voice. That needs to be respected.
Most people living now, don't realize how badly veterans were treated up until this movie, especially veterans who had been in combat.
If it makes you feel any better, combat Veterans these days aren’t treated very well either. My entire neighborhood wants me dead because I asked them several years ago to start their 4th of July fireworks that occur from mid-June to mid-August at a certain time, so those of us with PTSD in the neighborhood would be ready for them. My next door neighbor was arrested for assaulting me on Memorial Day last year because my dog was barking too early. Nobody gives a fk about us, really.
@@mikemodlin Any veteran who was the USMC or Amry and in combat should petition the VHA to refer to combat trauma as "Shell shock." Not PTSD. Everyone and their mother have PTSD nowadays.
Were you in the US Army or the Marines?
@@jackasswhiskyandpintobeans9344 I was in the Army. Served as a door gunner on a Blackhawk during Desert Storm to help escort Apaches that weren’t authorized to shoot at troops.
@@mikemodlin That's a nice violent job with risk.
@@jackasswhiskyandpintobeans9344 Shell shock is a different thing entirely, PTSD and its reasons are much more varied.
People have always overlooked and underestimated Stallone as an actor, but that monologue at the end of this movie, and multiple scenes in Rocky, and in other movies he shows that he's talented. Just because he's favored action movies his whole career doesn't mean he isn't more than capable.
Vin Diesel is another great actor whose talent has been wasted.
“Cop Land” is another good one
Miss Asia, so kind she just can't comprehend why these cops can be hating on him for no reason.
Yeah this movie just proves that people will hate other people base on everything and not just on one certain skin color black white brown long hair short hair hell even bald male female hate just doesnt know one color it knows all colors.
@@rexkimberley9537 hair didn't have to be that long either. Just over the ears was enough.
@@rexkimberley9537 Im not american, can you explain to me whats the issue with those hair, please?
At the time Stallone's haircut stubble, lack of car, military jacket indicated drifter/homeless. Small towns back then went hard against anyone giving that vibe.
The movie cuts a bit from the book too. The sheriff and the deputy that falls out of the helicopter were Korean War veterans and they hated Vietnam vets because they thought they were a bunch of whiney pansy attention seeking kids. So they haul him in initially as a hobo, find hes a vietnam vet, and commence torturing him to "teach him a lesson"
I like how Rambo doesn't listen to him and turns right back around. The dude just served his country and got news his buddy died from serving..so of course he ain't gonna let some guy tell him he can't freely walk to whatever town he wants to walk to.
I love how Stallone talks about how they filmed him saying all this tough guy cheesy BS and he thought the movie was gonna be horrible. Then they cut all of that out and made him the strong silent type and had other people talk about how dope he was and that made the movie incredible and made the last scene so much more powerful. Editing is everything in movies. Straight classic
That "what do you hunt with a knife?" - "Name it" ...line is what the movie could have been like. Love your comment !
@@howardb.6205 lol ya listening to Stallone rattle off a few of the ridiculous things they had him say is hilarious and you get a clear sense of what it could've been . So glad they changed it up to the classic that it is
Sending the National Guard after Rambo was like sending the Boy Scouts after John Wick.
Looked more like state guard. But you got it right. Your plan is to pursue a Vietnam L.R.P. Vet who won the C.M.H. in the forrest? Probably not going to end well
Not to mention the Platoon leader is a pharmacist for his day job. My cousin came from active duty Army Calvary Division to the National Guard he knew a lot Guardsman like that
I had two uncles that served in Nam. Family members said they came back very different. I only knew them after they came back. I remember that they would joke, laugh and have fun with us children but there were times when they would sit in an almost completely dark room in silence. I remember my aunts telling us they were just having a bad day, but sometimes with one uncle, he would sit like that for days. They came back from risking their lives, seeing horrible atrocities from both sides, to people protesting them, treating them like garbage. It was really sad they way Vietnam Vets were treated and how vets now are treated.
Another thing was, most of the men who went to Vietnam did NOT choose to go. Most men were drafted and sent over to die, just another number.
The last 10 minutes of this film are the best acting and should've at least earned Stallone an Oscar nod. It sums up the Combat Veteran experience, While mine is similar not nearly as extreme. Once you go to combat you're changed forever, the comfort one has with violence sets you apart from your fellow citizens and sometimes forces you into self imposed isolation.....I could go days with no other human interaction. My wife however would not allow me to isolate and keeps me engaged. I am one of the lucky ones.
All of my friends, everyone always says "Rambo snapped". True, but the small town officers did their fair share of snapping, too. Their hometown treatment of him inside their station is nothing short of snapping. My favorite line is:
"I don't think you understand. I didn't come here to rescue Rambo from you. I came here to rescue you from him"
Yes. Great ominous foretelling!
My favourite quote from this movie… “They drew first blood, not me… They drew first blood” ✊😌. This is an awesome movie 👏👏👏
Mine, " he'll eat things that make a Billy goat puke"
@@JiggyGnorrus … Hey, I guess Rambo was the inspiration behind the stomach churning culinary choices of Bear Grylls, another former military vet (British Royal Marines if I recall correctly).
"In town, you're the law... out here, it's me."
@@Mr.Ekshin … I remember that great line!!! It was very quickly followed by “don’t push it or I’ll give you a war you won’t believe!!” 👊😝
Nothing is over, nothing. You don't just turn it off.
The fact that Rocky and Rambo are both played by Stallone….unreal!! Because they are so drastically different from each other is a testament to Stallone’s acting abilities!!
🫢ASIA said... "ROCKY DONE SNAPPED"😂🤣😂🤣
Stallone wrote Rocky, when he was trying to get someone to take a chance and make them, they wanted him to play Rocky. I think I remember that correctly, it was a long time ago when I seen the interview
@@tiffymcconkey raggit!
If you're going to watch Rambo don't forget one thing, a good supply of popcorn
haha
Filmed in Hope, British Columbia, Canada. That's why it's such beautiful scenery.
British Columbia is gorgeous. Beautiful nature, orcas, whales, seals, sea lions... There's so much to see there.
I once handled an insurance claim for Brian Dennehy's (the sheriff's) parents. when I first met them in their home, I noticed his picture up on their wall and asked them why?
they were quite surprised I knew who he was.........
I was quite surprised they thought I (or anybody) wouldn't know him, he was in so many great movies. they were very humble and gracious.
I still declined their claim and got their insurance cancelled but it was really nice meeting them.
(of course I'm f-ing kidding, sheesh. not all adjusters are a-holes every single time.)
This movie is so powerful and really brought PTSD into the social arena of conversation back then. It also had every teenage boy, myself included, not stop till they got their parents to buy them a Rambo style survival knife (I had that thing for YEARS). And yes there are several sequels, Asia. I think you will like most of them.
Rambo is a Green Beret. That means he isn’t just an exceptional soldier he is a teacher of soldiers as well. Green Berets are some of the most well rounded and educated soldiers in the US Army.
If you drop a team of 6-12 Green Berets into a village behind enemy lines they will live and fight alongside the local populace. They will also train the locals up in guerilla warfare. Given a few months and material support that 12 men can build a fighting force against a mutual enemy.
"You send that many you'd better remember one thing." "What's that?" "A good supply of bodybags." He tried to warn them. They didn't listen. Such a fabulous movie. The late Richard Crenna being all badass.
One of the hardest working actors we'll ever see. Writes, directs, produces movies that eventually turn into franchises aka Rocky, Rambo and Expendables, then finds time to star in stand alone movies between these franchises like, Lock Up, Oscar, Demolition Man, Cliffhanger. Sly doesn't sleep. 💪
also lets not forget Cobra, Over The Top, Tango & Cash, Copland… the guy is a freakin legend if you ask me
And THE SPECIALIST With James Woods And SHARON STONE!
The looks on the faces of the cops when they find out Rambo is a Congressional Medal of Honour winner & a Green Beret are priceless 👍😄. They then realise the guy who they’re pursuing isn’t going to make it easy for them.
The craziest thing about the Medal of Honor is that 90 percent of them are awarded posthumously. Meaning after death. In order to get that Medal, you have to be born again hard.
@@9999bigb… In other words, such a bonafide badass that you make the Terminator look like a pansy huh?? I’m not from the U.S. & I have only heard of the medal but not the criteria which one is judged by in order to earn it. The truly sad thing about this film is that it is even still a reflection on the injustice & negligence that many vets to this very day which I think is appalling. How the government & law enforcement agencies can treat vets with such ignorance is absolutely sickening.
A person who receives the Congressional Medal of Honor is correctly referred to as a “recipient”. One does not “win” a Medal of Honor.
@@williambryan3346 … Thanks for letting me know. I just wasn’t sure of the protocols around it as I’m not from the U.S.
@@gerardroll6468 No problem. I could tell that you aren’t from the U.S. by the way you spell “honour”. That being said, I was once corrected harshly, but appropriately, by a Medal of Honor recipient by referring to him as a “winner”. He gave me a brief description of what he went through, and since then, I’ve never referred to a Medal recipient as a “winner”. I’ve also been correcting others in, what I hope is, a direct, yet respectful, way.
My dad was in Vietnam, in the 4th infantry. He was wounded and sent home after ~ 6 months as the APC he was in ( he ran the .50 cal in the turret ). It was hit by an RPG, and he took some pretty bad shrapnel wounds, a punctured lung and bad burns because it knocked him back onto the brass the .50 was spitting out into the floor and the fuel burning. He was exposed to quite a bit of agent orange during that time. For years after he came back they ran tests on him. They also ran them on my sister and me for a while after we were born. The two of us have been lucky so far. My dad died in 2006 from lung cancer. He smoked, worked in a rock quarry and was exposed to agent orange. There’s no way to know for sure what caused it as all three can cause the exact same type of lung cancer. The good thing for my mom, I guess, is that because the cause couldn’t be determined, the army and the quarry both paid out like it was their fault. So, she got some decent benefits out of it. But, none of that replaces him. The final death toll from agent orange can never really be known. I’m sure that it continues to shorten lives here and in Vietnam. At least the food we eat isn’t grown out of ground it effected, so we should be thankful for that. I understand why they used it. I just can’t rap my head around some of the completely asinine rules of engagement they had. No one can ever make sense out of sending in your military and then not letting them do their job. I know the death of civilians through collateral damage doesn’t look good politically, but neither does loosing a war you helped start! Sorry for the rant, it’s just personal to me and others affected by it. I saw what it did to him inside and hate that he and others had to go through it at all.
Folks will call me crazy but I think I have some answers for you.
By 1962 the USA had a 10:1 advantage in nukes, missiles, and bombers. The military secretly placed missiles in Turkey, right on the Russian border. This made them go crazy with fear.
So the Russians put missiles in Cuba, not as an escalation but just trying to keep up with American aggression.
The world was only told about the missiles in Cuba, so it seemed that the Russians were being provocative.
This was a setup to start WW3 because our generals were certain of victory.
Kennedy refused to launch and he agreed to take away the missiles in Turkey if the Soviets would remove their missiles in Cuba.
As the world breathed a sigh of relief, Chief of the Air Force General Curtis LeMay went public and called this deal “The greatest military defeat in American history”. He was quite angry, because Kennedy ruined their plans for a “clean start” to WW3.
This anger had consequences for Kennedy a year later in Dallas.
So the Joint Chiefs needed a new way to provoke the Soviets into launching first. They decided to go to Vietnam.
LBJ was aware of everything. He didn’t care about war and didn’t want to start WW3 on his watch. So they forced him to lie on TV to get the war started. But he refused doing everything they wanted to win the war. Because he knew what they actually wanted was WW3.
So he tried to win the war in more limited ways. Not using the full military capacity at his disposal. This wasn’t because he thought he was a good general. Rather, he simply wanted to win without provoking the Soviets into WW3.
When these efforts failed, he decided not to run again in 1968. Because people like General Curtis LeMay were very angry with him. And he saw what such anger did to his former boss. He ran for his life away from the disaster.
This is why they wouldn’t let our troops win. A power struggle at the highest level of government was underway and LBJ knew if he did everything the military asked this would have caused WW3.
So the entire war wasn’t even about Vietnam. It was another setup to provoke the Soviets, which would give us ‘reasonable’ reason to obliterate the USSR.
@@audionmusic2787 oh I knew all that as I’ve researched the subject extensively, asked my dad and mom both about the time as a teenager in the late 80’s on up until my dad passed, and still talk to my mom about that time and all that was going on. I’ve read ~ 25 books on the war and the politics of the period. I love history in general, but WW II through the end of the Cold War is my favorite period as I lived through 72’ on and what went on before has played such a large part in shaping me as a person. I was lucky enough to be taken as a kid to the local VFW, AmVets and the American Legion. There, as a kid, I met WW I up to Vietnam vets and between my dad and them I was taught love of country, flag, fellow man, as well as being willing to fight and / or die for the right thing, even if the leaders aren’t as committed. I fall back on those lessons all the time, actually more now than even.
When Stallone drops the monologue at the end. Just incredible!! He doesn’t say more than 20 words until the end. Powerful!!
Remember this is set at Christmas. He's outside in the hills, with snow on the ground, in a vest and jeans. Adrenaline only gets you so far during the hectic scenes, but when he's waiting to pounce, he has to be FREEZING. The entire Rambo franchise is decent IMHO.
Best performance you will ever see. That speech was epic. Being shell-shocked like the Vietnam vets were is heartbreaking. Hope you watch the rest of the series.
An amazing commentary on the treatment of Vietnam veterans after the war. Not to mention that rural sheriffs and their deputies haven’t changed much in the 40 years since this movie came out.
This movie created quite a few soldiers in the US. Me for one. I joined the Army National Guard as a junior in HS. Spent my summer before my senior year in basic training at Ft. Benning, GA. Came back packing on 36 pounds of muscle. Most of all a newfound respect for my fellows, from all walks of life. We were soldiers and we loved it. Graduated HS and AIT (11B) Infantry. Enlisted fulltime Army at the end of it all. When Rambo said "don't push it". Don't push it.
The deputy who died falling out of the helicopter is the same actor who played the town drunk that nobody could understand in Blazing Saddles. Love you guys reactions.
If you want to kick it up a notch, the director is the same director for Weekend at Bernie’s 😂
Damn, I had to look that up. I'm plum surprised!
I think we're all indebted to Deputy Galt for clearly stating what needed to be said. I'm particularly happy these young children were here to hear this speech today.
@@murrethmedia authentic frontier gibberish.
Jack Starrett.
I've read that veterans watching this when it came out were broight to tears by this final monolog at the end of the movie.
They related very much to what he was saying.
A lot of vets, myself included still cry at this movie
@@christianjohnson6451 thank you for your service and sacrifice.
Shoot I must've seen this 20x and the end scene still gets me choked up. The Vietnam War was a very unpopular war with many Americans and most vets coming home wasn't exactly welcomed back with open arms
@@desmondw1987 I know my mom told me and my brother that shameful fact.
There are many rational reasons to debate if we should have been there, etc.
That had nothing to do with the men and women who were there.
It's a stain on American history.
Vterans actually protested it, saying it made a mockery of them and Stallone was profitting from them..
They don't make great and gritty action movies like this anymore, such an amazing movie with a top notch cast.
In the novel, Rambo just goes off the deep end and kills innocents so he has to be put down. But I'm glad the film held back and gave us a flawed hero instead.
And he’d killed civilians before he ever ran into the sheriff.
Also in the novel sheriff is a Korea war veteran and he got own point by that situation, then law is law.
I guess if you kill the main character off it makes it hard to make more movies😂 I'm glad they did tho because I loved these movies but the first was my favorite
I think the changes somewhat reflect the era the movie was made in and when the book was published.
When the book was published the Vietnam War was still going on and America was hugely divided over the issue. The novel was a transposal of the war onto America but also a commentary on the political polarisation and the difference between the generations between Korea and Vietnam.
When the movie was released it was almost 10 years since the US left Vietnam and Reagan was in the White House. America was changing but still trying to come to terms with Vietnam. Some of the stories about how veterans were being treated had also surfaced by now. I think in this era America appreciated the sympathetic and flawed action hero version of Rambo a lot more than Morrell's version of Rambo.
I wouldn't mind seeing First Blood remade but as a two part Netflix or Amazon type of miniseries. But this time as something closer to Morrell's original novel as I think audiences nowadays would appreciate it more.
@@GodlessScummer Only not Netflex. They will make John Rambo transgenic
Growing up I played golf at a military golf course. It was my favorite place. I was there pretty much every day. I developed relationships with a lot of Vietnam Vets there. They told me similar stories of how they felt coming back from the war as Rambo describes at the end of the movie. Its very sad how they were treated and is mainly why Vets are now treated much kindlier today. I think this movie had a lot to do with that change.
Stallone basically showed what vets go thru with PTSD or when pushed beyond. He’s different in that he was green beret and that he was built for survival and knew hand to hand combat and had special weapons skills but, many of us vets are just messed up especially with July 4th or other triggers.
Green berets are some of the smartest soldiers we have. Besides the weapon and unconventional war training (and the ability to teach others these skills), Green Berets also speak several languages.
No one saw that end coming. Everyone thought this was just an action flick until that iconic monologue hit. To many, this was a big wake up call for America to acknowledge how the country turned its back on those who were sent to fight in Vietnam. How Vietnam veterans were treated was absolutely shameful and disgraceful, these men (many not even past 20) had to go fight in a war thousands of miles away from home. The things that they had to do and see in order to come back home alive is something that extremely few could possibly relate to. The innocence and youth they had to sacrifice, only for their country to disown them and spit in their faces after they literally went through hell to get back.
Hate the war, but always love the warrior, because if anyone has the right to condemn the war and the horrors, it’s the very men who had to live, fight, bleed, and die in it.
As a kid, I remember that those Rambo survival knives were really popular especially at the flea market!
I have all 3
That’s where I got mine. Best $5 I ever spent. And they were all absolute pieces of garbage. Even the $200 ones in the Rambo boxes that are “official” are just meant for display use. Hollow handled knives would never survive any real use. Tons of videos on UA-cam showing them getting destroyed with gentle use.
I have a good old friend who was in Nam and he saw a lot while he was there. Unlike most men his age, he spends his time building computers and gaming. That's how I met him back in 2002. On meeting him you would never think soldier. I made the mistake of stating that the game 'Call of Duty' was very realistic. I meant in graphics and compared to previous war games, but the moment I said it his face changed. "You don't know anything about realistic unless you were there!" His whole playful personality completely went dark in an instant. He had never raised his voice to me that way before and I was caught off guard. I went silent and listened. He told me about the fear of death constantly looming over their group until they were completely numb to it. The constant knowing that there are enemy soldiers out there that share the same motivation as you, do whatever you have to do to go home. Bottom line, you kill to survive. You kill in hopes of living long enough to see your family and loved ones again. Every man you kill, you live to fight another day. But every man you have killed has just lost their chances of seeing their family again, at least in this life. Normal life seems so far away because it really is far away for both sides. You are in a completely different world. He told me of time where they ate their rations while surrounded by burning dead bodies. The things he described, my jaw just dropped as I listened. "You learn to block it out," he said. These days movies can show realistic visuals and sound, but you know that in an hour or two there will be credits rolling and your norm comes back in. But in reality you have the phycological stresses; the lingering smell of death all around you, the constant knowing that the other guy could be watching you right now, waiting to lunge out at any given moment, counting this breath as your last. There are no ending credits, not until someone of power decides the war is over. I myself have never experienced anything even close to this kind of horror, but I have been blessed with a very good friend who has lived and told me about it. GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS! THEY KEEP US, OUR FAMILIES AND OUR COUNTRY SAFE. WITHOUT THEM WE WOULD HAVE NO COUNTRY.
When she said "'Rocky done snapped" I lost... that was hilarious!
My dad was a Vietnam vet. Marines, 1973. He was spared most of the horrible shit the other marines went through, he worked on the Phantom aircraft.
My dad was a medic in Vietnam. We probably watched this movie together at least a dozen times. Still an all time favorite!
Most younger reactors simply don't get the symbolism of Rambo's outfit. The military jacket with the flag combined with his long hair was pretty much the uniform of an "anti-war protestor". This is why he was instantly identified as a "troublemaker". To make matters worse, the Sherrif was a Korean War vet and there was a definite gap between the generations.
I love Asia's immediate dislike for the cop. "He's a free man, he can walk". ❤
Stallone did his own stunts in this. Him screaming after hitting those tree branches was legit, he broke ribs doing that :(
Great movie!! LETS GOOOOOO!! 💪😎💪
First Blood was filmed in the province of British Columbia, Canada from November 15, 1981 to April 1982. Hope, British Columbia was selected for its quaint charm, and Pitt Lake, Golden Ears Provincial Park, and Port Coquitlam were chosen to capture the beauty of the forest (per IMDb).
"In town, you're the law, out here it's me. Don't push it, or I'll give you a war you won't believe." One of the coldest lines ever with those stone cold eyes he had. It's one of the stallones' best acting credits besides the Rocky movies.
I saw a joke that he was lucky rambo didn't cut his heart out. Lol
One of the best lines in the movie was "he was trained to eat things that would make a billy-goat puke" 😅😅😅
the second Rambo film broke box office records. my dad took us to the theater so he could watch it while my cousin & I watched "The Goonies."
Troutman knew what he was doing. Giving his boy a heads up
I love people going into this movie expecting Rambo III, and getting Platoon.
Watching you guys watch the same films of my childhood and feeling what i felt, means a lot.
This movie was filmed in Hope, British Columbia Canada. Unrivalled beautiful country, I lived in the area for 10 years.
My dad was a medic on the front lines in Vietnam, the way they were treated and the trauma the veterans suffered is really seen in his breaking down in the last scene, that was real for my dad and for so many others.
It had been less than a decade since the end of the Vietnam War and the veterans were not treated well when they returned home. Many veterans suffered all types of cancers caused by exposure to Agent Orange, which was a defoliating spray that was used to remove the leaves from the jungle trees to expose the enemy which used their cover to transport men, weapons and supplies from the north to the south to fight U.S. troops. This move spawned the sequels which became more superhero type and outlandish (yet still very successful). The scene at the end where Rambo is telling the story about his buddy that got blown up and how he was spit on by his fellow citizens upon his return to the U.S. and being called, "Baby Killer" was really the first time where what we now know as PTSD was talked about. All these things happened.
Asia with some serious body language, arms folded and daggers in her eyes just before the cop falls from the helicopter.
Theres a deleted alternate ending scene if you look it up on UA-cam where Rambo gets killed by the Colonel at the end when he asked for it. It was like he had rather been killed by the Colonel than taken alive by the police. Overall this movie is a classic I watched growing up as a kid in the 80s. It was one of those movies I could watch when it was a rainy day because it was matching the scenery of the Pacific Northwest where it rains a lot.
Vietnam veterans were always treated bad. The PSTD was never talked about and this movie helped start a conversation about it. Rambo is a great American. Also back in the day, long hair & stuff like that was not accepted at all.
The story goes that Stallone had them bring the final cut of Rocky 3 to the filming location where he shot First blood in the town of Hope British Columbia Canada. Stallone watched Rocky 3 in the movie theatre just down the street from the police station and gave his approval for the worldwide release. He was super busy with Rambo and Rocky films .
They went with "show don't tell" and it ended up going right past a lot of people. Sheriff Will Teasle and Deputy Sgt Art Galt were both Korean War vets and look down on Vietnam vets. When Teasle sat behind his desk just past his shoulder to the left of the frame and under the lamp shade you can see some military medals that belong to the Sheriff.
You did correctly see this was based on a novel, it has the same name "First Blood." In the novel Rambo is more of a bad guy than in the film. While the cops pushed him, he deserved it unlike the film. Also in the novel Rambo kills everyone. In the film only the one deputy dies, and it's his own fault. The last change from the book to the screen is that Rambo deletes himself at the end of the book (and the first ending of the film), they ended up changing it to have him instead walk out with Troutman.
Fun fact, another character played by the actor who played Colonel Trautman was the inspiration for the voice of Shaggy in Scooby Doo
We live in a culture especially in TX I think that’s where you guys are at where the military is thanked constantly (which is a great thing ) even if people don’t respect the war or the politics behind it we very rarely now take it out on the soldier,
But we forget it was not that long ago that it was the exact opposite, if you walked into a restaurant or airport in uniform or a army shirt you were ridiculed and hated mostly by the youth but by some adults too.
I think because of these experiences and stories like Rambo (NAM vets ) have a lot to do with how we treat our vets people don’t want to forget like it was in the 70s
It was precisely because of the way we treated the Vietnam veterans that it's not that way anymore. This movie and others like it helped change that.
My Father who was Marine Recon in Vietnam shed a tear watching this scene. He related to that whole speech... It was sad now people tell him thank you for his service he kindly just smiles... but nothing else.
The ending was the huge twist of the film, went from an action movie to a drama instantly
For all of Sylvester Stallone's movies and parts most people realize that he is a really great writer and many of his movies were written by Stallone himself.The Rocky series and the Rambo movie series too and his newest movie series "THE EXPENDABLES". All great movie franchises. That is why he is wort over 500million million dollars!!!
I don't know how many times I've seen this movie but that final monologue gets me every time.
Rambo: First Blood Part II takes over from where Part I leaves off. Definitely a must watch in the series. So far, there are 5 Rambo movies that have been released and rumors of a new one may or may not go into production. Keep in mind that Sylvester Stallone in 78 years old now and the chances of making another Rambo movie is slim, but he does stay in good shape for his age!
My uncle came back from the war after being exposed to Agent Orange. He's 76 now, but it really messed him up for life. He still leads a good quality of life, but he deals with the after effects every single day.
bro just wanted a bite to eat... that last scene is my favorite part of this movie
This is Sly's best movie. It chokes me right up at the end. The colonel is like a dad to him xx
Definitely the best one of them all to me. Omg I was 12?! 😮🤯 Sly deserved an Oscar for his end performance. 👏👏👏
The sequels were decent but NONE can hold a candle to First Blood.
This movie is one of the greatest ever. So under rated.
The actor who plays the Sheriff , was also in another movie called " CACOON "
Tommy Boy too
“Cocoon” 😂
@Demux84 well , Tomm Boy was a small part.
@@SeenGod and yes , we all have typos
"the sting" too
I remember when Rambo first came out. My friends and I went to see it at the drive in.
We had 4 guys in the car and 2 in the trunk with a couple of cases of beer. During the movie you could hear the entire lot of people screaming and cheering for Rambo.
It was so memorable. It’s a true Man movie!!
The cop who fell out of the helicopter also played the mumble-mouthed Old West old-timer in "Blazing Saddles".
Gabby Johnson. And he wasn't mumbling, he was speaking authentic frontier gibberish. 😅
No way…the guy on the roof yelling “the sheriff is” …. near? 😂
The actor is Jack Starrett.
Im glad you mentioned PTSD. This was really the first major piece of media to bring attention to the concept of PTSD, which was unknown of relatively back in the day. Guys were just told to "be tough"
Omg such a good movie. I read the book a long time ago and became a huge fan of the author. I always yell at Sly in the beginning to NOT WALK BACK INTO THAT TOWN! He never listens.
11:51 Stallone really broke his nose right there. Later you see him with bandages on his nose. They were actually real bandages.
The book this was based on was written by a college professor who saw a lot of young men coming home from Vietnam, going to college on the GI bill and were in his classes. They were suffering from PTSD and the government was neglecting their mental -- and often physical -- health. That ending scene is so heartbreaking. The Army turned him into a "killing machine" and did nothing to help him readjust to society when he came home.
Rambo series is timeless. Doesn't talk much but love how you see all the emotion in his eyes and pain he carried. You guys gotta watch Stallone in "Cliffhanger" as well.👍🏾
Fun fact: The actor who plays Deputy Galt was also Gabby Johnson in Blazing Saddles.
Fun Fact: The reaction Rambo elbows in the police station during the escape was genuine. Stallone legitimately broke the actors nose and they kept the scene.
Fun fact: in the book Col. Troutman has to kill Rambo because his PTSD was too far gone and he was hurting civilians 😢
In the book rambo is also a bit more crazy, they toned down his mental problems in the movie..
After all the book starts with rambo looking for a cop to hurt
@@Hansen710 in the movie Rambo only kills Gault by throwing the rock at the chopper. In the book, I've lost count
"Hurting Civilians" Like killed a 100 plus...lol Rambo in book aka the KID....is completely unhinged it doesnt tell you how many people he killed, but it is alot. When the explosions happen in town it's hinted MANY died. The Chief is actually more of a empathetic character in book then the movie....but both men have too much pride and stuborness, they could have had a beer and talk about their military experiences at start and realized they had so much in common.
@@SargNickFury Their relationship is showing the disconnect between Korean and Vietnam vets... There was a bit of animosity between the groups...
My mother brought the book home from the library in the late seventies... I started reading at 4:00 in the afternoon and did not put it down until I was finished
Rambo is one of those series where not a single movie is bad. All 5 are great with the last one being the perfect send off in my opinion.
@Asia and BJ Remember the ending to this heartbreaking film when people say stallone can not act. I am still sad and angry they took such a ground breaking film on ptsd and made it just another mindless action franchise.
I'm so glad y'all put this on UA-cam. This is a must-see watch movie. It is probably one of my favorite '80s action films
My uncle was in Vietnam, and he would never talk about what he had seen. My neighbor was also there about the same time my uncle was. When my neighbor and my uncle figured out they were in about the same place, they would talk for hours. My neighbor told me we could never understand what they talked about. That was one reason my uncle never talked to us about it. My neighbor was a "tunnel rat", that is what they called the guys that went in the tunnels to flush out any surviving Vietnam soldier's still hiding in the tunnels.
12:01 Never noticed before, but Rambo actually pulls on the guy's hoodie after he grabs him from the motorcycle to make sure he doesn't slam face first into the ground. I don't think that was just for the sake of the stunt guy but also to show that even under distress Rambo won't attack innocent people.
"Out there your the law. In here its me. Don't push it, I will give you a war you won't believe. Let it go. LET IT GO." - Great line. Look, at the end of the day, all they had to do was leave him alone. But they had to F around and this is the Find out portion of the story. Rambo only needs one name.
@4:02 Agent Orange Cancer, admonished by protestors, and other PTSD. That should have been still called, Shell Shock and they probably would have received the help needed. But, it was: Shell Shock -> Battle Fatigue -> Operational Exhaustion -> Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. This issue went from 2 syllables to four syllables, to 8 syllables, to 8 syllables, and a hyphen. In order to hide Vietnam under jargon.
Everyone of us, me and my Friends had the Rambo knife, survival knives! We would go out and *survive" camping/hunting with our knives, 12 years old was the best time of life!
Listen carefully at 8:40. This quite and unassuming man is devastated after receiving traumatic news about his friend's death. Just another kick in the head. The Vietnam War continues. And then swept away like dirt by a sherrif who claims moral superiority knowing nothing of his sacrifice. This is the moment Rambo snaps. The performance is so subtle and conveys so much emotion with his eyes. On the soundtrack, you hear the faint ringing of a bell. The fight is on. A masterful stroke of genius by composer Jerry Goldsmith. Quiet rage. This is a great film.
Rambo broke down because of what he went through in the war and how the veterans who fought in Vietnam were treated when they came home by people who wanted the war and the ones who didn't. Vets today are going through similar issues in this Country. And todays Government Administration is still pushing more of them to go through the same ish for other countries with too little appreciation from their own Country.