First Blood (1982) Review!

     I was just in a mood to watch the entire Rambo saga but as I have stated on many occasions I can't watch just so I had to start with the first one.  I saw this movie many times in my life and I saw it also a very long time ago when I was only a kid.  I always liked it because when I was young I just thought it was a good action flick.  It wasn't until watching it later on that I paid attention to the dialog and the actual story.  I have a very indirect connection to the story here.  I was in the military and seen this and seen that but the young men that were forced to go fight a war in Vietnam that they had no business getting involved in gain the utmost respect from me.  These men were still teenagers and they saw things that no human should have to see and that's the reason for my indirect connection.  My father is a Vietnam veteran and when I was really little I never understood why he would do certain things or why he reacted the way he did to certain things.  After being in the military myself I understand fully why a grown man would dislike being scared from behind.  All these men including my father had to live in fear for their own and their buddies lives every waking moment in a war that could only be described as Hell in a jungle.  The highest amount of respect goes out to all Vietnam vets that are still alive, those that passed and those that never got to come home.
     Back to the movie at hand here.  Most people think that the Rambo films are just Sylvester Stallone running around killing people for no reason.  And while that may be true for all three of the sequels it was not the case for the first installment.  This one is set in a more realistic environment.  Stallone plays Rambo, a man that returned home from Vietnam that was completely disrespected and hated by all his own countrymen.  The sad thing is this is how all Vietnam vets were treated when returning home.  Stallone plays this part perfect too, as a man that has so much post traumatic stress that he is so scared but at the same time afraid of nothing.  He should of, at the very least, been nominated for best actor for this.  Brian Dennehy plays the films douchebag, I mean police chief.  But really all he is is a major douchebag that has a huge personal vendetta against Rambo.  He does play it well enough to think that he may be like that in real life, but I sincerely hope not.  There is a couple of other men that are such pieces of crap that you will be clapping when they bite it.
     This film is very realistic in most every way.  There is a part when Rambo has a cut and he has to stitch himself up and it really is very realistic, even to today's standards.  It is by far one of the best 80's action films and won't be soon forgotten.
     I strongly urge all to watch this because it isn't just an 80's action film but an almost true study of what it would be like to push a man that has seen evil in it's purest form.  It is very dramatic but also full of some incredible action set pieces.  If you have never seen it and are thinking about it then be warned that you may want to think about not having the kids around.  Lots of death and other scenes you may have to explain to them.
     I will end this one with a quote from one of my favorite bands..."What you call Hell, He calls Home!"W13