Saturday, October 10, 2009

British Columbia County Line

First Blood (1982)
directed by Ted Kotcheff
rating: 3 out of 5 cravats
on DVD from Vidéothèque

First Blood could just as easily have been set in the south and not involved a Vietnam veteran. Brian Dennehy could have tuned his Bridgeport, Connecticut, accent to a twang, Sylvester Stallone could have kept his muscles to himself beneath a long-sleeve shirt and jeans, and the newest in a long line of good old boys taking revenge on drifters would undoubtedly have made its small budget back at the box office. But instead of a horror movie, Kotcheff made a survival video, giving Rambo powers not usually bestowed on the average unlucky transient. As a retired Green Beret, Stallone takes his shirt off early, revealing not only muscles but scars; his fight for survival is as much a chance for us to explore the Pacific northwest as wondering whether or not our hero will prevail. Inevitably, the extent of John Rambo's post-traumatic stress eventually erupts in a Stevie Janowski-like catharsis, but he and the rain-soaked trees do their best to play their parts to suit a quiet mood.