Review:

Imagine, if you will, a fifth grader coming home from school with a note from the principal; he's been suspended for fighting. The parents automatically ground him indefinitely and he pulls out an axe and hack them to bits before running through town assaulting any officer who tries to take him in. We eventually find out that his "fighting" suspension was really some Zero Tolerance BS and he punched out the bully who been kicking the crap out of him. Okay, clearly we are supposed to feel bad for the kid, right? He's only acting out because of extenuating circumstances. Sure, but what about all of the innocent people he's crippled and possibly killed? Am I really expected to still be on his side when he escalates a three out of ten scenario to a nine because he has issues? First Blood is basically that movie. Rambo is walking through town when an officer picks him up and drives him out of town because Rambo looks like a vagrant and that's not the kind of person the sheriff wants in his town. Yeah, the cop is a dick, but Rambo quickly turns what would have been a night in jail into a reverse Predator scenario where he's running through the Oregon forest laying traps for the officers tasked with bringing him in after he escapes the police station while injuring numerous officers. Are we supposed to like Rambo? I get the whole "he's just misunderstood" thread and the PTSD is ham-fistedly shown, but Rambo stabs a guy and tries to shoot others. For this to work, Rambo has to have some other traits to draw us to his side, but the character is written for Stallone, so he has zero charisma and there is no attempt to humanize or develop his character. The movie is only about 90 minutes, but it was such a chore to get through because the action isn't exciting and I couldn't give half a crap what happens to Rambo. I guess there is a little bit of fun in seeing a jerk get some comeuppance, but it's like watching a litterbug get lit on fire; it's far too much and quickly becomes uncomfortable. I'll credit everyone other than Stallone for providing a decent performance, but Rambo needed to carry this movie and he just can't. If you were hoping for an action packed explosion party, you'll be disappointed. If you were looking for a dramatic look at the real effects of PTSD after Vietnam, you are going to be so let down. What is this movie even trying to do? It's a very shallow movie with a protagonist that has nothing to offer other than a dead face.