Movie Review - First Blood (Rambo)

Typically American! So what do I mean by Typically American?

Smacks of overkill, going to the extreme. The film starts all calm and mellow with Rambo going to visit one of his former Army Buddies only to discover he'd died of cancer from Agent Orange.
So the film is getting it's political messages in early. Rambo is prevented entering the town by Sheriff Teasle (does he even legally have the right to deny him entry based on his appearance? So much for Land Of The Free.) and is driven to the other side of town and told to start walking.

Teasle sees Rambo walking back into town and starts exceeding his authority right there, asking him for id, grabbing him and then claiming assault (untrue, he grabbed Rambo 1st) and arresting him on 3 trumped up charges. The vagrancy charge is so trumped up its unreal, the assault charge is a pure fairy tale as it never happened. And the only charge that might have stood was the concealed weapon which he'd have never found if he hadn't searched him.

Rambo is treated awfully in custody, assaulted twice by the officers processing him (including a VERY young looking David Caruso who would go on to find fame as Horatio Cane in CSI:Miami), little wonder he reacts the way he did. His escape from jail is not unwarranted but the police were already trying to shoot at him even then (for what offence, exactly?). His fighting with the police in the station can be explained by the treatment he received (both the assaults and the fire hosing) and would not be counted too heavily against him.

His 1st actual crime is theft (of the motorcycle) and then he goes to ground in the forest. He is shot at by Galt (who is acting against orders and is solely responsible for his own death) and the helicopter pilot would have been able to clear him of ANY involvement in Galt's so called murder. Even during the 2nd encounter in the forest, Rambo does not actually kill anyone at all. When he quite easily could have killed all of them. The only man shot was hit by Teasle by accident.

Even when the National Guard shoot at him, he never kills anyone. I am unsure exactly why the rats attack Rambo in the mine (he is no threat) but I assume it is to make the viewer think everything is against Rambo and nothing is for him. The final conflict in the town is pretty contrived, even after all the pushing Rambo still does not kill Teasle. He merely injures him.

Trautman finally talks Rambo down after his breakdown when he realises he is the last of his squad alive and is alone in the world. The ending of this could have been much better explained what was going to happen to Rambo and would have better set up the sequel.