Hey everyone, the reviews on my second channel "Shree Talks" will be up by the first week of May. I'm finally moving out to a new place so I'll start filming them next week :)
In the novel the Sheriff was a Korean War vet and was mad at how Vietnam Vets got all the attention and sympathy. Thats why he was hating on Rambo even tho Rambo was a war vet too
Yes, many Vietnam vets were very badly treated by the anti-war protestors of the times. You may have seen the anti-war protestors represented in the film "Forest Gump." There were horrible to the returning veterans. Here you go, in their own words: th-cam.com/video/Qp0LYc4IHnY/w-d-xo.html and this one too: th-cam.com/video/7xIWHIYVE8I/w-d-xo.html
You are going to reach 4000 subscribers this week! I am so glad for your sake anyway could you put the link to our second channel here so I could go on my computer and copy it and subscribe because I cannot find it and since I am blind I cannot copy text on the phone weird stuff sorry :-)
"Some motherfucker had to jump for this." Sylvester Stallone did the stunt and broke several ribs in the process. The scream he does when he hits the branch is real.
'Nam was a very unpopular war due to the exhaustive news coverage that emphasized "ratings" over Facts. Soldiers paid the price for this when/if they got back home.
There's an added plot element in the story from the novel that wasn't mentioned in the movie, which is that Sheriff Teasle was a Korean War veteran. It's somewhat implied in the movie because there are medals in Teasle's office. Teasle resented Rambo because Rambo was a Vietnam War veteran, and Vietnam was a war that deeply divided the nation, while the Korean War had become a forgotten war, and the service and sacrifice of the men who fought in Korea had become an afterthought.
That's correct. Up thru WWII, the U.S. held out for unconditional surrender. In Korea, we walked away, and technically the war never really ended, it was just suspended. Korean War vets weren't looked down upon, but they weren't celebrated like WWII vets either. Just kinda forgotten. By the time of Vietnam, there was deep division over whether we should have been there at all. A lot of people treated Vietnam Vets badly, but others held Vets in high regard for agreeing to do a dirty job and looked down on draft protesters and deserters. Pretty hard to be neutral. In the early 1970s when the First Blood novel was written (not so much by 1982 when the film was released), conservative people (including cops) would suspect any young guy with hair over his ears of being a druggie peacenik agitator Hippie. If the guy also wore any kind of military garb, that was worse yet. He'd be viewed as either mocking the military, or being a Vietnam Vet Against the War (which in some people's eyes was traitorous). You see a hint of that in what Teasle says to Rambo in the opening sequence. Teasle probably opposed the actions of Presidents Ford and Carter that gave most Vietnam-era protesters amnesty. Teasle would still be loyal to the U.S. military as he knew it when he himself was in the service, but would feel that that military no longer existed and had become weak and unreliable. So, he'd feel somewhat betrayed, similarly to how Rambo feels but in a different way. That would explain some of the things he says to Col. Trautman. It's complicated.
@@DougRayPhillips How is it the fault of Vietnam Vets that Korea was a forgotten war? Teasle shouldn’t have let his personal feelings influence his judgement, he and Gault should’ve tried being more professional, and not emotional. Also, Teasle let his pride and ego get in the way. Plus people shouldn’t have treated Vietnam Vets so badly back then.
@@jmwilliamsart Absolutely. It's not the fault of Vietnam Vets in any way. But some older Vets did resent them. In the movies (remember the Iwo Jima marine who confronts Tom Cruise in the tavern Born on the Fourth?), and in real life.
@Father's Tribe No, but the sheriff and his men started it when they kept pushing Rambo. The sheriff went too far over the line, the law should take that into account.
What I find interesting is that Sylvester Stallone's first movies were not technically action films unless you misinterpret them. They are films about emotions. Rocky is a love story that happens to a boxer, Rambo is about a man suffering from PTSD.
Exactly. People have co-opted the Rambo character to be this macho guy to boost the military, but the story is about the failure of the military to take care of its own.
Hey Shree, I know It's weird to see the Anti-Veteran movement in full swing during the post-Vietnam war era of the '70s and '80s. Many vets were homeless and discarded like trash. Medical services for them were piss poor or non-existent. Getting jobs or housing was a challenge since many of the soldiers in Vietnam came straight out of high school. So they had limited skills and real-world training. So it was a difficult time, to say the least, and First Blood captures that despair and isolation so well.
@@ShreeNation It is important to remember that the people who disrespected our veterans were: (a) the anti-war protestors. No, Mr. & Mrs. America were too busy working and putting food on the table to go to airports to fling rubbish at our veterans. Besides, it were their sons who went to war! And (b) scumbag politicians who cut and ran on our veterans. But "The American People" doing this? No. Many have that perception because the anti-war protestors and government types (with the help of the media) projected that on the American people in general.
Yeah, my neighbor down the street was a Green Beret medic and Medal of Honor recipient during the Vietnam War. He saved over a dozen people and received that many wounds doing it and what does he get when he got home? A bunch of assholes accusing him of being a murderer, protesting and spitting on him. He was so messed up from his combat experiences already, that pushed him over the edge and he wandered out into the woods and lived in a cave for 10 years. I mean... how the hell do you disrespect a man who has the Medal of Honor around his neck?
@@twohorsesinamancostume7606 Those assholes are the same Leftist assholes we have today that want to cancel everyone and publicly shame people for having different views.
When Rambo was hanging on the cliff face, he wasn't trying to go down he was just trying to hide from everyone but the helicopter found him and started shooting at him. Afterwards, when he jumped to the trees and screamed in pain, Stallone actually cracked his ribs so his scream when he landed on the floor was real.
The speech at the end is akin to Quint's "USS Indianapolis" speech in Jaws. It allows a grizzled "tough guy" character a moment of vulnerability and reveal their backstory... the event that made him who he is. Quint doesnt cry but you can tell it still haunts him.
First Blood is basically an anti-war film that gives war vets suffering from PTSD trauma a voice. It's totally unlike the other Rambo films that would come after it.
I wouldn't say it's an anti-war film, it's a film about the vietnam war specifically. There were aspects of guerilla warfare discussed about how the little kid gave rambo's friend a IED/bomb, there were aspects of how the war was a failure and ended up being a prolonged stale mate and a war of attrition, and how potential mismanagement amongst the brass of the military contributed to this fact, there were aspects of culture during vietnam war in america and how there were big parts of the population that were against the war and to whom the war had a bad reputation, so naturally they didn't support the war, and this impacted the culture, because instead of a war everybody celebrated or were in support of, it wasn't celebrated, it was seen as a failure and a criminal war, or a war of aggression.
I'm glad you liked the movie. Unfortunately, this was the reality for many Vietnam veterans. That monologue at the end caused many veterans in the audience to react like you did. Because for the first time they were being valued and validated as veterans and people instead of losers or war criminals. My uncles were Vietnam veterans. But they were lucky enough to be college educated and serving in medical roles or with the Navy. So when they came back, they were ready to serve in civilian life. But many others had nowhere to go, a high school education and only knew how to fight in a world that no longer wanted anything to do with them.
My father was a Vietnam vet as well. With the Marines. He worked on aircraft, so he also translated well to civilian life. He never talked about it though.
@@RB-uv8mz I think that's one thing I'm glad more veterans are doing which is talking about it. I mean there a whole bunch of issues with Veteran care especially regarding moral injury and mental health but there has been progress and I'm grateful for some of those opportunities that exist these days. I'm currently but also a veteran myself and Veteran affairs is something thats big deal because so many of my friends having struggles just being back how to engage everyday is challenge I learned helping them how important it is to improve the programs that exist. Like my Plattoon Sargeant said it's coming home that's the real battle. I'm just trying to help to make that Battle a little bit easier.
Hey Shree, when Rambo first came out everyone wanted that knife that Rambo was using. It's razor-sharp, with a compass in the hilt, a first aid kit in the knife chamber. To top it all off, the serrated side can cut through barbed wire. That knife was next level and cost about $100, but it was well worth it.
They were national guard, locally activated to deal with the emergency. Like the Canadian Army Reserve, they work part time. These guys probably work one weekend a month, and two weeks a year.
4:47 "Oh my god. It's fuckin' small-town bullshit." Oh, don't take it that way, Shree. I don't know why they painted the small town in that light, here, because at least in the US, small towns tend to _appreciate_ veterans.
Maybe they do *now*. Maybe they don't. But take it from somebody born in 1971 to a Vietnam veteran who grew up in a small town from the mid-70's till I got out of high school in 1990, it was not always so. Stop talking like small towns have always ever been one way.
@@roberthorne9017 "Stop talking like small towns have always ever been one way." Did you actually read my comment? I mean actually _read_ my comment? Take another look. Observe that I used the word "tend."
Most war movies show you the heroism and brutality of war. First Blood lets you see what happens when they come home. It reveals the aftermath of that ultimate sacrifice. I love this movie so much. Rambo II takes it up a notch for sure. I hope we can see that reaction real soon.
“I used to be in charge of million dollar equipment, now I can’t even park cars for $10 an hour.” It’s the specificity of that line that makes it work. Not a loss of power but a loss of agency-that’s what haunts him.
@@mem1701movies Yeah. In fairness though I didn't know what he said until recently, using subtitles. I heard, 'I can't even hold a job f***ing pars.' Stallone's words are sometimes difficult to hear, particularly when he gets really emotional.
Just to clear this up, the National Guard consists in large part of part-time volunteers that serve in active duty for a brief, rotational period before going back to civilian life, unless otherwise needed. They're meant to primarily be a contingent force against more imminent threats to the country's borders and can serve as backup for local authorities (a contingent police force) if called on by certain political offices. Think of it as an official, government-run militia group.
Now adays they just throw you overseas for as long as they like...it's a lie,that 2 weeks a year blah blah shit. I was in the marine reserves and they were gonna send my ass to afganistan before i got my walking papers....
In the original novel Sheriff Teasle was a Korean war vet. It's unfortunately still called the 'forgotten war' to this day. The fact that Vietnam vets were at least remembered was part of his grudge against Rambo. Kind of a cycle of PTSD. The ending of the novel is very different I should add. Enjoyed your reaction.
Back in the mid-1960s - early-1980s, there were alot of people with prejudices against Vietnam vets. It was a sad, horrible time that this movie takes place in.
One point that often gets missed in these days of an "All Volunteer" US Military, but nobody was "convinced to fight" in Vietnam - approximately 25% of the US troops were DRAFTED (and very unwillingly) to fight, and that 25% accounted for over a THIRD of all deaths in combat during the war. Between the Draft (which was not only unpopular, but seen as classist, racist and unfair to most people), the atrocities doccumted by the Press and especially the fact that, for the first time in a long time, America LOST a war, the public view of the United States Military was EXACTLY as depicted in Stallone's speech at the end... if not worse.
Rambo was part of US Special Forces so he would have gone through SERE training. (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape) The training was originally for pilots who could be shot down in enemy territory. It was expanded to train any US serviceperson who may be captured lets say nott in an area under US control. The curriculum includes survival skills, evading capture, application of the military code of conduct, and techniques for escape from captivity. It's one of the toughest courses to go through. Back in the 60's my cousin went through SERE. He lost about 40 lbs/ 18kgs during training because the last test was basically being held captive with little food and having to escape and make your way out of the area. He went as far as he thought he needed to pass. Another friends Dad went through it and almost made it off the base. The dogs found him hanging under a truck that was about to go out the gate. They had all been warned to just freeze if the dogs noticed them. The dogs would do an alert posture if you stayed still. They would chase and bite you if you ran. For Rambo to go up in the forest in the Pacific Northwest he could most likely live indefinitely without going back to civilization.
It is a survival knife with fishing hooks, fishing line, matches and a compass that screws off the end. When this movie came out all the country kids I knew wanted one and I was lucky enough to get one at 12. But then I had a disabled parent and lived in the country so I hunted and fished for table meat. But I did not use it for hunting or skinny it really was just a novelty to have on a shelf.
To answer your question in minute 13:17: It was a Compass, which was a part of this knife, among other useful utensils, that is also available for purchase.
I'm really glad you dug that last scene and appreciated how that unlocked the entire film. Stallone is actually an amazing actor...people don't give him enough credit for his ability to put across human emotions.
That really is how the national guard is. They do military duty one weekend a month, two weeks a year. Unless there’s an emergency or they get called to war. In between they have regular jobs
Originally in the book Rambo dies & they actually shot the ending were Rambo shoots himself, but the audience hated the ending because they loved the character & wanted him to make it, so they shot the ending where he lives instead. The death ending you can find on TH-cam.
@@ShreeNation Feels weird at first, but then you realise that "well, they did try follow the book as much as possible". But I'm glad they changed the ending.
Those Rambo knives were sold not long after this movie was released, a marketing venture, had a fishhook, line in the handle & the handle cap was a screw on compass. I was a very young ring bearer at my cousins wedding before he was shipped out to Vietnam, he was a medic & was killed by a sniper. Another cousin survived but never talked about his experiences. My fave teachers husband was killed in Vietnam. The war affected everyone in some way.
This is one of my favorites. It has so many layers. I'm a sucker for a protagonist that just wants to be left alone. And I hope people never forget just how disposable soldiers become to society once they've been used up. But from the soldier's perspective, he was just trying to help his friends. It's like we forgot these people are human.
The National Guard serves one weekend a month and two weeks a year. They have regular civilian jobs. So, they didn't volunteer to go after Rambo. They were activated.
First Blood is an incredible film. Being a 90's kid, I grew up on Stallone action movies (Cliffhanger, Demolition Man, etc), and never really took him seriously as an actor. Seeing First Blood and Rocky later in life gave me an appreciation of Sly's talent. It's kinda sad that he got pigeonholed into action movies. To see him flex his comedic chops - Oscar.
Whats also really great about First Blood nobody seems to mention is Brian Denehey's portrayal of the Sherriff which i think is supremely underrated. What i see in this movie is a man who is probably very upstanding in his job and probably woulda carried on that way had he not crossed paths with Rambo. Yes there's a certain degree of malice, and definitely naivete in his actions, but I always thought of him as a man who genuinely believed Rambo as present threat to the sanctity of his small town given the height of the political unease surrounding the Vietnam War at that time. I actually didn't want him to die, unlike some of his asshole deputies. When Rambo tells him to let the shit go, EVERY TIME I WATCH THIS MOVIE, I'm "Teasel you better listen to this motherfucker! Dealing with HIM is well above your paygrade." But of course he can't cuz shit ultimately got WAY outta hand and any other cop who's worth their salt releastically probably wouldn't back down either. Unstoppable force + Immovable object. LAYERS! EDIT: You totally hit ALL THIS on the head towards the end. Your perceptiveness is on point!
It doesn’t change the fact that Teasle and his deputy acted like Assholes towards Rambo. Aren’t law enforcement people supposed to always be professional and not emotional? Why wasn’t there any federal oversight on every sheriff and law enforcement official in order to make sure that they all act professionally without prejudice towards anyone?
In the novel, the reason why Sheriff Teasle didn't like Rambo was because he was a veteran of the Korean war that had been largely forgotten and overshadowed by the Vietnam war. So since the Vietnam vets were getting all the attention in those days, he felt jealous of Rambo. Korean vets were almost invisible, people didn't remember about it because it received little attention. Also, his wife had recently left him which contributed to his angst.
I'm new here but loving your content so far. Just a reminder for you to share your "Talks" episode for this movie with us! Hope your move went well. So far I've watched your Rocky and First Blood reactions.
5:17 - The concept of giving respect for service to the country was not as strong back then as it might be now... Not necessarily that it is incredibly strong now, there are still great divisions amongst people still to this day, and I don't also subscribe to that movement either; but it is a complicated subject with a complicated history: It has always been propagandized that Veterans should be respected and taken care of after wars, but even politicians who advocate such things have always been very unwilling to recognize mental and physical demands of returning soldiers (Especially in the case of PTSD) and even less willing to allocate funds to help them. But also on the side of the civilian populace, following the war in Vietnam (Which was a useless American war, based on the lie of the Gulf of Tonkin incident which NEVER HAPPENED!), the anti-war movement painted soldiers returning from Vietnam as baby killers, rapists, serial murderers and genocidal enablers (All valid criticisms considering the atrocities the US committed there). But regardless of guilt, most of the soldiers were drafted and so did not volunteer for the war and they still returned with great mental issues only to find that they were maligned and with no one willing to offer them the help they did need. These sentiments where quite strong back when First Blood was produced and many have attributed part of the growth of the movement to help veterans (If not the birth) to the impact of the movie; especially to that scene at the end where Rambo explains his situation to the Colonel. Granted, politicians would not change their tunes until after 9/11, nearly two decades later, and even today Veterans do not receive anywhere close to the help they need to adapt to life outside of war, but the "Pro-Veteran"" propaganda narrative is a lot stronger than it was since Vietnam; albeit, that narrative is a corrupted and selfish one, used many by right-wing conservative to make themselves seem "patriotically" pro-veteran, al the while making sure that "The State" does not become a "Wealth fare State" which loses "tax-payer money" on "weak soldiers" (Conservative politicians are always generous in words but stingy in money!) 7:44 - That is actually one the most accurate depiction of average police work in the United-States in the whole history of cinema, right there! (Especially in the way that they treat the Homeless, the Poor, people of color, etc!). It's sick; but it's accurate. And 9:17 - It's not about getting him clean: It's about showing him who has the power and subjugating him to them.
Thank you for the explanation. This movie definitely taught me a lot of things i didn't know and I'm glad to hear that it contributed to the movement that showed the plight of Vietnam vets.
Like Rocky was not an action movie rather a love story Rambo is a criticism of soldiers being left in poverty, abandonment, lack of PTSD support. That last monologue broke my heart.
Great reaction, grew up on this movie (born in the 1970's grew up in the 80's). If you are a reader, this movie is based on a novel, "First Blood ~ David Morrell). It is even heavier (emotionally and violent) than the movie. I am a retired 20-year vet of the US Navy (tour in Iraq and one in the HOA (Horn of Africa) as well as many other ship-based deployments. Post-Vietnam war the population in the US did not treat our vets very well, things have improved now but it still doesn't fix what was and what is when it comes to putting people into harms way.
The ending scene isn't about Rambo's hatred of the Army. It is about the American public having little or no respect or appreciation of American soldiers who were ordered to fight a war that even some soldiers were asking "why are we fighting this war". The end of the Vietnam War in America was a difficult time on a social level. There was a lot of mentally traumatized soldiers who basically received no help, let alone any official method, to process that trauma in a healthy and productive way. These soldiers were often treated as "outcasts" within their own home communities. Some people were "openly hostile" to them. And in some extreme situations, they placed any "failure of American politics" directly upon the shoulders of individual soldiers. It wasn't until DECADES later that some Vietnam Vets even felt comfortable enough to ADMIT that they were Vets because they had endured decades of "social backlash" for publicly saying it. So when Rambo "broke" at the end of the movie, it was ripping off the scab of a deep wound for the character and a lot of people in the audience. As Rambo (character) broke down and explained his PTSD issue, it opened the eyes for a lot of people in the audience who realized that these traumatized veterans shouldn't be scorned for doing what they had to do in order to survive. They should be given the proper treatment to process and overcome the PTSD issues that were ignored for so long. And sadly, decades later. The same issues that Rambo faced (Coming home after a war and struggling to adjust and be welcomed) impacted other military members who often found themselves feeling isolated and unsure when they came home. At least there were some systems in place to offer help. But these systems were still being implemented and still doing "research" in the fields of help they were supposed to be offering. Meaning that even after decades of being aware of this sort of situation with military veterans returning from war, the methods of handling the situation in a healthy and productive way simply didn't exist, or couldn't reach enough people to be of benefit.
One of the things I like about "First Blood" that often gets overlooked is how it draws a contrast between the attitudes toward war/violence of people who've actually experienced war vs those who haven't. Rambo has seen firsthand the horror of war and doesn't want any violence. He only gets violent when pushed into it and, even then, he approaches it like a job and tries several times to end it. Even though he could've easily killed all those cops, he doesn't. On the flip side, you have cops like Dalt who live in a small town where they don't ever see any action and he's thirsty for violence, enjoys abusing prisoners (and his power), and is not just ready to murder a suspect at the slightest provocation, he's actually excited about it. As a third POV, you have the National Guard troops who are basically just playing soldier on the weekends, aren't willing to risk themselves when asked to because, y'know, they have regular day jobs to get back to (whereas Rambo risked his life in another country, was tortured, etc. for 6 years), and are super excited about finally getting to bust out their toy (the rocket launcher). They even take photos of themselves like they're big heroes after firing it off once. Basically, I love the idea that the only people who glorify warfare and violence are the people who haven't actually experienced it.
One thing the movie never touched on was the fact that Sheriff Teasle was a Korean War veteran (sometimes called 'The Forgotten War' being that it happened inbetween the much more known WWII and Vietnam) plus Teasle looked down on Rambo because of how differently they were treated when they returned from war. After Korea since it was still the 1950s all the returning GIs were clean cut and respectable, had jobs families, etc. Whereas Vietnam Vets back then were seen as dirty looking hobos, drifters, crazy, hippies, baby-killers, drug addicts, etc.
I only have one movie for you that no one has reacted to and it's one that I watch once a year. It's a fantasy western unlike anything else. "Purgatory" (1999) with Eric Roberts, Sam Shepard, Donnie Wahlberg and Randy Quaid. You won't ever forget it.
Shree, this was a great first Rambo movie. Stalone gave a great performance. looking forward to your reaction and commentary on this one. See you soon. 🙂
19:08 "someone" threw a stone? 🤣 "is that someone in the courtroom?" "yes." "can you point to that man?" "yes, that is the man. the defendant, john j rambo."
38:20 "'You people?' He definitely doesn't like Army men, doesn't it?" He doesn't like veterans of the Vietnam War. You can't really say he doesn't like _veterans,_ because he _is_ a veteran; of the _Korean_ War.
The thing he took off his knife and looked at was a compass. Survival knives have one built into the bottom, as well as suture thread and curved needles inside for stitching, or fishing in emergencies, all stored in the handle.
I laughed when you were wondering what was up with his long hair. My Dad had long hair in the 70's and 80's. I was a kid and remember my Dad getting harassed by the cops and store managers/ owners all the time.
The book was published in 1972 and a lot of of vets of that war were treated horribly,it wasn’t like it is now. Even 10 years later when the movie was made treating a veteran like that was seen as being as awful as we know it to be now. People blamed the soldiers for an unpopular war which was just as ridiculous at any time and especially then since so many didn’t choose to enlist but were drafted. It may not be such a great time now but at least we corrected that
Great reaction to a powerful performance. My government has never wanted warriors to survive war. We are supposed to die and maybe be remembered. All of us come back damaged. The extent of that damage is varied. My emotions are way more visible. Movie reactions are more intense. Songs, movies and memories make me cry. There is more anger and swearing. Not as much as a Shree reaction, but way more for me than before. Years ago I had a flashback triggered by a tornado siren. I've noticed I'm a pessimist now and for some reason I don't care as much about sports or trimming the yard after mowing. Weird huh! So many, though, come back like John and it's sad that we don't appear to care. Worse than that, it's global. I love you got so much from this movie. Thanks for the therapy session. Luv to you and yours.
Take care of yourself. The little things that give you joy matter so do them often. You are home and you are safe and loved by many :) I'm glad you enjoyed this video
@@ShreeNation I appreciate the support. Like I said I'm a mild case. There are people I have worked with for years that had no idea I was a vet. I watched a TH-cam video recently that about the things vets do to help you identify them as vets. I'm in the minority of this process since the only thing I do is shine shoes. Just those that need wax, not those cloth athletic ones. That would be a different behavior problem. Better go. Thanx again.
hey, in the book this movie is based off of, rambo is dirtier and looks like a mountain man with a longer beard then stallone had and they dont realize hes a veteren until after he escapes. and when he escapes he disembowels the man who tried to shave him. So its not so black and white. the police were definatly on an unjustified power trip in the books, but rambo doesnt cooperate and doesnt tell them hes a veteren. its a great book and i highly suggest reading it. the movie is great but as always it sanitizes things to make rambo more likable. he kills a looooot of people. (and the main guy going after him was also a veteren from the korean war, he wasnt just some country cop with no experience)
Re: Not killing the cops chasing him -- It's tactical, if you kill an assailant, that removes one piece from the board. If you injure or maim them, it takes 2 (or more) off usually, the injured party and someone to assist that injured party.
My interpretation of why Teague was pissed off the bat was that He saw someone with long hair (for the time) wearing a military jacket, and assumed that it was a hippie disrespecting the uniform. Among many other things, this is a movie about the difference of how Korean and WW2 veterans were treated after coming home, and how Vietnam veterans were treated. Teague strikes me as a former soldier who returned home to a respectful job as a cop.
About the long hair comment: By the 1950's, attitudes toward men's hair length had calcified into the belief that men should have *really* short hair. Like, military buzzcuts were considered ideal, and even mandatory at various workplaces and schools, even amongst civilians. The anti-establishment movements that started developing in the 50s and 60s embraced young men growing their hair longer than was considered "normal." I'm not talking hair-down-to-their-waists, I mean even hair down to their ears or halfway down their foreheads. Stallone's hairstyle in this would have been considered downright hippyish in virtually all small towns and even major cities during the era it's set in.
They did more than convince Americans to join the war in Vietnam they drafted men, otherwise known as forced conscription. After the shite show known as Vietnam America hasn’t enacted a draft for another war. The 90,s and 2000,s Middle East conflicts were both purely volunteer forces. Which raises morale all across the board both for civilians and military fighting morale. Can’t blame your own government as much when you signed up to be there.
@@ShreeNation if you are following the war between Russia and Ukraine at all. You’ll see that Russias military Is both volunteer and conscription, and they sent a lot of young poor bastards in to die trying to take Ukraine. A lot of TH-cam videos showing captured Russian soldiers barely out of high school lied to, there command telling them they were going to train in the neighboring friendly country of Belarus only to be told to prepare for combat as they crossed the border into Ukraine. On top of that they were suicidally ordered to push pass the safety of there logistical supply for Russian governments vain hope to take Ukraine within a week, only for there frontline soldiers to be cut off from food, fuel, ammo and medical supplies and be completely dominated by also conscripted and volunteer soldiers armed with western weaponry protecting there homeland. With Russia being on the wrong side of history in this conflict there militaries morale is extremely low and not only that but due to corruption by there chain of command, much of the Russian militaries equipment is sup par and ill maintenanced causing catastrophic failures in there logistical and tactical abilities as a military. I don’t wish harm to the innocent Russian but they are so neck deep in propaganda they can’t make out there hand from there arse. By there passive acceptance of there governments actions they are allowing the evil to continue. No government is innocent of corruption or surreptitious actions but that still doesn’t change the fact that Russia is willingly killing Ukrainian citizens. I’ve debated many a Russian propagandist in the last 2 months and many of them like to spell out americas actions in the Middle East as a preemptive attack much like russias against a sovereign nation, and that may be true at some levels. This doesn’t change the fact that there are humans at this moment as we speak actively destroying another human beings lives. They can still make a choice, the choice to not kill and question why. Many won’t.
@@Penitent_Intent Yes it's absolutely terrifying to see what Russia is doing to Ukranians in their own land. I've only seen videos of soldiers surrendering after capture and they look like they have no idea what's going on and why they are fighting Ukranians.
That war was labeled, “We don’t talk about that” for about 15 years. It was a huge loss next to the Korean War, where America looked good on the map. But their soldiers rarely came home with drug addictions. This war it was different. Lots of protesters flung to the streets and hated on their own government and troops, yet most of them never left there own state our country. It was a horrible war. Conditions not like America our Europe. And it’s the jungle. Many of my dads friends died. I have 2 uncles that lived through it. Not something they like to talk about. But one writer in the early 80’s found a way to teach/ educate kids and teens on what happened out there. His name is Larry Hama. He was the guy who co founded GIJoe and NAM both comic books from the early 80’s. Good reads. Definitely NAM. Shows that movies like First Blood is kinda close to what a lot of Vets were going through when they came home. Even some of their own families turned them away.
After this movie I bought a knife just like his with a compass and survival kit inside. It also inspired me to go into the Army so I could "be like Rambo". Was I in for a rude awakening, lol.
The Sheriff has a great reelection campaign. "I git most of the Sheriff's department killed or wounded, including myself. Started a personal war with a Tier 1 combat operator. Caused millions of dollars of damage to the town, left many of you without power for a couple of days, and basically provided a how to guide for walking all over peoples rights, and all this because I wouldn't let a hungry drifter have a sandwich. Vote me."
The ending of this movie never fails to get to me. It's a perfect encapsulation of how men are sacrificed for the interests of the State, and when they return home, they are the ones who get all the criticism and abuse. Most would agree that Vietnam was not a justified war, but the bulk of the criticism should go to those who orchestrated it, lied about it, and sent others to die, including by conscription. It's not by accident either that more Vietnam vets died by suicide than in the actual war. You can be against war and the military-industrial complex and still treat veterans as human beings who should get proper help to reintegrate into society again.
See the last police officer in the Sheriff's office with the post that Rambo tackles before he got out the door? He really did break his nose! Stallone did one third of the jump from the rock face. He broke a rib falling through the pine trees. See where he was stitching up his arm? Stallone actually went to the emergency room and let them see that he had stitched himself up without any pain killers. They were so impressed that they told him he was a real man! They never realised that this was just a theatrical prop!! First Blood was not filmed in America. It was filmed in Hope, British Columbia, Canada. And the poncho that Rambo made from sacking? Stallone has that framed on his wall. Fundamentally the way that Rambo is is because of the way Vietnam veterans were treated after they returned to the USA. They were not angry with the US Armed Forces. They were angry with the way they were treated by the US population and the US Government. This plus many had severe PTSD and there was no treatment at all for that back then. They were not welcomed back because the war was controversial/unpopular and public opinion was against it. There was no parade throughout the US for these veterans. They were blamed for the continuation of the Vietnam War. Imagine arriving home after the hell of Vietnam to be met at the airport by anti war protesters calling you baby killer, spitting on you, and calling you a multitude of other vile crap. Consider the psychological effect of that alone, no matter what you have experienced in Vietnam during the war. Your own people, US citizens treating you in this manner. Then your welcome in many towns across the US was far from rosy as you are identified and persecuted again as a Vietnam veteran, just another baby killer in a war that nobody liked, shunned and kicked out of town at every opportunity. Those poor guys, this was how it was. But these guys in the main were drafted. They had no option. And it was not them that wanted to go to Vietnam, it was the US Government. These guys had served their country, and many of them had died for it. These soldiers, air force, navy, regular army, draftee's, and special forces, were sent to Vietnam by the US Government and served their country. It might have been an unpopular war, and it was not of the soldiers making, but they served none the less and died for their country. As one former Green Beret who served two tours in Vietnam told me, 'It was not for us to reason why, but just for us to do or die.' That about sums it up. They witnessed all kinds of horror and carnage, and some paid the ultimate price. When they got back they could not wear their uniforms and medals with honor for fear of being victimized and ridiculed by US citizens. Their health care provision was atrociously poor and inadequate. Nobody wanted to hire them for fear of public backlash in identifying the company as supporting the Vietnam war through employment of veterans. Many of them found themselves in paltry poor paying jobs. How shameful was this treatment to men who had served with honor? Atrocious. Those that coped became alcoholics and drug addicts to ease their pain and suffering. Many committed suicide as they simply could not re-integrate into society. Others could not form any kind of lasting relationship, maintain stability in any form of employment, and many marriages and families broke up because of the veterans demons and flashbacks from the war that constantly haunted them. Many others became unwelcome drifters and vagrants without any financial means, just like Rambo. Fundamentally there was no respect or support for these veterans. And many veterans found that they could not even open up about their experiences, even to their loved ones, because they were so graphically horrific that they had caused their minds to have a mental block. In short a huge mess, and the Vietnam veterans were in the middle of it suffering while the US Government who sent them to Vietnam in the first place did not care in the least about them. This was a case of both the US Public and the US Government letting the Vietnam veterans down wholesale. Later the US Government realized the plight of Vietnam veterans and provisions were made, with preferential treatment for jobs and other services, but this was far too little far too late. All this should have been dealt with on their return from Vietnam, not years afterwards. It is so similar to the WW1 veterans returning to the UK. They were promised a land fit for hero's, as their reward for their service. What they received was nothing at all except poverty, starvation, and unemployment. But they did not forget that. The UK 1926 general strike came about in part because of this ineptitude by the government.
They messed with the wrong war veteran in this action adventure thriller. Harrison Ford, Jon Voight, Tommy Lee Jones, Charles Bronson, James Caan, John Travolta, James Garner, Burt Reynolds, Michael Douglas, Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, Robert Redford, Ryan O'Neal, Dustin Hoffman, Martin Sheen, and Clint Eastwood were considered for Rambo
What is the National Guard? (They work civilian jobs until they are needed or report for training) The National Guard is unique among the U.S. armed forces in that it can perform state as well as federal functions. The Guard is generally called up to respond to state-level emergencies, such as natural disasters. But, unlike most of the other military forces, it can also serve a domestic law enforcement role. Additionally, it can serve missions overseas, which it has done more frequently in recent years.
1. The line to buy a Rambo knife for Christmas 1982 was unbelievable. 2. Rambo: First Blood II is even better. He actually kills people in that one. 3. Sly did most of his own stunts. He even broke a rib falling through the trees. 4. This was filmed in British Colombia, Canada. 5. GOOF: The state would know about the situation because the National Guard was used. 6. My favorite character is Colonel Trautman. 6. There's a movie where he stared with Kurt Russel called "Tango and Cash". His character says "Rambo is a pussy"🤣
In Vietnam there was no choice, a lot of people were drafted with the threat of prison if they refused, made it even more awful that people treated returning Vietnam veterans worse than garbage. Many ended up homeless and living in the streets or under bridges. People still call veterans baby killers and mock the suicide rate for returning veterans. First blood is one of my favorite movies since i was a kid. I watch all 5 films at least once a year
You should check out Rambo: First Blood Part II. As a Marine brat by both a mom and dad, this movie, along with my parents, has also served as another harsh reminder in an age old saying of any war: “In war, no one is innocent.”
There was a novel before the movie. The top cop of that town was a little bit more complex, He was a Korean war vert' that was awarded for braver and hate what he did. He hated veitnam vets because it shatter his American dream. But he has one moment he good when he died in novel. "I am sorry son" . But that is the novel.
It's funny. When this movie debuted, Rambo looked like a street bum criminal. I agreed with the sheriff at first. I wouldn't have wanted him in my town either. But today, Rambo looks and dresses better than the average person.
It was really sad what Vietnam vets had to go through. They were drafted into a war they did not want to be in. They did not volunteer there were forced to go to Vietnam and fight. When they returned hippies would wait for them at the airport and spit on them and call them baby killers. Just like he says in the movie a lot of them cannot hold down the job because people wouldn't hire them. Unlike world war II where the veterans came back with a hero's welcome Vietnam vets didn't get that because America didn't win that war. They got the losers welcome from civilians. I remember when I was a little kid seeing Vietnam vets and they all seemed a little broken and sad. Stallone really captures it at the end of the movie.
That is all a exaggeration, it happened, but not to the degree it's made out to be, all Stallone captured with this totally ridiculous unrealistic story, was money in his bank.
@@65cj55 it's not an exaggeration at all. I personally knew Vietnam vets and I come from a family of army officers. If you think stories like that are an exaggeration then it just shows that either you are very young or you are not from this country. What part do you think was an exaggeration? You do know the counterculture movement shunned Vietnam vets. It's also true that lots of vets suffering from PTSD cannot hold down jobs. Pretending that's an exaggeration is a great disservice.
@@geraldvance7925 Yes i know many as well, i didn't go because of medical issues, but had 5 friends were drafted, 2 refused and suffered for it, they were called many names lost their jobs and were treated very badly as well, but the whole being spat on and called baby killers has been highly exaggerated, i'm not saying it didn't happen but it was nothing like it's made out to be, also yes many suffer PTSD, i'm not denying that, it was horrible, but also many didn't and either stayed on in the Military, or left and went on with life, the whole situation was bad, we shouldn't of been there, and many innocent people, young and old, died from our actions.
@@65cj55 So how do you know it was exaggerated did you take lots of raw data back in the early 70s? I've heard many Vietnam vets say they were called baby killer when they came back. How do you know that it didn't happen more often than your circle of friends told you? Lots of documentaries and first-hand accounts from people saying that vets were disrespected from Vietnam. In the 1990s teenagers who were hippies and followed the grateful Dead would crap on soldiers going to desert Storm. That happened because I witnessed it. Vietnam was not a popular war in America and the way they were ended for the bad taste and lots of Americans mouth. World war II vets where treated like heroes but Vietnam we're disrespected. Even young people today talk trash on Vietnam vets so you cannot tell me that the disrespect was isolated. I've seen footage of people spitting on soldiers so it's not an exaggeration at all.
@@geraldvance7925 Like i said, i'm not denying it happened, but those i know and there circle of friends say it's all exaggerated, one person gets spat at, and before you know it, everyone was spat at, Movies like this help push the narrative, as i said those who refused were treated horrible at home as well, still till today they're labelled Draft Dodgers, Cowards etc etc, buy certain people, but no one talks about them or there mistreatment, why is it like that, the shame and guilt of sending them maybe, also many Vietnam Veterans groups protested this Movie, calling it unrealistic, glorifying War, and portraying them as highly trained killers with super human powers.
Vietnam wasn't a popular war in the US, and vietnam Vets (like my dad) were sort of looked down on... but in the cops case.. he resents Rambo because he (the cop) is a Korean War vet... and that war (which happened in the 50s) was largely forgotten.. where as Vietnam was all anyone could talk about for 10 years. The "long hair" thing was associated with "hippies" or "counterculture" people (as opposed to the 1940s / 50s short crew cut haircuts of "normal people") .. and "old fashioned" guys equated it with communism or just "dirty hippies"... (but it's cool if Jesus had long hair I guess 🤣)
@@ShreeNation thank you, though to be honest my dad didnt have it as bad as Rambo 🤣 but he did suffer a lot of PTSD from the war and back then it was still something that usually went untreated.. which led to the stigma of "unhinged vets".. and the PTSD led to a lot of homeless Vietnam vets as well... though luckily that didnt happen to my dad.
The sheriff was either a conscientious objector,draft dodger or the army didn’t accept him due to some sort of health issue. Either way it would explain his distain for the military.
Great reaction. Thank you. Vietnam was a dirty war, and America disguised the numbers of men dying by shipping three or four to one coffin. They didn't win so wanted to distance themselves. Those who fought were painted as baby killers.
4:24 "Is there any law against me getting something _here?"_ Oh, sheriff, _come_ on. This man is a _veteran._ And you're a veteran _too,_ albeit from a different war. _You_ know what it's like. You know how tough reintegration can be. Don't run him out of town, and don't just _show_ him to a nice restaurant, _either._ Take him inside. Have a meal with him. Swap a few stories. Pick up the tab when you guys are done, and when you send him on his way, make sure he has a few _bucks_ in his pocket and wish him well. There is _no_ reason the two of you shouldn't get along.
I think because in his mind, he sees veterans like Rambo as being bums who couldn't just shake it off and get back into normal society. Not only was the Vietnam War more recent, it was also televised. A lot of people have an "if I can do it, you should be able to do it too" mindset, and completely ignore that circumstances and context are not always the same between two situations that only seem alike on their face.
Hey everyone, the reviews on my second channel "Shree Talks" will be up by the first week of May. I'm finally moving out to a new place so I'll start filming them next week :)
In the novel the Sheriff was a Korean War vet and was mad at how Vietnam Vets got all the attention and sympathy. Thats why he was hating on Rambo even tho Rambo was a war vet too
Yes, many Vietnam vets were very badly treated by the anti-war protestors of the times. You may have seen the anti-war protestors represented in the film "Forest Gump." There were horrible to the returning veterans. Here you go, in their own words: th-cam.com/video/Qp0LYc4IHnY/w-d-xo.html and this one too: th-cam.com/video/7xIWHIYVE8I/w-d-xo.html
You are going to reach 4000 subscribers this week! I am so glad for your sake anyway could you put the link to our second channel here so I could go on my computer and copy it and subscribe because I cannot find it and since I am blind I cannot copy text on the phone weird stuff sorry :-)
"Some motherfucker had to jump for this." Sylvester Stallone did the stunt and broke several ribs in the process. The scream he does when he hits the branch is real.
'Nam was a very unpopular war due to the exhaustive news coverage that emphasized "ratings" over Facts. Soldiers paid the price for this when/if they got back home.
There's an added plot element in the story from the novel that wasn't mentioned in the movie, which is that Sheriff Teasle was a Korean War veteran. It's somewhat implied in the movie because there are medals in Teasle's office. Teasle resented Rambo because Rambo was a Vietnam War veteran, and Vietnam was a war that deeply divided the nation, while the Korean War had become a forgotten war, and the service and sacrifice of the men who fought in Korea had become an afterthought.
That's correct. Up thru WWII, the U.S. held out for unconditional surrender. In Korea, we walked away, and technically the war never really ended, it was just suspended. Korean War vets weren't looked down upon, but they weren't celebrated like WWII vets either. Just kinda forgotten. By the time of Vietnam, there was deep division over whether we should have been there at all. A lot of people treated Vietnam Vets badly, but others held Vets in high regard for agreeing to do a dirty job and looked down on draft protesters and deserters. Pretty hard to be neutral.
In the early 1970s when the First Blood novel was written (not so much by 1982 when the film was released), conservative people (including cops) would suspect any young guy with hair over his ears of being a druggie peacenik agitator Hippie. If the guy also wore any kind of military garb, that was worse yet. He'd be viewed as either mocking the military, or being a Vietnam Vet Against the War (which in some people's eyes was traitorous). You see a hint of that in what Teasle says to Rambo in the opening sequence. Teasle probably opposed the actions of Presidents Ford and Carter that gave most Vietnam-era protesters amnesty. Teasle would still be loyal to the U.S. military as he knew it when he himself was in the service, but would feel that that military no longer existed and had become weak and unreliable. So, he'd feel somewhat betrayed, similarly to how Rambo feels but in a different way. That would explain some of the things he says to Col. Trautman.
It's complicated.
The book explains a lot more but very violent
@@DougRayPhillips How is it the fault of Vietnam Vets that Korea was a forgotten war? Teasle shouldn’t have let his personal feelings influence his judgement, he and Gault should’ve tried being more professional, and not emotional. Also, Teasle let his pride and ego get in the way. Plus people shouldn’t have treated Vietnam Vets so badly back then.
@@jmwilliamsart Absolutely. It's not the fault of Vietnam Vets in any way. But some older Vets did resent them. In the movies (remember the Iwo Jima marine who confronts Tom Cruise in the tavern Born on the Fourth?), and in real life.
@Father's Tribe No, but the sheriff and his men started it when they kept pushing Rambo. The sheriff went too far over the line, the law should take that into account.
What I find interesting is that Sylvester Stallone's first movies were not technically action films unless you misinterpret them. They are films about emotions. Rocky is a love story that happens to a boxer, Rambo is about a man suffering from PTSD.
call it what it is... Shell Shock!
His first ever film was a porn movie. Porn is Sex sex is love.
Well every soldier has the that kind of disorder tho. If you ask every of retired army, they'll surely say the same thing as this.
Exactly. People have co-opted the Rambo character to be this macho guy to boost the military, but the story is about the failure of the military to take care of its own.
Hey Shree, I know It's weird to see the Anti-Veteran movement in full swing during the post-Vietnam war era of the '70s and '80s. Many vets were homeless and discarded like trash. Medical services for them were piss poor or non-existent. Getting jobs or housing was a challenge since many of the soldiers in Vietnam came straight out of high school. So they had limited skills and real-world training. So it was a difficult time, to say the least, and First Blood captures that despair and isolation so well.
That's terrible :( Yes this movie showed me a side of war I've never seen.
Sadly this still seems to be case.
@@ShreeNation It is important to remember that the people who disrespected our veterans were: (a) the anti-war protestors. No, Mr. & Mrs. America were too busy working and putting food on the table to go to airports to fling rubbish at our veterans. Besides, it were their sons who went to war! And (b) scumbag politicians who cut and ran on our veterans. But "The American People" doing this? No. Many have that perception because the anti-war protestors and government types (with the help of the media) projected that on the American people in general.
Yeah, my neighbor down the street was a Green Beret medic and Medal of Honor recipient during the Vietnam War. He saved over a dozen people and received that many wounds doing it and what does he get when he got home? A bunch of assholes accusing him of being a murderer, protesting and spitting on him. He was so messed up from his combat experiences already, that pushed him over the edge and he wandered out into the woods and lived in a cave for 10 years.
I mean... how the hell do you disrespect a man who has the Medal of Honor around his neck?
@@twohorsesinamancostume7606 Those assholes are the same Leftist assholes we have today that want to cancel everyone and publicly shame people for having different views.
When Rambo was hanging on the cliff face, he wasn't trying to go down he was just trying to hide from everyone but the helicopter found him and started shooting at him. Afterwards, when he jumped to the trees and screamed in pain, Stallone actually cracked his ribs so his scream when he landed on the floor was real.
He only did the last ten feet, and the cracked rib story was just part of the PR.
@@65cj55 what a pussy. I will now boycott this movie.
The speech at the end is akin to Quint's "USS Indianapolis" speech in Jaws. It allows a grizzled "tough guy" character a moment of vulnerability and reveal their backstory... the event that made him who he is. Quint doesnt cry but you can tell it still haunts him.
People that live after those experiences are never the same.
First Blood is basically an anti-war film that gives war vets suffering from PTSD trauma a voice. It's totally unlike the other Rambo films that would come after it.
I wouldn't say it's an anti-war film, it's a film about the vietnam war specifically. There were aspects of guerilla warfare discussed about how the little kid gave rambo's friend a IED/bomb, there were aspects of how the war was a failure and ended up being a prolonged stale mate and a war of attrition, and how potential mismanagement amongst the brass of the military contributed to this fact, there were aspects of culture during vietnam war in america and how there were big parts of the population that were against the war and to whom the war had a bad reputation, so naturally they didn't support the war, and this impacted the culture, because instead of a war everybody celebrated or were in support of, it wasn't celebrated, it was seen as a failure and a criminal war, or a war of aggression.
I'm glad you liked the movie. Unfortunately, this was the reality for many Vietnam veterans. That monologue at the end caused many veterans in the audience to react like you did. Because for the first time they were being valued and validated as veterans and people instead of losers or war criminals.
My uncles were Vietnam veterans. But they were lucky enough to be college educated and serving in medical roles or with the Navy. So when they came back, they were ready to serve in civilian life. But many others had nowhere to go, a high school education and only knew how to fight in a world that no longer wanted anything to do with them.
That breaks my heart :( I'm glad your uncles didn't have to go through tough times and I feel bad for so many of those men.😔
My father was a Vietnam vet as well. With the Marines. He worked on aircraft, so he also translated well to civilian life. He never talked about it though.
we wanted our country to love us as much as we loved it
@@RB-uv8mz I think that's one thing I'm glad more veterans are doing which is talking about it. I mean there a whole bunch of issues with Veteran care especially regarding moral injury and mental health but there has been progress and I'm grateful for some of those opportunities that exist these days. I'm currently but also a veteran myself and Veteran affairs is something thats big deal because so many of my friends having struggles just being back how to engage everyday is challenge I learned helping them how important it is to improve the programs that exist. Like my Plattoon Sargeant said it's coming home that's the real battle. I'm just trying to help to make that Battle a little bit easier.
@@808INFantry11X Good luck to you in your struggle, Ive seen my father struggle with it my entire life.
Hey Shree, when Rambo first came out everyone wanted that knife that Rambo was using. It's razor-sharp, with a compass in the hilt, a first aid kit in the knife chamber. To top it all off, the serrated side can cut through barbed wire. That knife was next level and cost about $100, but it was well worth it.
Damn, i wish i had one too :')
Mine also came with a fishing hook and a few feet of line. Plus water/wind proof matches. 😂 They were the bee's knees.
@@sean-ew2qv No doubt, that knife was the shit. I had the knock off version at first, and then I had to upgrade to the real deal.
Oh yeah every kid in the neighborhood wanted one, lots of cheap knock offs were sold to us. lol
@@mem1701movies The Blade and handle separated on mine as well. I had to glue rhem together. Which led me to get the real version
They were national guard, locally activated to deal with the emergency. Like the Canadian Army Reserve, they work part time. These guys probably work one weekend a month, and two weeks a year.
4:47 "Oh my god. It's fuckin' small-town bullshit."
Oh, don't take it that way, Shree. I don't know why they painted the small town in that light, here, because at least in the US, small towns tend to _appreciate_ veterans.
Maybe they do *now*. Maybe they don't. But take it from somebody born in 1971 to a Vietnam veteran who grew up in a small town from the mid-70's till I got out of high school in 1990, it was not always so. Stop talking like small towns have always ever been one way.
@@roberthorne9017 "Stop talking like small towns have always ever been one way."
Did you actually read my comment? I mean actually _read_ my comment? Take another look. Observe that I used the word "tend."
Most war movies show you the heroism and brutality of war. First Blood lets you see what happens when they come home. It reveals the aftermath of that ultimate sacrifice. I love this movie so much. Rambo II takes it up a notch for sure. I hope we can see that reaction real soon.
I will :)
“I used to be in charge of million dollar equipment, now I can’t even park cars for $10 an hour.” It’s the specificity of that line that makes it work. Not a loss of power but a loss of agency-that’s what haunts him.
@@mem1701movies Yeah. In fairness though I didn't know what he said until recently, using subtitles. I heard, 'I can't even hold a job f***ing pars.' Stallone's words are sometimes difficult to hear, particularly when he gets really emotional.
$10 an hour in 1982 was a good salary I'd say.
Well said
@@FrancisXLord Yeah it would be equal to $30 an hour in 2022 dollars or $62,400 per year working 40 hours a week.
Just to clear this up, the National Guard consists in large part of part-time volunteers that serve in active duty for a brief, rotational period before going back to civilian life, unless otherwise needed. They're meant to primarily be a contingent force against more imminent threats to the country's borders and can serve as backup for local authorities (a contingent police force) if called on by certain political offices. Think of it as an official, government-run militia group.
Now adays they just throw you overseas for as long as they like...it's a lie,that 2 weeks a year blah blah shit. I was in the marine reserves and they were gonna send my ass to afganistan before i got my walking papers....
@@promnightdumpsterbaby9553 Can't say I'm all that surprised.
In the original novel Sheriff Teasle was a Korean war vet. It's unfortunately still called the 'forgotten war' to this day. The fact that Vietnam vets were at least remembered was part of his grudge against Rambo. Kind of a cycle of PTSD. The ending of the novel is very different I should add. Enjoyed your reaction.
Thank you for the info :)
Back in the mid-1960s - early-1980s, there were alot of people with prejudices against Vietnam vets. It was a sad, horrible time that this movie takes place in.
One point that often gets missed in these days of an "All Volunteer" US Military, but nobody was "convinced to fight" in Vietnam - approximately 25% of the US troops were DRAFTED (and very unwillingly) to fight, and that 25% accounted for over a THIRD of all deaths in combat during the war. Between the Draft (which was not only unpopular, but seen as classist, racist and unfair to most people), the atrocities doccumted by the Press and especially the fact that, for the first time in a long time, America LOST a war, the public view of the United States Military was EXACTLY as depicted in Stallone's speech at the end... if not worse.
I think that final scene was the first glimpse into what ptsd in veterans is like for a lot of pople.
Rambo was part of US Special Forces so he would have gone through SERE training. (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape)
The training was originally for pilots who could be shot down in enemy territory.
It was expanded to train any US serviceperson who may be captured lets say nott in an area under US control.
The curriculum includes survival skills, evading capture, application of the military code of conduct, and techniques for escape from captivity.
It's one of the toughest courses to go through.
Back in the 60's my cousin went through SERE. He lost about 40 lbs/ 18kgs during training because the last test was basically being held captive with little food and having to escape and make your way out of the area. He went as far as he thought he needed to pass.
Another friends Dad went through it and almost made it off the base.
The dogs found him hanging under a truck that was about to go out the gate.
They had all been warned to just freeze if the dogs noticed them. The dogs would do an alert posture if you stayed still. They would chase and bite you if you ran.
For Rambo to go up in the forest in the Pacific Northwest he could most likely live indefinitely without going back to civilization.
Wow, i had no idea about this training. Thank you for the info
“Back there I was in charge of million dollar equipment. Here I can’t even hold a job parking cars”. 😢😢😢
It is a survival knife with fishing hooks, fishing line, matches and a compass that screws off the end. When this movie came out all the country kids I knew wanted one and I was lucky enough to get one at 12. But then I had a disabled parent and lived in the country so I hunted and fished for table meat. But I did not use it for hunting or skinny it really was just a novelty to have on a shelf.
Wow that's awesome!
I spent for the real deal and kept it behind the seat of my truck as part of my emergency kit.
To answer your question in minute 13:17: It was a Compass, which was a part of this knife, among other useful utensils, that is also available for purchase.
I'm really glad you dug that last scene and appreciated how that unlocked the entire film.
Stallone is actually an amazing actor...people don't give him enough credit for his ability to put across human emotions.
He's a very limited ability actor, and requires a lot of actual good actors around him, to make his movies successful.
@@65cj55 bollocks
@@kjek1 Nope, it's Fact.
@@65cj55 nope, it’s not.
That really is how the national guard is. They do military duty one weekend a month, two weeks a year. Unless there’s an emergency or they get called to war. In between they have regular jobs
Originally in the book Rambo dies & they actually shot the ending were Rambo shoots himself, but the audience hated the ending because they loved the character & wanted him to make it, so they shot the ending where he lives instead. The death ending you can find on TH-cam.
Damn, it will break my heart to watch him die, but i gotta see it anyway!
@@ShreeNation Feels weird at first, but then you realise that "well, they did try follow the book as much as possible". But I'm glad they changed the ending.
Those Rambo knives were sold not long after this movie was released, a marketing venture, had a fishhook, line in the handle & the handle cap was a screw on compass. I was a very young ring bearer at my cousins wedding before he was shipped out to Vietnam, he was a medic & was killed by a sniper. Another cousin survived but never talked about his experiences. My fave teachers husband was killed in Vietnam. The war affected everyone in some way.
I'm so sorry for your loss :(
@@ShreeNation Thank you Shree
This is one of my favorites. It has so many layers. I'm a sucker for a protagonist that just wants to be left alone. And I hope people never forget just how disposable soldiers become to society once they've been used up. But from the soldier's perspective, he was just trying to help his friends. It's like we forgot these people are human.
The National Guard serves one weekend a month and two weeks a year. They have regular civilian jobs. So, they didn't volunteer to go after Rambo. They were activated.
First Blood is an incredible film. Being a 90's kid, I grew up on Stallone action movies (Cliffhanger, Demolition Man, etc), and never really took him seriously as an actor. Seeing First Blood and Rocky later in life gave me an appreciation of Sly's talent. It's kinda sad that he got pigeonholed into action movies.
To see him flex his comedic chops - Oscar.
You forgot Stop Or My Mom Will Shoot.
Whats also really great about First Blood nobody seems to mention is Brian Denehey's portrayal of the Sherriff which i think is supremely underrated. What i see in this movie is a man who is probably very upstanding in his job and probably woulda carried on that way had he not crossed paths with Rambo. Yes there's a certain degree of malice, and definitely naivete in his actions, but I always thought of him as a man who genuinely believed Rambo as present threat to the sanctity of his small town given the height of the political unease surrounding the Vietnam War at that time. I actually didn't want him to die, unlike some of his asshole deputies. When Rambo tells him to let the shit go, EVERY TIME I WATCH THIS MOVIE, I'm "Teasel you better listen to this motherfucker! Dealing with HIM is well above your paygrade." But of course he can't cuz shit ultimately got WAY outta hand and any other cop who's worth their salt releastically probably wouldn't back down either. Unstoppable force + Immovable object. LAYERS!
EDIT: You totally hit ALL THIS on the head towards the end. Your perceptiveness is on point!
Thank you so much, agreed about the Sheriff, he did a great job!
It doesn’t change the fact that Teasle and his deputy acted like Assholes towards Rambo. Aren’t law enforcement people supposed to always be professional and not emotional? Why wasn’t there any federal oversight on every sheriff and law enforcement official in order to make sure that they all act professionally without prejudice towards anyone?
Quint's monologue about the Indianapolis in "Jaws" was also epic.
Stallone insisted on doing his own stunts for this movie. He broke ribs falling from the trees from the waterfall. Filming was delayed shortly.
In the novel, the reason why Sheriff Teasle didn't like Rambo was because he was a veteran of the Korean war that had been largely forgotten and overshadowed by the Vietnam war. So since the Vietnam vets were getting all the attention in those days, he felt jealous of Rambo. Korean vets were almost invisible, people didn't remember about it because it received little attention. Also, his wife had recently left him which contributed to his angst.
This is why I love Sylvester in this movie ! His breakdown at the end brings a lump to my throat. xx
I'm new here but loving your content so far. Just a reminder for you to share your "Talks" episode for this movie with us! Hope your move went well. So far I've watched your Rocky and First Blood reactions.
Thank you 🥲 I'm glad you enjoyed, I'll definitely update my talks channel soon!
5:17 - The concept of giving respect for service to the country was not as strong back then as it might be now... Not necessarily that it is incredibly strong now, there are still great divisions amongst people still to this day, and I don't also subscribe to that movement either; but it is a complicated subject with a complicated history:
It has always been propagandized that Veterans should be respected and taken care of after wars, but even politicians who advocate such things have always been very unwilling to recognize mental and physical demands of returning soldiers (Especially in the case of PTSD) and even less willing to allocate funds to help them. But also on the side of the civilian populace, following the war in Vietnam (Which was a useless American war, based on the lie of the Gulf of Tonkin incident which NEVER HAPPENED!), the anti-war movement painted soldiers returning from Vietnam as baby killers, rapists, serial murderers and genocidal enablers (All valid criticisms considering the atrocities the US committed there). But regardless of guilt, most of the soldiers were drafted and so did not volunteer for the war and they still returned with great mental issues only to find that they were maligned and with no one willing to offer them the help they did need.
These sentiments where quite strong back when First Blood was produced and many have attributed part of the growth of the movement to help veterans (If not the birth) to the impact of the movie; especially to that scene at the end where Rambo explains his situation to the Colonel. Granted, politicians would not change their tunes until after 9/11, nearly two decades later, and even today Veterans do not receive anywhere close to the help they need to adapt to life outside of war, but the "Pro-Veteran"" propaganda narrative is a lot stronger than it was since Vietnam; albeit, that narrative is a corrupted and selfish one, used many by right-wing conservative to make themselves seem "patriotically" pro-veteran, al the while making sure that "The State" does not become a "Wealth fare State" which loses "tax-payer money" on "weak soldiers" (Conservative politicians are always generous in words but stingy in money!)
7:44 - That is actually one the most accurate depiction of average police work in the United-States in the whole history of cinema, right there! (Especially in the way that they treat the Homeless, the Poor, people of color, etc!). It's sick; but it's accurate. And 9:17 - It's not about getting him clean: It's about showing him who has the power and subjugating him to them.
Thank you for the explanation. This movie definitely taught me a lot of things i didn't know and I'm glad to hear that it contributed to the movement that showed the plight of Vietnam vets.
Like Rocky was not an action movie rather a love story Rambo is a criticism of soldiers being left in poverty, abandonment, lack of PTSD support. That last monologue broke my heart.
Great reaction, grew up on this movie (born in the 1970's grew up in the 80's). If you are a reader, this movie is based on a novel, "First Blood ~ David Morrell). It is even heavier (emotionally and violent) than the movie. I am a retired 20-year vet of the US Navy (tour in Iraq and one in the HOA (Horn of Africa) as well as many other ship-based deployments. Post-Vietnam war the population in the US did not treat our vets very well, things have improved now but it still doesn't fix what was and what is when it comes to putting people into harms way.
Thanks, I would love to read the book now :)
The ending scene isn't about Rambo's hatred of the Army.
It is about the American public having little or no respect or appreciation of American soldiers who were ordered to fight a war that even some soldiers were asking "why are we fighting this war".
The end of the Vietnam War in America was a difficult time on a social level. There was a lot of mentally traumatized soldiers who basically received no help, let alone any official method, to process that trauma in a healthy and productive way. These soldiers were often treated as "outcasts" within their own home communities. Some people were "openly hostile" to them. And in some extreme situations, they placed any "failure of American politics" directly upon the shoulders of individual soldiers. It wasn't until DECADES later that some Vietnam Vets even felt comfortable enough to ADMIT that they were Vets because they had endured decades of "social backlash" for publicly saying it.
So when Rambo "broke" at the end of the movie, it was ripping off the scab of a deep wound for the character and a lot of people in the audience. As Rambo (character) broke down and explained his PTSD issue, it opened the eyes for a lot of people in the audience who realized that these traumatized veterans shouldn't be scorned for doing what they had to do in order to survive. They should be given the proper treatment to process and overcome the PTSD issues that were ignored for so long.
And sadly, decades later. The same issues that Rambo faced (Coming home after a war and struggling to adjust and be welcomed) impacted other military members who often found themselves feeling isolated and unsure when they came home. At least there were some systems in place to offer help. But these systems were still being implemented and still doing "research" in the fields of help they were supposed to be offering. Meaning that even after decades of being aware of this sort of situation with military veterans returning from war, the methods of handling the situation in a healthy and productive way simply didn't exist, or couldn't reach enough people to be of benefit.
Ending scene very emotional felt bad for rambo
If you were watching this movie in 1982 and lived through the vietnam era, then it all made sense.
Just started following you. Best reaction I ever saw on Rambo. It almost made me cry. Thanks!!!!
Thank you :)
best reaction so far!!!!
Thank you so much 😊🙏🙏
One of the things I like about "First Blood" that often gets overlooked is how it draws a contrast between the attitudes toward war/violence of people who've actually experienced war vs those who haven't. Rambo has seen firsthand the horror of war and doesn't want any violence. He only gets violent when pushed into it and, even then, he approaches it like a job and tries several times to end it. Even though he could've easily killed all those cops, he doesn't. On the flip side, you have cops like Dalt who live in a small town where they don't ever see any action and he's thirsty for violence, enjoys abusing prisoners (and his power), and is not just ready to murder a suspect at the slightest provocation, he's actually excited about it. As a third POV, you have the National Guard troops who are basically just playing soldier on the weekends, aren't willing to risk themselves when asked to because, y'know, they have regular day jobs to get back to (whereas Rambo risked his life in another country, was tortured, etc. for 6 years), and are super excited about finally getting to bust out their toy (the rocket launcher). They even take photos of themselves like they're big heroes after firing it off once.
Basically, I love the idea that the only people who glorify warfare and violence are the people who haven't actually experienced it.
Thank you, i agree 100%
rambo didnt have much to lose.. at least thats how he felt
One thing the movie never touched on was the fact that Sheriff Teasle was a Korean War veteran (sometimes called 'The Forgotten War' being that it happened inbetween the much more known WWII and Vietnam) plus Teasle looked down on Rambo because of how differently they were treated when they returned from war.
After Korea since it was still the 1950s all the returning GIs were clean cut and respectable, had jobs families, etc. Whereas Vietnam Vets back then were seen as dirty looking hobos, drifters, crazy, hippies, baby-killers, drug addicts, etc.
MOST AMAZING ACTION MOVIE EVER
THE ENDING ALWAYS GETS ME
EVERYTIME I WATCH IT
AWESOME REACTION👍👍
Beautiful reaction, hun!
Thank you :)
I only have one movie for you that no one has reacted to and it's one that I watch once a year. It's a fantasy western unlike anything else. "Purgatory" (1999) with Eric Roberts, Sam Shepard, Donnie Wahlberg and Randy Quaid. You won't ever forget it.
Sounds interesting 😍
Shree, this was a great first Rambo movie. Stalone gave a great performance. looking forward to your reaction and commentary on this one. See you soon. 🙂
See ya :)
19:08 "someone" threw a stone? 🤣
"is that someone in the courtroom?"
"yes."
"can you point to that man?"
"yes, that is the man. the defendant, john j rambo."
In the book Col Troutman kills Rambo at the end. Stallone wrote the script for sequels
In the book, Rambo is a villainous character, no? I haven’t read it yet, but I heard he kills dozens of people in it, cops and civilians.
Shree, I love your First Blood reaction. You should do Rambo 2; it has a similar impact at end like first film.
Thank you, i will :)
Great reaction to this classic action movie.
Thank you, glad you enjoyed ❤
38:20 "'You people?' He definitely doesn't like Army men, doesn't it?"
He doesn't like veterans of the Vietnam War. You can't really say he doesn't like _veterans,_ because he _is_ a veteran; of the _Korean_ War.
Appreciate the comments to let her know the reason and how things were . He did not get grazed it’s just a tactic so they would think he was shot .
The thing he took off his knife and looked at was a compass. Survival knives have one built into the bottom, as well as suture thread and curved needles inside for stitching, or fishing in emergencies, all stored in the handle.
Thanks for letting me know :)
I laughed when you were wondering what was up with his long hair. My Dad had long hair in the 70's and 80's. I was a kid and remember my Dad getting harassed by the cops and store managers/ owners all the time.
Damn that sucks, i'm sorry your dad had to go through that :(
It's not hatred for the Army. It's how as Veterans were treated after Vietnam. I love my country and being a veteran
perfect reaction...you get it.
Thanks for watching :)
The book was published in 1972 and a lot of of vets of that war were treated horribly,it wasn’t like it is now. Even 10 years later when the movie was made treating a veteran like that was seen as being as awful as we know it to be now. People blamed the soldiers for an unpopular war which was just as ridiculous at any time and especially then since so many didn’t choose to enlist but were drafted. It may not be such a great time now but at least we corrected that
You should watch V For Vendetta (2005). There is an amazingly powerful monologue in the film. (there are actually a lot of really powerful scenes)
Will do :)
rambo is the best!!!!
Great reaction to a powerful performance. My government has never wanted warriors to survive war. We are supposed to die and maybe be remembered. All of us come back damaged. The extent of that damage is varied. My emotions are way more visible. Movie reactions are more intense. Songs, movies and memories make me cry. There is more anger and swearing. Not as much as a Shree reaction, but way more for me than before. Years ago I had a flashback triggered by a tornado siren. I've noticed I'm a pessimist now and for some reason I don't care as much about sports or trimming the yard after mowing. Weird huh! So many, though, come back like John and it's sad that we don't appear to care. Worse than that, it's global. I love you got so much from this movie. Thanks for the therapy session. Luv to you and yours.
Take care of yourself. The little things that give you joy matter so do them often. You are home and you are safe and loved by many :) I'm glad you enjoyed this video
@@ShreeNation I appreciate the support. Like I said I'm a mild case. There are people I have worked with for years that had no idea I was a vet. I watched a TH-cam video recently that about the things vets do to help you identify them as vets. I'm in the minority of this process since the only thing I do is shine shoes. Just those that need wax, not those cloth athletic ones. That would be a different behavior problem. Better go. Thanx again.
@@kermitcook8498 See you later!
hey, in the book this movie is based off of, rambo is dirtier and looks like a mountain man with a longer beard then stallone had and they dont realize hes a veteren until after he escapes. and when he escapes he disembowels the man who tried to shave him. So its not so black and white. the police were definatly on an unjustified power trip in the books, but rambo doesnt cooperate and doesnt tell them hes a veteren. its a great book and i highly suggest reading it. the movie is great but as always it sanitizes things to make rambo more likable. he kills a looooot of people. (and the main guy going after him was also a veteren from the korean war, he wasnt just some country cop with no experience)
Re: Not killing the cops chasing him -- It's tactical, if you kill an assailant, that removes one piece from the board. If you injure or maim them, it takes 2 (or more) off usually, the injured party and someone to assist that injured party.
Nice, I never thought of it that way!
My interpretation of why Teague was pissed off the bat was that He saw someone with long hair (for the time) wearing a military jacket, and assumed that it was a hippie disrespecting the uniform. Among many other things, this is a movie about the difference of how Korean and WW2 veterans were treated after coming home, and how Vietnam veterans were treated. Teague strikes me as a former soldier who returned home to a respectful job as a cop.
About the long hair comment: By the 1950's, attitudes toward men's hair length had calcified into the belief that men should have *really* short hair. Like, military buzzcuts were considered ideal, and even mandatory at various workplaces and schools, even amongst civilians. The anti-establishment movements that started developing in the 50s and 60s embraced young men growing their hair longer than was considered "normal." I'm not talking hair-down-to-their-waists, I mean even hair down to their ears or halfway down their foreheads. Stallone's hairstyle in this would have been considered downright hippyish in virtually all small towns and even major cities during the era it's set in.
Also in the book he has a beard and mustache as well. Very few people but the counterculture wore that at that time
Notice sherriff Teesel had war medals behind his desk. He was a Korean war vet, who resented nam vets because of all their press.
They did more than convince Americans to join the war in Vietnam they drafted men, otherwise known as forced conscription. After the shite show known as Vietnam America hasn’t enacted a draft for another war. The 90,s and 2000,s Middle East conflicts were both purely volunteer forces. Which raises morale all across the board both for civilians and military fighting morale. Can’t blame your own government as much when you signed up to be there.
Thank goodness, forcing a war on young men is barbaric
@@ShreeNation if you are following the war between Russia and Ukraine at all. You’ll see that Russias military Is both volunteer and conscription, and they sent a lot of young poor bastards in to die trying to take Ukraine. A lot of TH-cam videos showing captured Russian soldiers barely out of high school lied to, there command telling them they were going to train in the neighboring friendly country of Belarus only to be told to prepare for combat as they crossed the border into Ukraine.
On top of that they were suicidally ordered to push pass the safety of there logistical supply for Russian governments vain hope to take Ukraine within a week, only for there frontline soldiers to be cut off from food, fuel, ammo and medical supplies and be completely dominated by also conscripted and volunteer soldiers armed with western weaponry protecting there homeland.
With Russia being on the wrong side of history in this conflict there militaries morale is extremely low and not only that but due to corruption by there chain of command, much of the Russian militaries equipment is sup par and ill maintenanced causing catastrophic failures in there logistical and tactical abilities as a military. I don’t wish harm to the innocent Russian but they are so neck deep in propaganda they can’t make out there hand from there arse. By there passive acceptance of there governments actions they are allowing the evil to continue.
No government is innocent of corruption or surreptitious actions but that still doesn’t change the fact that Russia is willingly killing Ukrainian citizens. I’ve debated many a Russian propagandist in the last 2 months and many of them like to spell out americas actions in the Middle East as a preemptive attack much like russias against a sovereign nation, and that may be true at some levels.
This doesn’t change the fact that there are humans at this moment as we speak actively destroying another human beings lives. They can still make a choice, the choice to not kill and question why. Many won’t.
@@Penitent_Intent Yes it's absolutely terrifying to see what Russia is doing to Ukranians in their own land. I've only seen videos of soldiers surrendering after capture and they look like they have no idea what's going on and why they are fighting Ukranians.
That monologue is up there with Robin Williams on the park bench in GWH.
That war was labeled, “We don’t talk about that” for about 15 years. It was a huge loss next to the Korean War, where America looked good on the map. But their soldiers rarely came home with drug addictions. This war it was different. Lots of protesters flung to the streets and hated on their own government and troops, yet most of them never left there own state our country. It was a horrible war. Conditions not like America our Europe. And it’s the jungle. Many of my dads friends died. I have 2 uncles that lived through it. Not something they like to talk about. But one writer in the early 80’s found a way to teach/ educate kids and teens on what happened out there. His name is Larry Hama. He was the guy who co founded GIJoe and NAM both comic books from the early 80’s. Good reads. Definitely NAM. Shows that movies like First Blood is kinda close to what a lot of Vets were going through when they came home. Even some of their own families turned them away.
I'm sorry to hear about your dad's friends :( I will check out Larry Hama's works.
Don't forget about the speech Quint gives about the Indianapolis in Jaws. That was the best monologue in cinema.
After this movie I bought a knife just like his with a compass and survival kit inside. It also inspired me to go into the Army so I could "be like Rambo". Was I in for a rude awakening, lol.
The Sheriff has a great reelection campaign. "I git most of the Sheriff's department killed or wounded, including myself. Started a personal war with a Tier 1 combat operator. Caused millions of dollars of damage to the town, left many of you without power for a couple of days, and basically provided a how to guide for walking all over peoples rights, and all this because I wouldn't let a hungry drifter have a sandwich. Vote me."
Filmed at Hope, BC...about 1.5 hr east of Vancouver. One of the first major Hollywood movies produced in Canada.
The ending of this movie never fails to get to me. It's a perfect encapsulation of how men are sacrificed for the interests of the State, and when they return home, they are the ones who get all the criticism and abuse. Most would agree that Vietnam was not a justified war, but the bulk of the criticism should go to those who orchestrated it, lied about it, and sent others to die, including by conscription. It's not by accident either that more Vietnam vets died by suicide than in the actual war.
You can be against war and the military-industrial complex and still treat veterans as human beings who should get proper help to reintegrate into society again.
I agree, hate the system, not the victims of the system.
See the last police officer in the Sheriff's office with the post that Rambo tackles before he got out the door? He really did break his nose! Stallone did one third of the jump from the rock face. He broke a rib falling through the pine trees. See where he was stitching up his arm? Stallone actually went to the emergency room and let them see that he had stitched himself up without any pain killers. They were so impressed that they told him he was a real man! They never realised that this was just a theatrical prop!! First Blood was not filmed in America. It was filmed in Hope, British Columbia, Canada. And the poncho that Rambo made from sacking? Stallone has that framed on his wall.
Fundamentally the way that Rambo is is because of the way Vietnam veterans were treated after they returned to the USA. They were not angry with the US Armed Forces. They were angry with the way they were treated by the US population and the US Government. This plus many had severe PTSD and there was no treatment at all for that back then. They were not welcomed back because the war was controversial/unpopular and public opinion was against it. There was no parade throughout the US for these veterans. They were blamed for the continuation of the Vietnam War.
Imagine arriving home after the hell of Vietnam to be met at the airport by anti war protesters calling you baby killer, spitting on you, and calling you a multitude of other vile crap. Consider the psychological effect of that alone, no matter what you have experienced in Vietnam during the war. Your own people, US citizens treating you in this manner. Then your welcome in many towns across the US was far from rosy as you are identified and persecuted again as a Vietnam veteran, just another baby killer in a war that nobody liked, shunned and kicked out of town at every opportunity. Those poor guys, this was how it was. But these guys in the main were drafted. They had no option. And it was not them that wanted to go to Vietnam, it was the US Government. These guys had served their country, and many of them had died for it.
These soldiers, air force, navy, regular army, draftee's, and special forces, were sent to Vietnam by the US Government and served their country. It might have been an unpopular war, and it was not of the soldiers making, but they served none the less and died for their country. As one former Green Beret who served two tours in Vietnam told me, 'It was not for us to reason why, but just for us to do or die.' That about sums it up. They witnessed all kinds of horror and carnage, and some paid the ultimate price. When they got back they could not wear their uniforms and medals with honor for fear of being victimized and ridiculed by US citizens. Their health care provision was atrociously poor and inadequate. Nobody wanted to hire them for fear of public backlash in identifying the company as supporting the Vietnam war through employment of veterans. Many of them found themselves in paltry poor paying jobs. How shameful was this treatment to men who had served with honor? Atrocious.
Those that coped became alcoholics and drug addicts to ease their pain and suffering. Many committed suicide as they simply could not re-integrate into society. Others could not form any kind of lasting relationship, maintain stability in any form of employment, and many marriages and families broke up because of the veterans demons and flashbacks from the war that constantly haunted them. Many others became unwelcome drifters and vagrants without any financial means, just like Rambo. Fundamentally there was no respect or support for these veterans. And many veterans found that they could not even open up about their experiences, even to their loved ones, because they were so graphically horrific that they had caused their minds to have a mental block. In short a huge mess, and the Vietnam veterans were in the middle of it suffering while the US Government who sent them to Vietnam in the first place did not care in the least about them. This was a case of both the US Public and the US Government letting the Vietnam veterans down wholesale.
Later the US Government realized the plight of Vietnam veterans and provisions were made, with preferential treatment for jobs and other services, but this was far too little far too late. All this should have been dealt with on their return from Vietnam, not years afterwards. It is so similar to the WW1 veterans returning to the UK. They were promised a land fit for hero's, as their reward for their service. What they received was nothing at all except poverty, starvation, and unemployment. But they did not forget that. The UK 1926 general strike came about in part because of this ineptitude by the government.
For me, one of the best monologues besides rambo is in "good will hunting" when robin williams talks to matt damon on the park bench.
:( That movie had me in tears by the end.
In the novel, the sheriff was a Korean War veteran.
They messed with the wrong war veteran in this action adventure thriller.
Harrison Ford, Jon Voight, Tommy Lee Jones, Charles Bronson, James Caan, John Travolta, James Garner, Burt Reynolds, Michael Douglas, Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, Robert Redford, Ryan O'Neal, Dustin Hoffman, Martin Sheen, and Clint Eastwood were considered for Rambo
Damn🤯
What is the National Guard?
(They work civilian jobs until they are needed or report for training)
The National Guard is unique among the U.S. armed forces in that it can perform state as well as federal functions. The Guard is generally called up to respond to state-level emergencies, such as natural disasters. But, unlike most of the other military forces, it can also serve a domestic law enforcement role. Additionally, it can serve missions overseas, which it has done more frequently in recent years.
Thank you for the info :)
Can't wait to check this out after work, First Blood was one hell of a film!
1. The line to buy a Rambo knife for Christmas 1982 was unbelievable.
2. Rambo: First Blood II is even better. He actually kills people in that one.
3. Sly did most of his own stunts. He even broke a rib falling through the trees.
4. This was filmed in British Colombia, Canada.
5. GOOF: The state would know about the situation because the National Guard was used.
6. My favorite character is Colonel Trautman.
6. There's a movie where he stared with Kurt Russel called "Tango and Cash". His character
says "Rambo is a pussy"🤣
In The last action hero. Shwarzenegger made him The Terminator.
Now i cant wait to watch Tango and Cash for that :D
the hangle of the knife had survival stuff in it . milatary issued we had it in the service in dessert storm
Nice!
In the book Rambo uses the razor to open Gult's belly in the cell.
Gult watches his guts spill on his shoes
Me watching this movie at 9 years old completely unprepared for the ending. I was crying on my dad's shoulder at the end.
the shaving/cleaning metaphor was just about control.
In Vietnam there was no choice, a lot of people were drafted with the threat of prison if they refused, made it even more awful that people treated returning Vietnam veterans worse than garbage. Many ended up homeless and living in the streets or under bridges. People still call veterans baby killers and mock the suicide rate for returning veterans. First blood is one of my favorite movies since i was a kid. I watch all 5 films at least once a year
You should check out Rambo: First Blood Part II.
As a Marine brat by both a mom and dad, this movie, along with my parents, has also served as another harsh reminder in an age old saying of any war:
“In war, no one is innocent.”
Thank you, will do :)
There was a novel before the movie. The top cop of that town was a little bit more complex, He was a Korean war vert' that was awarded for braver and hate what he did. He hated veitnam vets because it shatter his American dream. But he has one moment he good when he died in novel. "I am sorry son" . But that is the novel.
It's funny. When this movie debuted, Rambo looked like a street bum criminal. I agreed with the sheriff at first. I wouldn't have wanted him in my town either. But today, Rambo looks and dresses better than the average person.
It was really sad what Vietnam vets had to go through. They were drafted into a war they did not want to be in. They did not volunteer there were forced to go to Vietnam and fight. When they returned hippies would wait for them at the airport and spit on them and call them baby killers. Just like he says in the movie a lot of them cannot hold down the job because people wouldn't hire them. Unlike world war II where the veterans came back with a hero's welcome Vietnam vets didn't get that because America didn't win that war. They got the losers welcome from civilians. I remember when I was a little kid seeing Vietnam vets and they all seemed a little broken and sad. Stallone really captures it at the end of the movie.
That is all a exaggeration, it happened, but not to the degree it's made out to be, all Stallone captured with this totally ridiculous unrealistic story, was money in his bank.
@@65cj55 it's not an exaggeration at all. I personally knew Vietnam vets and I come from a family of army officers. If you think stories like that are an exaggeration then it just shows that either you are very young or you are not from this country. What part do you think was an exaggeration? You do know the counterculture movement shunned Vietnam vets. It's also true that lots of vets suffering from PTSD cannot hold down jobs. Pretending that's an exaggeration is a great disservice.
@@geraldvance7925 Yes i know many as well, i didn't go because of medical issues, but had 5 friends were drafted, 2 refused and suffered for it, they were called many names lost their jobs and were treated very badly as well, but the whole being spat on and called baby killers has been highly exaggerated, i'm not saying it didn't happen but it was nothing like it's made out to be, also yes many suffer PTSD, i'm not denying that, it was horrible, but also many didn't and either stayed on in the Military, or left and went on with life, the whole situation was bad, we shouldn't of been there, and many innocent people, young and old, died from our actions.
@@65cj55 So how do you know it was exaggerated did you take lots of raw data back in the early 70s? I've heard many Vietnam vets say they were called baby killer when they came back. How do you know that it didn't happen more often than your circle of friends told you? Lots of documentaries and first-hand accounts from people saying that vets were disrespected from Vietnam. In the 1990s teenagers who were hippies and followed the grateful Dead would crap on soldiers going to desert Storm. That happened because I witnessed it. Vietnam was not a popular war in America and the way they were ended for the bad taste and lots of Americans mouth. World war II vets where treated like heroes but Vietnam we're disrespected. Even young people today talk trash on Vietnam vets so you cannot tell me that the disrespect was isolated. I've seen footage of people spitting on soldiers so it's not an exaggeration at all.
@@geraldvance7925 Like i said, i'm not denying it happened, but those i know and there circle of friends say it's all exaggerated, one person gets spat at, and before you know it, everyone was spat at, Movies like this help push the narrative, as i said those who refused were treated horrible at home as well, still till today they're labelled Draft Dodgers, Cowards etc etc, buy certain people, but no one talks about them or there mistreatment, why is it like that, the shame and guilt of sending them maybe, also many Vietnam Veterans groups protested this Movie, calling it unrealistic, glorifying War, and portraying them as highly trained killers with super human powers.
Vietnam wasn't a popular war in the US, and vietnam Vets (like my dad) were sort of looked down on... but in the cops case.. he resents Rambo because he (the cop) is a Korean War vet... and that war (which happened in the 50s) was largely forgotten.. where as Vietnam was all anyone could talk about for 10 years. The "long hair" thing was associated with "hippies" or "counterculture" people (as opposed to the 1940s / 50s short crew cut haircuts of "normal people") .. and "old fashioned" guys equated it with communism or just "dirty hippies"... (but it's cool if Jesus had long hair I guess 🤣)
Wow i had no idea, thanks for the info! And I'm sorry to hear about your dad being treated that way :(
@@ShreeNation thank you, though to be honest my dad didnt have it as bad as Rambo 🤣 but he did suffer a lot of PTSD from the war and back then it was still something that usually went untreated.. which led to the stigma of "unhinged vets".. and the PTSD led to a lot of homeless Vietnam vets as well... though luckily that didnt happen to my dad.
26:31 you sound like the right lawyer for rambo
Beautiful vídeo, congrats from Brazil !!!
Thank you very much!
The sheriff was either a conscientious objector,draft dodger or the army didn’t accept him due to some sort of health issue. Either way it would explain his distain for the military.
It's very rare you ever see action films with drama in it, even back then.
Great reaction. Thank you. Vietnam was a dirty war, and America disguised the numbers of men dying by shipping three or four to one coffin. They didn't win so wanted to distance themselves. Those who fought were painted as baby killers.
4:24 "Is there any law against me getting something _here?"_
Oh, sheriff, _come_ on. This man is a _veteran._ And you're a veteran _too,_ albeit from a different war. _You_ know what it's like. You know how tough reintegration can be. Don't run him out of town, and don't just _show_ him to a nice restaurant, _either._ Take him inside. Have a meal with him. Swap a few stories. Pick up the tab when you guys are done, and when you send him on his way, make sure he has a few _bucks_ in his pocket and wish him well. There is _no_ reason the two of you shouldn't get along.
I think because in his mind, he sees veterans like Rambo as being bums who couldn't just shake it off and get back into normal society. Not only was the Vietnam War more recent, it was also televised. A lot of people have an "if I can do it, you should be able to do it too" mindset, and completely ignore that circumstances and context are not always the same between two situations that only seem alike on their face.