Yep. Becaus of his "over the top action star" phase, people forget that he's got a wonderfully subtle and natural acting style that he uses when he has to. I remember reading contemporary reviews for Rocky, and people were comparing him to Marlon Brando. Thankfully, Creed 1 and 2 enabled him to remind people what he's capable of.
@@EricSarahReact If you guys ever have a chance to look up archival footage of the original ending, do so. I won't spoil it for u 2 by saying what happened to J.R. initially. It was the same fate for him as in the novel by David Morrell. Loved your First Blood review BTW☺️💕
the last 10 minutes always hit like 10 tons of bricks and nobody expects it at all and its amazing watching the reaction of when it goes from action movie to a cinematic masterpiece. Its like watching a car full of people having fun singing a song they love and a dog jumps into the road and they have to slam on the brakes and its every reaction. people enjoying a movie they are having fun with and 2 minutes later they are crying and nobodies even dead. You ever get that reaction to shakespeare? Does that make Rambo first blood better then shakespeare? Thats why this is an amazing movie, I've watch 6 reactions to this movie and im so tempted every time to skip to those last 8 minutes just to watch what it does to people and it still hits me every freaking time.
The "Nothing is over" speech was and is Oscar worthy. This film is way deeper than a mere action film. It touched on so many levels of humanity from trauma, abuse of power, illusions of righteousness, even empathy. Such a great film.
And not just Stallone's. One of the best period. I have seen the movie so many times that I just skip right to that part now when watching a new reactor's channel, and cry every time.
The Sheriff in the book was also a combat veteran (I believe in Korea). He didn't know Rambo was a vet and thought he was just a hobo wearing an Army jacket. By the time he found out the truth, he was already in too deep and his ego wouldn't let it go.
When this movie came out, the Rambo knife (and it was a real knife with a metal blade) came out as a “toy” in toy sections of stores. My mom bought me one and I wasn’t allowed to take it out of the house, but it was very cool and had the compass which you could remove. Inside were matches along with a few other items, I can’t remember. Years later my mom said she couldn’t believe I talked her into buying it for me. Thanks mom!
Rambo was my hero as a kid in the 80s. For years during primary and elementary school, I wore a camo Rambo scout belt every day. The buckle said "RAMBO" and had Stallone holding the M60 on it. Shit was awesome .
I remember walking into stores in the mall when I was a kid and seeing the Rambo knife and really, really wanting it (the REAL knife, not the toy). Of course my parents said absolutely NO.
I saw that knife constantly in farmers markets and flea markets. It looked neat, but build quality usually left a little to be desired. And those tiny compasses were crappy.
well... You are right... but... ptsd has been around looong before the vietnam war. every generation has its own name for it. in ww1 it was called shellshock, after that it has been called battle fatigue, combat neurosis, combat disorder, complete exhaustion, and war neurosis... different names, same problem... and noone ever really takes it serious... veterens still come home and fall apart. saw this happen with a close friend who served in afghanistan... he became worse and worse and all he got was pills. One day he trashed his own car and most of his home because he snapped... He told me he just ket destroying things because he was afraid to take it out on his girlfriend.... luckily that was what got the autorities and doctors to take his problems serious and he was given access to a shrink. took him a long time to get back to his loving happy self. So sad to watch from the sidelines. I felt really powerless because we couldn't do anything to help him before it was allmost too late...
Yes but the story was also about how soldiers were treated when the came back after the Vietnam war. People forget that those soldiers were treated horribly when they came home.
@@joee7452 this is a myth read the book The Spitting Image: Myth, Memory and the Legacy of Vietnam by Vietnam veteran and sociology professor Jerry Lembcke. The book is an analysis of the widely believed narrative that American soldiers were spat upon and insulted by anti-war protesters upon returning home from the Vietnam War. it has overwhelming evidence that vietnam vets were not treated badly
Town scenes filmed in the actual town of Hope, British Columbia. According to the novel, Sheriff Teasle had an instant dislike to Rambo simply because he detested vets from the Vietnam War, being a vet of the Korean War himself, sort of had a "my war was better than yours" prideful attitude...
The movie originally ended with Rambo dying, using Trautman's sidearm to shoot himself. Stallone objected to the ending because he felt it was sending the wrong message to struggling veterans
If you pay real close attention in Rambo 4, you can see that deleted scene in one of the 'flashbacks' that Rambo is having before he gets ready to leave on his mission upriver.
This is one of my favorite movies to see people react to, mainly because nobody expects the final scene where John Rambo breaks down. It's such a powerful scene and it surprised me too when I first watched this. Good reaction! I'm glad you two watched this
One of the things that I really love about this movie is the way it humorously skewers "weekend warriors" who think owning a gun and some fatigues makes them a real soldier. And of course Trautman is is hilarious, packing enough one-liners to make Arnold jealous
Guys , this was filmed in Canada , don't know where exactly but in Canada not the US . That ending brings me to tears every time , best performance by Stallone ever IMHO !
Have you seen F.I.S.T. (1978)? One of the best films that hardly anybody saw (relatively speaking)--and I will go on record as saying that I have not seen Stallone do finer acting than he shows in F.I.S.T. Yet because it was wedged in between ROCKY and ROCKY II, it missed a bigger audience. The whole world was still wrapped up in Rocky-Mania. The idea of Stallone in a movie _not_ about boxing was, at the time, not seen as particularly appetising to audiences. No disrespect to his work in FIRST BLOOD, yet the character that Stallone plays, John Rambo, is basically the same person from start to finish. Rambo shows various moods, yes, but he's always tightly-wound John Rambo, even in his serene moments. F.I.S.T. sees Stallone play a character who changes greatly over the course of many years, going from a frustrated manual labourer to a powerful labour leader. I won't say anything else about his character in the film, you can see it for yourself. It's an excellent movie.
If you noticed after finding out his buddy had passed away, he threw his address book away. It was sad because to him he had no one left... Fort Bragg is a military base in North Carolina. It's one of the largest in the country. Home of the 82nd Airborne and also Special Commands Operations.
They are renaming it because Bragg was a Confederate General, and for no other reason. But now, like so many forts, it's proud history will be hidden behind a new name.
@@remo27 it's proud history was established by the men and women who've come and gone throughout the years, not the person it was named after who actually waged war against this nation. The majority of the base including officers feel it should be renamed.
@@bigb2494 I doubt if you asked people who had been at that base at the past the same question you'd get the same answer. And fact is, given the politics of the current Armed Services(Where you actually have old military families telling their sons and daughters NOT to join), I'm surprised you'd have anyone sticking up for the old name. The real issue is that this is a partial erasure of history. When people refer to Fort Bragg in the future people will have to do research to find out what base they are talking about. Many people are lazy and won't bother. And it's very possible that some even more censorious regime might come about in the future and try to erase all references to the old name from the internet, from old documents, etc. History can easily be changed or hidden in this manner. I'm also sick of your simplistic history: there's a reason we put Confederate names on things, and it didn't so much have to do with slavery or Jim Crow or any of that crap as it did a healing factor for the nation. We could recognize that even SOME of the 'enemy' were worth honoring.After all, lots of federal fortifications were downright designed and built by Robert E. Lee. Nowadays you just have race hustlers and people that want to bring up grievances that should stay dead.
@@remo27 first you don't know anything about me and you're even contradicting yourself. I was there for 4 years, I had 2 brothers there, 3 nephews there and plenty of friends and relatives still there. History is passed down by telling the truth, not honoring and immortalizing those who inflict atrocities and so much hurt and hate on others. The same people who also pay taxes that keep those facilities active and also have people who bore the brunt of being on the other end of that past. Go to Germany and point out one place or monument to Hitler and his regime and maybe your point will have some legitimacy.
They messed with the wrong war veteran in this action adventure thriller! Before Stallone was cast as John Rambo, Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, Clint Eastwood, Warren Beatty, James Caan, James Garner, Burt Reynolds, Kris Kristofferson Nick Nolte, Kurt Russell, Jeff Bridges, Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, Robert Redford, Ryan O'Neal, Dustin Hoffman, Martin Sheen, John Travolta, and Harrison Ford were considered for the part. Kirk Douglas was cast as Col Sam Trautman but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts and Rock Hudson was considered until Richard Crenna was cast as Trautman. Stallone actually broke his ribs while he was falling out of the tree during the stunt.
If you read the novel, it is even better than the film, with a different ending and many differences, but what you will understand is why Will Teasle (the Sherriff) had the attitude he had, and refused Rambo a meal in town. It really did not have anything to do with drifters or vagrants. First Blood was filmed in Hope, British Columbia, Canada. The final guy in the Sheriff's office that Rambo tackles, well he really did break his nose! The bike scenes were undertaken by a motocross world champion. One third of the rock face jump Stallone did himself into the pine trees. He broke a rib on the branches. See when Rambo was stitching his wound? Stallone actually went to the emergency room, and they were all praising him for being such a man having stitched up the wound without any pain killers. They never realized that in actual fact it was a theatrical prop! That poncho Rambo made out of sack cloth? Stallone has it framed on a wall in his house. Stallone also went into a bar in Hope with many tough loggers, dressed as Rambo. But he ordered up his favorite drink which was a Campari and soda. The bar man looked amazed, and the whole bar went quiet, after which Stallone realized his tough man image was gone and made an exit stage right. Stallone later realized that he should have ordered a whiskey and told the bar man to leave the bottle on the bar. And the Green Beret's? I knew as my good friend a former Green Beret who undertook two tours in Vietnam as a sergeant platoon leader, finally being medevacked out to Japan with three wounds after a fire fight in which three of his platoon and sixteen of the enemy forces were killed. He had a purple heart medal and star which means that he had been wounded in action on two separate occasions. I saw all of his wounds, and one in particular in the arm was severe. You could even see the bullet path, and a lot of his right hand inner upper arm muscle mass had gone. You can take it from me, these guys are the best of the best, both highly trained and highly skilled with weapons/knives/their bare hands. Green Beret's can live off the land and adapt to any climate or terrain. They are true warriors. Are the Green Beret's elite special forces? Yes! My friend was one of an intake of one hundred wannabe's to the Green Beret selection course. Two people passed the course. My friend was one of those two. As he mentioned the selection course was hell, but that was just the beginning. After that came lots of very specialized training. If I was in a war I would certainly like to have the Green Beret's on my side because to come up against them in combat is the enemies worst nightmare. I never knew why Stallone did not get an Oscar for this performance. The last ten minute monologue of the film alone was so powerful he deserved that. Stallone actually asked real Vietnam veterans whether they were satisfied with his performance in the film. They said that he had done the Vietnam veterans proud.
I'm not saying I like to see people unhappy but watching your faces turn less and less happy during that end scene says it all. The best moments of Stallone's career and an actually harrowing portrayal of real PTSD. I thought this was the "boring" Rambo movie when I was a kid. Now I know it's the best one. And man...that breakdown scene, as an adult, after being in the military myself, hits WAAAAY harder. I never fail to tear up. Every time..
Brian Denehey was so great in movies, of course he was the bad guy but his character had many layers and was conflicted in my opinion and Brian’s performance really showed this, as you can see in the beginning the town people loved him and he did what he thought was best for the citizens and it got out of hand especially because of his idiot brother in law, he shared blame of course but maybe not as evil as many think, his brother in law was just a bad guy period, that’s my opinion anyway, thanks always enjoy your reactions and analysis
Quite the lovefest for a corrupt sheriff. Brian Hennessey's character was a small town bully with a big ego who didn't have the slightest qualm about violating Rambo's rights. Everything he did was completely illegal and the reason why so many people hate the cops today.
The written story is pretty much as you explain it here. The sheriff was indeed not such a bad guy, he had been a soldier in Korea if i remember right. He just couldn't let go.
@@alainvosselman9960 ah ok thanks, yes I was just going off of Brian’s portrayal of him, he seemed to try and keep everything under control but Galt kept abusing Rambo and pushed him over the edge which then went off the rails , kind of like mayor Vaughan in Jaws, he’s a villain because he wanted to keep the beaches open but he had tax paying citizens and their businesses to worry about, all he knew was that there was a possible shark attack, but after the Kintner boy was ate he then closed the beaches for 24hrs, he was in a tough spot you saw how they reacted even for a 24 hr closing , again not being a bad or good guy just doing what he thought was best for the town, same as the Sheriff, he wasn’t abusive like the deputy Galt but probably abusing his authority by arresting Rambo probably unlawfully as portrayed by Denehey, all im saying is the writing and acting in these movies have more dimensions to the characters and their situations than just being good and bad and I find that interesting
@@thunderstruck5484 Good assessment ! You can listen to the audio book on you tube if you haven't .. it's quite worth it.. you get the in-depth version. The stuck very close to the original story line and characters with the movie.
i mean sure he may have had layers, especially in the book but it got out of hand the minute he tried to keep john from simply existing in "his" city. the arrest was complete bs and just because he thinks he does it for the good of the city doesnt give him the right to do what he did.
If you're ever driving between Vancouver and Kelowna, you can stop in Hope along the way. The main street still looks and feels like it did 40+ years ago when this was filmed.
People forget that the first one was suppose to be the only movie period. In the story he dies at the end, the colonel kills him in that police station scene. The test viewing with the original ending did not go over well with audiences so they changed it so he lived. The other movies were just action movies built off of the name.
Love how the suspension in this movie is exploited as it should be, full of action and packed with cool stunts as well as the cat & mouse element to it, the fact that Rambo is of the silent type adding to his character this mysterious layer... and at the same time you can't see the emotionally climaxing, brutal end sneaking upon you which makes it so powerful. Stallone was often laughed at but this was one of my favorite teen movies.
Also Jack Starrett played Galt the brother in law who fell out of helicopter, he directed one of my favorite drive in movies “Race with the Devil “ with Warren Oates and Peter Fonda, excellent thriller from 1975, thanks again
Unfortunately only a few years later after his role as Galt in First Blood, Jack Starrett died in 1989 from long term alcoholism and died of kidney failure at age 52
Greetings and Love from Germany again 💚. Great reaction as always, especialy the running time of 40-45 minutes. Thanks, cause there are alot of reacters who edit their react video down to only 20-25 min. Thats sad and i asked myself 'why'. Well, i know. To tease people for bcomming a patreon. However..here, just some side notes/ fun facts... The action takes place in the fictional town of Hope in Washington and the surrounding area. Filming locations in Canada were Hope, British Columbia, Golden Ears Provincial Park, Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park and other parts of Canada. There are interesting documentaries on RUclips that show what the locations of famous films, including 'Rambo', look like today. The result of his stunt into the trees was four broken ribs and the deep cut on his right arm, which he actually sewed up himself (probably under anesthetic). You can see the scar in some scenes from other movies if you look close. For example in 'Rocky III'. I wish you a peaceful weekend, my friends 💚 & stay safe
Don't know if you two have seen "Cop Land" but well worth the watch. Stallone is a small town cop and a more normal person. Great cast with him, Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Harvey Keitel and a few others you will recognize.
When Sylvester Stallone jumped through the trees (which he did for real, but from a lower height than it appears) when he landed on the branch the pained yellow was real because he broke a rib. Also, when he yells and pulls the rats off himself in the mineshaft, his pain was again real because one of the rats actually bit him.
This was filmed in Hope, BC Canada. I've traveled through there and camped in BC forests exactly like this (some even thicker). It's incredibly beautiful but also dangerous enough on its own without a bunch of yahoo cops running around.
Fantastic social commentary about returning Vietnam vets. The ending is definitely the cherry on top of this movie. The other “Rambo” movies are very different than this one, which was initially titled simply as “First Blood”. It wasn’t until the sequels that “Rambo” was added to this movie’s title.
col. troutman was the original cinematic hype man. that trend of guys telling you how well trained and badass a character is started with him. and the guy playing is pretty chill. he actually played a parody of himself in "hot shots: part duex". he's actually pretty damn funny.
This movie is my favorite movie of all time. I saw it in theaters when I was 12. It changed my life. I joined the Army because of this film. The original movie was 3 1/2 hours long. the fight in the woods was 45 minutes in itself. Stallone hated the movie. He tried to buy it so nobody would see it. But, that didn't work so they edited it to what you just watched. That line "In town you're the law, out here it's me." is one of the best lines ever written. Now that you've seen the movie, you need to read the book. It's completely different. Rambo is not the hero you root for. His PTSD is so extreme and visceral. But, the book gives you true insight into what and why Will acted like he did, and it gets into Rambo's head and thoughts. The book is every bit as good as the movie, but in a completely different way.
That ending scene is brilliant, and elevates an otherwise "just" great action flick to a whole new level. Unfortunately the Rambo series took a turn to pure mindless action.
Not at all. Each Rambo film deals with specific issues and have moments of drama. The action set pieces get crazier, but that's the "dumb action" people compls8n about, but uts typically very good action.
@@ravissary79 Really, Rambo II & III are basically cash grab 80s action movie sequels. It's too bad they didn't try to be as serious as the first movie.
Everytime I see the last few minutes of this movie I remember my father. He was not some super soldier like Rambo but a part of him was left in Vietnam that he never got back. He had nightmares and flashbacks and he too was spit on coming home. My father was proud of his service though. As a veteran myself, this movie shows how one war can break a man. What is even sadder is in the book Troutman kills Rambo.
your father might have said he was spat on but you should read the The Spitting Image: Myth, Memory and the Legacy of Vietnam by Vietnam veteran and sociology professor Jerry Lembcke. The book is an analysis of the widely believed narrative that American soldiers were spat upon and insulted by anti-war protesters upon returning home from the Vietnam War. Lembcke contrasts the absence of credible evidence of spitting by anti-war activists with the large body of evidence showing a mutually supportive, empathetic relationship between veterans and anti-war forces. A persistent but unfounded criticism leveled against those who protested in opposition to the Vietnam War is that they spat upon and otherwise derided returning soldiers, calling them "baby-killers". During the late 1980s and early 1990s, years after the Vietnam War ended, the proliferation of these spitting stories increased greatly. As both a Vietnam veteran and a member of the anti-war movement, Lembcke knew this criticism ran counter to what he personally experienced and witnessed. To the contrary, one of the hallmarks of the period's anti-war movement was its support for the troops in the field and the affiliation of many returning veterans with the movement. Lembcke was motivated to look further into the truth and origins of this spat-upon veteran myth, and the contradiction between historical fact and popular collective memory. Other observers had already noticed the proliferation of stories and questioned whether the spitting stories even made sense. In 1987, columnist Bob Greene noted: Even during the most fervent days of anti-war protest, it seemed that it was not the soldiers whom protesters were maligning. It was the leaders of government, and the top generals-at least, that is how it seemed in memory. One of the most popular chants during the anti-war marches was, "Stop the war in Vietnam, bring the boys home." You heard that at every peace rally in America. "Bring the boys home." That was the message. Also, when one thought realistically about the image of what was supposed to have happened, it seemed questionable. So-called "hippies," no matter what else one may have felt about them, were not the most macho people in the world. Picture a burly member of the Green Berets, in full uniform, walking through an airport. Now think of a "hippie" crossing his path. Would the hippie have the nerve to spit on the soldier? And if the hippie did, would the soldier-fresh from facing enemy troops in the jungles of Vietnam-just stand there and take it?
Sheriff is a Korean war vet, you can see the medals behind him when he's at his desk...book went into it more...Korean and ww2 vets looked down on Vietnam vets...
Great to see you guys choosing such a classic. I remember watching this when i was younger and really loving all the action, Looking back now its got some cheesy moments but overall i still really like it. The scenery and location is absolutely stunning and while some of the performances arent ten out of ten Stallone really caries this movie for me, I remember watching the scene at the end with Stallone breaking down and all of a sudden getting really emotional. The rest of the movies in the franchise are okay in my opinion, They are more action heavy and focus less on the story like this one does, they are fine and still very entertaining to watch just quite different from this one. Wonderful Reaction
The Sad part back then was, when our vets came back from Vietnam, That's how they were treated. After Desert Storm, we began to Realize that we could Hate the Wars but still love the heroes we put in harm's way. But the Sad Part today is, Today's Adults get "PTSD" from what we would've considered "Minor Annoyances" Back 30 years ago. The Thing about Teasle was, in those Small Towns They were Wary about Drifters. Thefts, Drugs, Bar Fights and Vandalism sometimes followed. And when you let one in, soon more would Follow. In the Novel, Teasle was a Korean War vet. They didn't get Parades when they returned either but they weren't Spit on like the 'Nam vets. The Novel also has a different ending.
The biggest reason the Sheriff had a problem with Rambo, is that the Sheriff was a Korean War Vet, and the Korean War is basically the forgotten war that nobody talks and the men who fought in were forgotten, and that Rambo was a Vietnam Vet, and he's mad that the Vietnam Vets were getting so much attention.
Pity they did not mention this, it would make Rambo/Sheriff dynamic more interesting. Also, book Rambo was more of an unhinged guy, killing people in his way, not recognizing his commander if i remember correctly. I like the movie, but would not mind seeing a more faithful adaptation.
Keep in mind that in Rambo's head he is inside an enemy stronghold (town) so he goes after the fuel depot and motorpool then ammunition storage then power supply then the enemy leader......also Stallone shouldve gotten an Oscar only for the last monologue
This movie has elements that people just don't want to face but I am so glad they were brought to light in this movie. The police officers had no right being police officers; they abused people that they should of have been protecting. Will should have just brought John a breakfast and said thank you for your service but he was the catalyst for the events that followed. I just cannot imagine coming home from war. He followed terrible orders from his superiors and fought with courage for his country. Then comes back to the very country he was protecting with his life and he gets abused from every angle. Thely were true events of how Vietnam Vetrans were treated. Shameful for those who showed such disrespect. This is one of my favorite movies with Stallone's epic breakdown at the end. Thank you for your great reaction!
Stallone really should have gotten an oscar for this movie just for the last 10 minutes alone. When.he's telling the story of the shoe shine kid in Veitnam.
David Morrell's novel is much more depressingly violent in tone as well as in message. The difference from the film's script in these aspects is so great that Stallone and the producers decided to "soften it up". The film is a signal about the social problem that PTSD represents. What makes this film very valuable and courageous. But the novel is an announcement about the consequences of waging wars all over the world and will turn men into super soldiers, killing machines, to later not know how to control them. In short, "you have to deal with the consequence of your sins."
Fun fact: Stallone did the stunt at 15:34 himself and was injured so badly he died but after 2 days of surgery, praying and essential oils his brain function returned and he was able to finish the movie
Great reaction! You know when I was a kid I hated that sherriff, but now I kind of understand where he's coming from. "It's a boring town, and I'd like to keep it that way." Of course he didn't have a clue who he was talking to and how he was currently feeling. He could have stopped off at the diner and bought Rambo a meal and had some nice conversation, then drove him to the next city-lines. But naw he had to push it... he had to pull the tiger's tail...
Breaking the law, trampling on a civilians rights, lying, and generally being stupid, just to keep the town boring? Hard to understand that, especially if your job is to enforce the law.
The hardest transition I've ever faced in leaving the military and trying to deal with civilian life. Still haven't fully transitioned and I've been out since 1991. It sucks!
It's explaind in the novel but not the movie; Dennehy's character is a Korean War veteran, and his dislike of John Rambo was because Vietnam vets got the attention. They got the medals, the people defending them. They had people protesting the illnesses picked up while in the service. Korean War vets had none of that. They still don't, not really, so it's easy to see where the man's disgruntlement comes from, and how it boiled over. He was a man who was tired being left behind by society, and here comes this young man representing the vets who couldn't have been forgotten if they wanted to be. The anger is misplaced, but understandable.
Funfact: This movie was shot in 1980-81 before Stalone was super famous. He made that tree jump himself but broke two ribs on the way down. They had to stop filming until he recovered.
Had a co-worker and friend who was a tiunnel rat. He went into tunnels dug by Viet Cong and North Vietnamese because he was small, armed only with a .45. He was spit on at the San Franscisco airport. A coworker had a photo album in his locker filled with pictures of bodies. A classmate was Darwin Judge, the last American killed in Vietnam defending the US Embassy. Another friend who enlisted with some high school buddies to serve their country and were spit on when they returned. That was the atmosphere then. You see a Viet Nam vet today, shake their hand and say a prayer for them and their peace. When I turned 18, they stopped calling for the draft, otherwise I would have gone too.
"Congratulations, they said, you've got what it takes! They sent him back into the rat race without any brakes. They took a clean cut kid And they made a killer out of him is what they did." - Bob Dylan
The sheriff's attitute to rambo is better explained in the book, the sheriff and gault were korean war vets, which is often called America's forgotten war because everyone remem ers WW2 and nam but noone remembers korea, and his determination to catch rambo when he escapes was his way of showing that korean war vets were just as good as their nam counterparts Ironically in the book, the sheriff was the good guy, and rambo was some crazy psycho vet that just outrught murders people. But stallone did such a good job at showing how he was just messed up due to PTSD that when audiences saw the original ending where rambo died they were in uproar so they had to reshoot it to what we got
@@EricSarahReact The book ends differently from the movie also. They filmed that scene of the original ending. It's on RUclips titled first blood the death of john rambo.
I will say that a lot of younger viewers that see this movie mention PTSD which when the movie came out wasn't actually a thing people understood. I'm glad that PTSD is now recognized as a legitimate problem and is being address on a more realistic level today than back in the 1980's.
Interesting fact… Stallone himself did the stunt where he leaped from the cliff into the trees. The point where he slams into the branch and cries out, “Agh, Jesus!” is not acting. He really did crack a rib or two when he hit that branch.
I was born into an Army family. My Dad retired after 39 years service when I was 26, by which time I had just entered service myself. I first saw this film when I was 13. Of course back then it was just an action film. Now as an adult, the final scene is pretty much the whole meaning of the film. Within the first 18 months of my service I had been on 2 operations, the second one being particularly intense. I'd worked 18hr days, 7 days a week, and there'd been a lot of events during the tour. Now here I was back home, but not the same as when I left. Long story short, during the new years events, 3 months after coming back, I knew something was wrong when the fireworks going off triggered me. Just a week later and I was back at work, not knowing what I should do. Part of my job was running shooting ranges. How was I supposed to do that in the state that I was. After a lot of contemplation I went to see the Doctor to get a referral and just broke down crying in the Doctor's office. I went on to have about 8 months of weekly sessions with a counsellor which gave me time to process the things I'd seen and experienced. Treatment for PTSD is very complicated and it is not a cure. I was able to process a lot with the help I got, but that doesn't mean the memories are any different. It's just complicated, but 20+ years on and at least, unlike many of my military brothers and sisters, I am still here. Lost count of the number of those that couldn't cope and chose the only way out they thought they had. I've seen this film a number of times since and Stallone portrays the long term effects of combat extremely well as evidenced by your reaction. There are many films I could recommend that you may not be aware of, from many different genres, so here's a few of what I think are some of the best: The Princess Bride, The Thin Red Line, Good Will Hunting, The Mission, It's A Wonderful Life, Shawshank Redemption, Schindler's List, Forrest Gump, The Green Mile, Leon, The Big Blue, Heat, The Rock, Lawrence of Arabia, Full Metal Jacket.
This film is a great example how to set stakes for a movie. This film basically started the "action movie" genre, and there is ONE death in it. The police and National Guard soldiers are all given first names, and we see the same guys over and over, carrying the wounds from their earlier fights - they are not disposable bad guys, so seeing one of them get stabbed in the leg carries a lot more impact than seeing faceless goon #23 get shot. Since Rambo started the movie not doing anything wrong and didn't really mean to kill the one guy who fell from the helicopter, every act of violence is an escalation, and if he intentionally killed the Sheriff at the end then that would be an unprecedented level of violence. By keeping the character motivations (and violence) small scale and letting them escalate, the movie sets itself in a more real world, and things that should be really bad (like a single person dying) are treated as if they are really bad. Instead of going typical Hollywood "bigger, badder, more violent, save the whole world" all of the stakes are treated as small scale things that would matter to one person or a small community, which makes it matter more to us as the audience. It's a great way to write a movie; bigger stunts and a higher body count would make the film matter less, and would make the personal, emotional ending seem out of place.
Get the book. The original story details Rambo's inner thoughts and motivations and Teasle's and Trautman's. Unlike Rambo's PTSD, which he had been suffering from for a few years, Teasle, on the other hand, had suffered from PTSD for decades due to his heroic actions (yes, not a typo) when he served as a US Marine in the Korean conflict. Something that is alluded to in the movie but never expounded upon. You can see Teasle's medals from the conflict displayed on top of his desk in the film. In the book, Teasle and Rambo both had problems in their childhood. Rambo's father was an alcoholic and a domestic abuser. Rambo's mother was the primary victim of his father's abuse, but he internalized the pain and became a victim himself. Teasle's mother was a devout catholic who died while in childbirth and his father was killed by accident. He was then raised by his father's best friend. I won't tell you what happened to his adoptive father, so you must read the book. I can say you will be surprised. These traumas occurred when both characters were children, and they affected them in different ways. Rambo and Teasle sought escape from their domestic situations and joined the military. Both characters found the regimental life of warriors fulfilling. But neither found solace in that atmosphere. Teasle tried to bring the professionalism of a military mindset to the civilian world, particularly law enforcement ancillary to his marriage. He craved openness but internally was more comfortable being alone and not being told what to do. Sound familiar? After his internment and escape from a POW camp and regret over his experiences during the war-Rambo sought acceptance within the communities he found himself in. Unfortunately, his PTSD and attire made him appear a counter-cultural outcast and less than a patriotic citizen, e.g., a hippie troublemaker. In truth, Rambo wanted his military service to "count for something", but he was constantly disrespected in a situations that would put him in 'war mode'. As he traveled the USA, more than one individual tried to mess with him. Unfortunately for them, and due to his training and (psychosis), Rambo delt with these individuals as one would on the battlefield, with no remorse or mercy. Both men hated and cherished their military experiences, but neither would admit they were victims.
Thanks to this performance, Sylvester Stallone was nominated for an Oscar for best actor. First Blood or Rambo (for Latin America) is an essential film for your video library.
In the book John kills all the deputies and the kid and his Dad who were out hunting. At the end, after John's impassioned speech, Trautman shoots him in the head because he is just too far gone. Very sad but much more poignant ending. It drives home what we were doing to our boys coming home from that war. The studio however smelled sequel dollar signs so Rambo lived.
No, they didn't smell sequel dollar signs until _after_ FIRST BLOOD became a hit. The ending had nothing to do with the studio. That was Stallone's call. Not every movie that Stallone made early in his career was a huge success. The popularity of FIRST BLOOD was never guaranteed.
Going to be honest with you, I clicked on this video by accident, but then I heard you say that you were "back with another video", and you pronounced the word "another" correctly, and didn't say "AY-nother" like most of these other idiots do, so you earned my 'Like' because of that.
4:55 One of the things everyone misses is that while the Sheriff is mocking Rambo for having a flag on his jacket, the Sheriff has a flag on his jacket.
The first Rocky and First Blood are kind of different movies than what the franchises became. Rocky came back to it's emotional roots (although it kept it's identity better than the Rambo movies ... ). I wonder what Stallone would be if these movies were a little less popular.
Sheriff Will Teasle was a Korean War hero who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for Valor. It is the second-highest award the country can bestow upon a soldier. In his generation soldiers kept their hair high and tight and if they had a vice it was alcohol. Vietnam was a different mindset in the 60's. The Boomers were split with a lot of Hippies burning their draft cards and getting college deferments. They hated the war and everything about it. The press hated Nixon (who got the US into Vietnam) and hammered the people with negative images and lies in order to hurt Nixon politically. The stories they sent back from the war dealt with "atrocities" and drug use. The soldiers were experiencing a new kind of warfare that didn't follow the established "rules". They came back to a country that hated them for not refusing to go to war, for fighting in the war, for doing things that they never did while they were in the war, for doing things that they had to do while they were in the war, and then they hated them for "not winning the war". There is no way to overstate how poorly the Vietnam veterans were treated. Then the real problems began. Shortly after midnight on July 12th, 1973 a fire was reported at the National Personnel Records Center military personnel records building in St. Louis, MO. Firefighters arrived on the scene only 4 minutes and 20 seconds after the first alarm sounded and entered the building. While they were able to reach the burning sixth floor, the heat and the smoke forced the firefighters to withdraw at 3:15am. In order to combat and contain the flames, firefighters were forced to pour great quantities of water onto the exterior of the building and inside through broken windows. The fire burned out of control for 22 hours; it took two days before firefighters were able to re-enter the building. The blaze was so intense that local Overland residents had to remain indoors, due to the heavy acrid smoke. It was not until July 16, nearly four and a half days after the first reports, that the local fire department called the fire officially out. During the long ordeal, firefighters faced severe problems due to insufficient water pressure. Exacerbating the situation, one of the department's pumper trucks broke down after 40 hours of continuous operation. Numerous times, the fire threatened to spread down to the other floors; but firefighters were successful in halting its advance. In all, it took the participation of 42 fire districts to combat the disastrous blaze. Due to the extensive damages, investigators were never able to determine the source of the fire. That fire destroyed about 80% of the records held for veterans between November 1, 1912 and January 1, 1960. It destroyed about 75% of the records held for Air Force veterans discharged between September 25th, 1947 to January 1, 1964. However, this took YEARS to establish, and in the meantime the military wasn't able to tell who was who. There were homeless drifters all across the country claiming to be Vietnam Veterans, taking advantage of people and causing trouble. Many of them were ex-Hippies from the 60's just trying to score their next hit of drugs. My father saw this from both sides: A highly-decorated Vietnam Special Forces veteran (Airborne Ranger LRRP team leader) who came back to be a Minneapolis Police Officer for 30 years. This was one of his favorite films. Think about what the Sheriff's words were: "You know wearin' that flag on that jacket...lookin' the way you do... You're askin' for trouble around here Friend.", and later "If you want some friendly advice: Get a haircut and take a bath. You might not get hassled so much." In context of the times it would be more obvious that Teasle sees a long-haired freak in an Army jacket walking though HIS town, and he feels that soldiers should be squared-away folks who keep an appearance like him. Short hair, clean...tidy. Vietnam wasn't "tidy", especially the Special Forces units. At any other time in John Rambo's life he might have just shrugged and kept walking, but his last remaining happy thought literally died last year of cancer, and John didn't even know about it until a few days ago. He didn't have much at this point, so he really didn't care to just "move on". He had a right to be there. He knew he wasn't going to cause "trouble". His "look" was the same "look" his country wanted when he was so successful he had been awarded the nation's HIGHEST honor. If this small-town hick Sheriff wanted to push, then John would simply push back a little. He wasn't violent until Galt got rough with him, he was simply not cooperating. Will wasn't aware of Galt's violence - in fact Galt immediately went submissive when Will appeared and asked what was going on. I've always felt Will Teasle and John Rambo could easily have been fast friends had they met at the local VFW over a beer. It was a shame for both that they met on that highway. Oh, Ft. Bragg houses the 1st Special Forces Command. Stallone did a lot of the stunts, including falling through that tree. He broke a rib hitting that final branch
Stallone was brilliant in this and the last 10 minutes prove his acting ability
Well said!
Yep. Becaus of his "over the top action star" phase, people forget that he's got a wonderfully subtle and natural acting style that he uses when he has to. I remember reading contemporary reviews for Rocky, and people were comparing him to Marlon Brando.
Thankfully, Creed 1 and 2 enabled him to remind people what he's capable of.
@@EricSarahReact If you guys ever have a chance to look up archival footage of the original ending, do so. I won't spoil it for u 2 by saying what happened to J.R. initially. It was the same fate for him as in the novel by David Morrell. Loved your First Blood review BTW☺️💕
the last 10 minutes always hit like 10 tons of bricks and nobody expects it at all and its amazing watching the reaction of when it goes from action movie to a cinematic masterpiece. Its like watching a car full of people having fun singing a song they love and a dog jumps into the road and they have to slam on the brakes and its every reaction. people enjoying a movie they are having fun with and 2 minutes later they are crying and nobodies even dead. You ever get that reaction to shakespeare? Does that make Rambo first blood better then shakespeare? Thats why this is an amazing movie, I've watch 6 reactions to this movie and im so tempted every time to skip to those last 8 minutes just to watch what it does to people and it still hits me every freaking time.
That and when he is machine gunning everything. That's always a crowd pleaser 😁
The "Nothing is over" speech was and is Oscar worthy. This film is way deeper than a mere action film. It touched on so many levels of humanity from trauma, abuse of power, illusions of righteousness, even empathy. Such a great film.
37:50 "Nothing is over! Nothing!"
great reaction to Stallone's best 5 minutes on film.
And not just Stallone's. One of the best period. I have seen the movie so many times that I just skip right to that part now when watching a new reactor's channel, and cry every time.
@@MS-ro9dm i agree completely ruclips.net/video/qxVrCUYS-KM/видео.html
Not even close. I've seen Stallone do much, much better than that scene. Even in FIRST BLOOD itself, Stallone has much better moments.
The Sheriff in the book was also a combat veteran (I believe in Korea). He didn't know Rambo was a vet and thought he was just a hobo wearing an Army jacket. By the time he found out the truth, he was already in too deep and his ego wouldn't let it go.
When this movie came out, the Rambo knife (and it was a real knife with a metal blade) came out as a “toy” in toy sections of stores. My mom bought me one and I wasn’t allowed to take it out of the house, but it was very cool and had the compass which you could remove. Inside were matches along with a few other items, I can’t remember. Years later my mom said she couldn’t believe I talked her into buying it for me. Thanks mom!
Rambo was my hero as a kid in the 80s. For years during primary and elementary school, I wore a camo Rambo scout belt every day. The buckle said "RAMBO" and had Stallone holding the M60 on it. Shit was awesome .
Remember the rocket launcher toy?
I remember walking into stores in the mall when I was a kid and seeing the Rambo knife and really, really wanting it (the REAL knife, not the toy). Of course my parents said absolutely NO.
I saw that knife constantly in farmers markets and flea markets.
It looked neat, but build quality usually left a little to be desired.
And those tiny compasses were crappy.
Yep. Certificate 18 action films, with toys for kids. What the hell were they thinking? They had the Rambo cartoon too...
This was in a time before we understood PTSD or what it really was... It's movies like this that really served as a spotlight..
well... You are right... but... ptsd has been around looong before the vietnam war. every generation has its own name for it. in ww1 it was called shellshock, after that it has been called battle fatigue, combat neurosis, combat disorder, complete exhaustion, and war neurosis... different names, same problem... and noone ever really takes it serious... veterens still come home and fall apart. saw this happen with a close friend who served in afghanistan... he became worse and worse and all he got was pills. One day he trashed his own car and most of his home because he snapped... He told me he just ket destroying things because he was afraid to take it out on his girlfriend.... luckily that was what got the autorities and doctors to take his problems serious and he was given access to a shrink. took him a long time to get back to his loving happy self. So sad to watch from the sidelines. I felt really powerless because we couldn't do anything to help him before it was allmost too late...
Also known originally as Shell Shock
Yes but the story was also about how soldiers were treated when the came back after the Vietnam war. People forget that those soldiers were treated horribly when they came home.
@@joee7452they were treated like shit more by the government and like the sheriff here, ex Korean war heroes, who saw their war as a more "just" war.
@@joee7452 this is a myth read the book The Spitting Image: Myth, Memory and the Legacy of Vietnam by Vietnam veteran and sociology professor Jerry Lembcke. The book is an analysis of the widely believed narrative that American soldiers were spat upon and insulted by anti-war protesters upon returning home from the Vietnam War. it has overwhelming evidence that vietnam vets were not treated badly
Town scenes filmed in the actual town of Hope, British Columbia. According to the novel, Sheriff Teasle had an instant dislike to Rambo simply because he detested vets from the Vietnam War, being a vet of the Korean War himself, sort of had a "my war was better than yours" prideful attitude...
The movie originally ended with Rambo dying, using Trautman's sidearm to shoot himself. Stallone objected to the ending because he felt it was sending the wrong message to struggling veterans
If you pay real close attention in Rambo 4, you can see that deleted scene in one of the 'flashbacks' that Rambo is having before he gets ready to leave on his mission upriver.
This is one of my favorite movies to see people react to, mainly because nobody expects the final scene where John Rambo breaks down. It's such a powerful scene and it surprised me too when I first watched this.
Good reaction! I'm glad you two watched this
I cried at the end at the "nothing is over" scene.
😂😂😂
One of the things that I really love about this movie is the way it humorously skewers "weekend warriors" who think owning a gun and some fatigues makes them a real soldier. And of course Trautman is is hilarious, packing enough one-liners to make Arnold jealous
16:27 rocks broke his fall.
the cliff jump and the scream in pain and broke ribs were real
Guys , this was filmed in Canada , don't know where exactly but in Canada not the US .
That ending brings me to tears every time , best performance by Stallone ever IMHO !
This was filmed in British Columbia province,in Canada
@@13glasse It’s actually a town called Hope.
Have you seen F.I.S.T. (1978)?
One of the best films that hardly anybody saw (relatively speaking)--and I will go on record as saying that I have not seen Stallone do finer acting than he shows in F.I.S.T. Yet because it was wedged in between ROCKY and ROCKY II, it missed a bigger audience. The whole world was still wrapped up in Rocky-Mania. The idea of Stallone in a movie _not_ about boxing was, at the time, not seen as particularly appetising to audiences.
No disrespect to his work in FIRST BLOOD, yet the character that Stallone plays, John Rambo, is basically the same person from start to finish. Rambo shows various moods, yes, but he's always tightly-wound John Rambo, even in his serene moments. F.I.S.T. sees Stallone play a character who changes greatly over the course of many years, going from a frustrated manual labourer to a powerful labour leader. I won't say anything else about his character in the film, you can see it for yourself. It's an excellent movie.
If you noticed after finding out his buddy had passed away, he threw his address book away. It was sad because to him he had no one left... Fort Bragg is a military base in North Carolina. It's one of the largest in the country. Home of the 82nd Airborne and also Special Commands Operations.
They are renaming it because Bragg was a Confederate General, and for no other reason. But now, like so many forts, it's proud history will be hidden behind a new name.
@@remo27 it's proud history was established by the men and women who've come and gone throughout the years, not the person it was named after who actually waged war against this nation. The majority of the base including officers feel it should be renamed.
@@bigb2494 I doubt if you asked people who had been at that base at the past the same question you'd get the same answer. And fact is, given the politics of the current Armed Services(Where you actually have old military families telling their sons and daughters NOT to join), I'm surprised you'd have anyone sticking up for the old name. The real issue is that this is a partial erasure of history. When people refer to Fort Bragg in the future people will have to do research to find out what base they are talking about. Many people are lazy and won't bother. And it's very possible that some even more censorious regime might come about in the future and try to erase all references to the old name from the internet, from old documents, etc. History can easily be changed or hidden in this manner. I'm also sick of your simplistic history: there's a reason we put Confederate names on things, and it didn't so much have to do with slavery or Jim Crow or any of that crap as it did a healing factor for the nation. We could recognize that even SOME of the 'enemy' were worth honoring.After all, lots of federal fortifications were downright designed and built by Robert E. Lee. Nowadays you just have race hustlers and people that want to bring up grievances that should stay dead.
@@remo27 first you don't know anything about me and you're even contradicting yourself. I was there for 4 years, I had 2 brothers there, 3 nephews there and plenty of friends and relatives still there. History is passed down by telling the truth, not honoring and immortalizing those who inflict atrocities and so much hurt and hate on others. The same people who also pay taxes that keep those facilities active and also have people who bore the brunt of being on the other end of that past. Go to Germany and point out one place or monument to Hitler and his regime and maybe your point will have some legitimacy.
@@remo27 It's not about "erasing history," it's about "not celebrating traitors." Check your head.
They messed with the wrong war veteran in this action adventure thriller!
Before Stallone was cast as John Rambo, Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, Clint Eastwood, Warren Beatty, James Caan, James Garner, Burt Reynolds, Kris Kristofferson Nick Nolte, Kurt Russell, Jeff Bridges, Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, Robert Redford, Ryan O'Neal, Dustin Hoffman, Martin Sheen, John Travolta, and Harrison Ford were considered for the part.
Kirk Douglas was cast as Col Sam Trautman but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts and Rock Hudson was considered until Richard Crenna was cast as Trautman.
Stallone actually broke his ribs while he was falling out of the tree during the stunt.
If you read the novel, it is even better than the film, with a different ending and many differences, but what you will understand is why Will Teasle (the Sherriff) had the attitude he had, and refused Rambo a meal in town. It really did not have anything to do with drifters or vagrants. First Blood was filmed in Hope, British Columbia, Canada. The final guy in the Sheriff's office that Rambo tackles, well he really did break his nose! The bike scenes were undertaken by a motocross world champion. One third of the rock face jump Stallone did himself into the pine trees. He broke a rib on the branches. See when Rambo was stitching his wound? Stallone actually went to the emergency room, and they were all praising him for being such a man having stitched up the wound without any pain killers. They never realized that in actual fact it was a theatrical prop! That poncho Rambo made out of sack cloth? Stallone has it framed on a wall in his house. Stallone also went into a bar in Hope with many tough loggers, dressed as Rambo. But he ordered up his favorite drink which was a Campari and soda. The bar man looked amazed, and the whole bar went quiet, after which Stallone realized his tough man image was gone and made an exit stage right. Stallone later realized that he should have ordered a whiskey and told the bar man to leave the bottle on the bar.
And the Green Beret's? I knew as my good friend a former Green Beret who undertook two tours in Vietnam as a sergeant platoon leader, finally being medevacked out to Japan with three wounds after a fire fight in which three of his platoon and sixteen of the enemy forces were killed. He had a purple heart medal and star which means that he had been wounded in action on two separate occasions. I saw all of his wounds, and one in particular in the arm was severe. You could even see the bullet path, and a lot of his right hand inner upper arm muscle mass had gone. You can take it from me, these guys are the best of the best, both highly trained and highly skilled with weapons/knives/their bare hands. Green Beret's can live off the land and adapt to any climate or terrain. They are true warriors. Are the Green Beret's elite special forces? Yes! My friend was one of an intake of one hundred wannabe's to the Green Beret selection course. Two people passed the course. My friend was one of those two. As he mentioned the selection course was hell, but that was just the beginning. After that came lots of very specialized training. If I was in a war I would certainly like to have the Green Beret's on my side because to come up against them in combat is the enemies worst nightmare.
I never knew why Stallone did not get an Oscar for this performance. The last ten minute monologue of the film alone was so powerful he deserved that. Stallone actually asked real Vietnam veterans whether they were satisfied with his performance in the film. They said that he had done the Vietnam veterans proud.
I'm not saying I like to see people unhappy but watching your faces turn less and less happy during that end scene says it all. The best moments of Stallone's career and an actually harrowing portrayal of real PTSD. I thought this was the "boring" Rambo movie when I was a kid. Now I know it's the best one. And man...that breakdown scene, as an adult, after being in the military myself, hits WAAAAY harder. I never fail to tear up. Every time..
Brian Denehey was so great in movies, of course he was the bad guy but his character had many layers and was conflicted in my opinion and Brian’s performance really showed this, as you can see in the beginning the town people loved him and he did what he thought was best for the citizens and it got out of hand especially because of his idiot brother in law, he shared blame of course but maybe not as evil as many think, his brother in law was just a bad guy period, that’s my opinion anyway, thanks always enjoy your reactions and analysis
Quite the lovefest for a corrupt sheriff. Brian Hennessey's character was a small town bully with a big ego who didn't have the slightest qualm about violating Rambo's rights. Everything he did was completely illegal and the reason why so many people hate the cops today.
The written story is pretty much as you explain it here. The sheriff was indeed not such a bad guy,
he had been a soldier in Korea if i remember right. He just couldn't let go.
@@alainvosselman9960 ah ok thanks, yes I was just going off of Brian’s portrayal of him, he seemed to try and keep everything under control but Galt kept abusing Rambo and pushed him over the edge which then went off the rails , kind of like mayor Vaughan in Jaws, he’s a villain because he wanted to keep the beaches open but he had tax paying citizens and their businesses to worry about, all he knew was that there was a possible shark attack, but after the Kintner boy was ate he then closed the beaches for 24hrs, he was in a tough spot you saw how they reacted even for a 24 hr closing , again not being a bad or good guy just doing what he thought was best for the town, same as the Sheriff, he wasn’t abusive like the deputy Galt but probably abusing his authority by arresting Rambo probably unlawfully as portrayed by Denehey, all im saying is the writing and acting in these movies have more dimensions to the characters and their situations than just being good and bad and I find that interesting
@@thunderstruck5484 Good assessment ! You can listen to the audio book on you tube if you haven't .. it's quite worth it.. you get the in-depth version. The stuck very close to the original story line and characters with the movie.
i mean sure he may have had layers, especially in the book but it got out of hand the minute he tried to keep john from simply existing in "his" city. the arrest was complete bs and just because he thinks he does it for the good of the city doesnt give him the right to do what he did.
great movie + reaction! Filmed in B.C, Canada :) The sequels are a fun watch, but very different in tone, more 'superhero'-ish.
If you're ever driving between Vancouver and Kelowna, you can stop in Hope along the way. The main street still looks and feels like it did 40+ years ago when this was filmed.
People forget that the first one was suppose to be the only movie period. In the story he dies at the end, the colonel kills him in that police station scene. The test viewing with the original ending did not go over well with audiences so they changed it so he lived. The other movies were just action movies built off of the name.
Love how the suspension in this movie is exploited as it should be, full of action and packed with cool stunts
as well as the cat & mouse element to it, the fact that Rambo is of the silent type adding to his character this mysterious
layer... and at the same time you can't see the emotionally climaxing, brutal end sneaking upon you which
makes it so powerful. Stallone was often laughed at but this was one of my favorite teen movies.
eric, even though you've seen first blood before you didn't give anything away while staying involved in the reaction. 👍🏼
Also Jack Starrett played Galt the brother in law who fell out of helicopter, he directed one of my favorite drive in movies “Race with the Devil “ with Warren Oates and Peter Fonda, excellent thriller from 1975, thanks again
He also played Gabby Johnson, the drunkard, in Blazing Saddles.
Unfortunately only a few years later after his role as Galt in First Blood, Jack Starrett died in 1989 from long term alcoholism and died of kidney failure at age 52
12:23 "...Rambo can outrun this guy." 🤣🤣🤣
true, and never heard _that_ in a reaction before
You two have nice chemistry and humor. I've seen this movie back then and many times since. It was nice to see your reactions.
Thank you so much! 😊
Greetings and Love from Germany again 💚. Great reaction as always, especialy the running time of 40-45 minutes. Thanks, cause there are alot of reacters who edit their react video down to only 20-25 min. Thats sad and i asked myself 'why'. Well, i know. To tease people for bcomming a patreon.
However..here, just some side notes/ fun facts...
The action takes place in the fictional town of Hope in Washington and the surrounding area. Filming locations in Canada were Hope, British Columbia, Golden Ears Provincial Park, Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park and other parts of Canada. There are interesting documentaries on RUclips that show what the locations of famous films, including 'Rambo', look like today.
The result of his stunt into the trees was four broken ribs and the deep cut on his right arm, which he actually sewed up himself (probably under anesthetic). You can see the scar in some scenes from other movies if you look close. For example in 'Rocky III'.
I wish you a peaceful weekend, my friends 💚 & stay safe
First to comment! Glad you are doing movie reactions again!
Happy to be back, thanks for waiting!
Don't know if you two have seen "Cop Land" but well worth the watch. Stallone is a small town cop and a more normal person. Great cast with him, Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Harvey Keitel and a few others you will recognize.
When Sylvester Stallone jumped through the trees (which he did for real, but from a lower height than it appears) when he landed on the branch the pained yellow was real because he broke a rib. Also, when he yells and pulls the rats off himself in the mineshaft, his pain was again real because one of the rats actually bit him.
Pained yellow?
@@shawbros *yell
@@shawbros Stupid-ass voice to text, "pained yell."
This was filmed in Hope, BC Canada. I've traveled through there and camped in BC forests exactly like this (some even thicker). It's incredibly beautiful but also dangerous enough on its own without a bunch of yahoo cops running around.
All the sequels are worth watching for sure
I’m curious what comes next but don’t tell!!!! 😂 keep us surprised 🎉🎉🎉
9:02 "Damn!"
synchronicity
12:59 "I mean, he already had a crappy day..." 😆
understatement
Fantastic social commentary about returning Vietnam vets. The ending is definitely the cherry on top of this movie. The other “Rambo” movies are very different than this one, which was initially titled simply as “First Blood”. It wasn’t until the sequels that “Rambo” was added to this movie’s title.
col. troutman was the original cinematic hype man. that trend of guys telling you how well trained and badass a character is started with him. and the guy playing is pretty chill. he actually played a parody of himself in "hot shots: part duex". he's actually pretty damn funny.
This movie is my favorite movie of all time. I saw it in theaters when I was 12. It changed my life. I joined the Army because of this film. The original movie was 3 1/2 hours long. the fight in the woods was 45 minutes in itself. Stallone hated the movie. He tried to buy it so nobody would see it. But, that didn't work so they edited it to what you just watched. That line "In town you're the law, out here it's me." is one of the best lines ever written.
Now that you've seen the movie, you need to read the book. It's completely different. Rambo is not the hero you root for. His PTSD is so extreme and visceral. But, the book gives you true insight into what and why Will acted like he did, and it gets into Rambo's head and thoughts. The book is every bit as good as the movie, but in a completely different way.
If those police wasn't harassing him and left him alone knowing this would have happened
That ending scene is brilliant, and elevates an otherwise "just" great action flick to a whole new level. Unfortunately the Rambo series took a turn to pure mindless action.
Not at all. Each Rambo film deals with specific issues and have moments of drama. The action set pieces get crazier, but that's the "dumb action" people compls8n about, but uts typically very good action.
@@ravissary79 Really, Rambo II & III are basically cash grab 80s action movie sequels. It's too bad they didn't try to be as serious as the first movie.
6:13 "Was that place called Hope?"
the irony
Glad you guys are back! fyi thats Hope, BC that Rambo blows the hell up
Everytime I see the last few minutes of this movie I remember my father. He was not some super soldier like Rambo but a part of him was left in Vietnam that he never got back. He had nightmares and flashbacks and he too was spit on coming home. My father was proud of his service though. As a veteran myself, this movie shows how one war can break a man. What is even sadder is in the book Troutman kills Rambo.
your father might have said he was spat on but you should read the The Spitting Image: Myth, Memory and the Legacy of Vietnam by Vietnam veteran and sociology professor Jerry Lembcke. The book is an analysis of the widely believed narrative that American soldiers were spat upon and insulted by anti-war protesters upon returning home from the Vietnam War. Lembcke contrasts the absence of credible evidence of spitting by anti-war activists with the large body of evidence showing a mutually supportive, empathetic relationship between veterans and anti-war forces.
A persistent but unfounded criticism leveled against those who protested in opposition to the Vietnam War is that they spat upon and otherwise derided returning soldiers, calling them "baby-killers". During the late 1980s and early 1990s, years after the Vietnam War ended, the proliferation of these spitting stories increased greatly. As both a Vietnam veteran and a member of the anti-war movement, Lembcke knew this criticism ran counter to what he personally experienced and witnessed. To the contrary, one of the hallmarks of the period's anti-war movement was its support for the troops in the field and the affiliation of many returning veterans with the movement. Lembcke was motivated to look further into the truth and origins of this spat-upon veteran myth, and the contradiction between historical fact and popular collective memory. Other observers had already noticed the proliferation of stories and questioned whether the spitting stories even made sense. In 1987, columnist Bob Greene noted:
Even during the most fervent days of anti-war protest, it seemed that it was not the soldiers whom protesters were maligning. It was the leaders of government, and the top generals-at least, that is how it seemed in memory. One of the most popular chants during the anti-war marches was, "Stop the war in Vietnam, bring the boys home." You heard that at every peace rally in America. "Bring the boys home." That was the message. Also, when one thought realistically about the image of what was supposed to have happened, it seemed questionable. So-called "hippies," no matter what else one may have felt about them, were not the most macho people in the world. Picture a burly member of the Green Berets, in full uniform, walking through an airport. Now think of a "hippie" crossing his path. Would the hippie have the nerve to spit on the soldier? And if the hippie did, would the soldier-fresh from facing enemy troops in the jungles of Vietnam-just stand there and take it?
16:20 "He did fall ouuuuut!" 😆
Props to Stallone’s performance! Check out the second sequel. It’s more action hero but still great!
Sheriff is a Korean war vet, you can see the medals behind him when he's at his desk...book went into it more...Korean and ww2 vets looked down on Vietnam vets...
37:49 "Nothing is over!" The end is great. I have always thought that Richard Crenna really got a bit emotional filming that scene. :)
We need to thank Teasle instead of hating him. If he had let Rambo eat something, we wouldn't have the Rambo franchise.
Great to see you guys choosing such a classic. I remember watching this when i was younger and really loving all the action, Looking back now its got some cheesy moments but overall i still really like it. The scenery and location is absolutely stunning and while some of the performances arent ten out of ten Stallone really caries this movie for me, I remember watching the scene at the end with Stallone breaking down and all of a sudden getting really emotional. The rest of the movies in the franchise are okay in my opinion, They are more action heavy and focus less on the story like this one does, they are fine and still very entertaining to watch just quite different from this one. Wonderful Reaction
The Sad part back then was, when our vets came back from Vietnam, That's how they were treated. After Desert Storm, we began to Realize that we could Hate the Wars but still love the heroes we put in harm's way.
But the Sad Part today is, Today's Adults get "PTSD" from what we would've considered "Minor Annoyances" Back 30 years ago.
The Thing about Teasle was, in those Small Towns They were Wary about Drifters. Thefts, Drugs, Bar Fights and Vandalism sometimes followed. And when you let one in, soon more would Follow.
In the Novel, Teasle was a Korean War vet. They didn't get Parades when they returned either but they weren't Spit on like the 'Nam vets. The Novel also has a different ending.
The biggest reason the Sheriff had a problem with Rambo, is that the Sheriff was a Korean War Vet, and the Korean War is basically the forgotten war that nobody talks and the men who fought in were forgotten, and that Rambo was a Vietnam Vet, and he's mad that the Vietnam Vets were getting so much attention.
Pity they did not mention this, it would make Rambo/Sheriff dynamic more interesting. Also, book Rambo was more of an unhinged guy, killing people in his way, not recognizing his commander if i remember correctly. I like the movie, but would not mind seeing a more faithful adaptation.
@@zedwpd Read the novel.
@@zedwpd Ryan desribed how it was in the novel. Korean Was called a forgotten war for a reason, none of us invented it.
Ft. Bragg is the military base where the Green Beret training school is located.
This town is so beautiful. The place it was filmed is Hope, British Columbia in Canada. But the town in the movie is Hope, Washington.
Keep in mind that in Rambo's head he is inside an enemy stronghold (town) so he goes after the fuel depot and motorpool then ammunition storage then power supply then the enemy leader......also Stallone shouldve gotten an Oscar only for the last monologue
No, I can think of better performances from 1982.
This movie has elements that people just don't want to face but I am so glad they were brought to light in this movie. The police officers had no right being police officers; they abused people that they should of have been protecting. Will should have just brought John a breakfast and said thank you for your service but he was the catalyst for the events that followed. I just cannot imagine coming home from war. He followed terrible orders from his superiors and fought with courage for his country. Then comes back to the very country he was protecting with his life and he gets abused from every angle. Thely were true events of how Vietnam Vetrans were treated. Shameful for those who showed such disrespect. This is one of my favorite movies with Stallone's epic breakdown at the end. Thank you for your great reaction!
Stallone broke a rib while filming the scene where he jumps and lands in the trees.
The “ahh, Jesus!” was a genuine reaction from him.
Stallone really should have gotten an oscar for this movie just for the last 10 minutes alone. When.he's telling the story of the shoe shine kid in Veitnam.
David Morrell's novel is much more depressingly violent in tone as well as in message. The difference from the film's script in these aspects is so great that Stallone and the producers decided to "soften it up". The film is a signal about the social problem that PTSD represents. What makes this film very valuable and courageous.
But the novel is an announcement about the consequences of waging wars all over the world and will turn men into super soldiers, killing machines, to later not know how to control them. In short, "you have to deal with the consequence of your sins."
Fun fact: Stallone did the stunt at 15:34 himself and was injured so badly he died but after 2 days of surgery, praying and essential oils his brain function returned and he was able to finish the movie
Stallone did most of his stunts. He didn't actually jump off the cliff, but he did fall thru a tree breaking a rib.
Great reaction! You know when I was a kid I hated that sherriff, but now I kind of understand where he's coming from. "It's a boring town, and I'd like to keep it that way." Of course he didn't have a clue who he was talking to and how he was currently feeling.
He could have stopped off at the diner and bought Rambo a meal and had some nice conversation, then drove him to the next city-lines. But naw he had to push it... he had to pull the tiger's tail...
Breaking the law, trampling on a civilians rights, lying, and generally being stupid, just to keep the town boring?
Hard to understand that, especially if your job is to enforce the law.
33:27 😮 "Oh my god!"
I'm from Illinois, moved to Washington for 5 years, and Washington state is gorgeous, I hope to move back there someday. Amazing place.
Sly's a much better actor than he ever gets credit for.
The hardest transition I've ever faced in leaving the military and trying to deal with civilian life. Still haven't fully transitioned and I've been out since 1991. It sucks!
The town is Hope, British Columbia and still is a beautiful place..
What a treat of a movie to see my favorite reactors watch; so glad yous two are back!
It's explaind in the novel but not the movie; Dennehy's character is a Korean War veteran, and his dislike of John Rambo was because Vietnam vets got the attention. They got the medals, the people defending them. They had people protesting the illnesses picked up while in the service. Korean War vets had none of that. They still don't, not really, so it's easy to see where the man's disgruntlement comes from, and how it boiled over. He was a man who was tired being left behind by society, and here comes this young man representing the vets who couldn't have been forgotten if they wanted to be. The anger is misplaced, but understandable.
11:07 jumping the tracks
This is a Christmas movie. 1.Christmas Tree in police station 2.Christmas decoration in police station
Funfact: This movie was shot in 1980-81 before Stalone was super famous. He made that tree jump himself but broke two ribs on the way down. They had to stop filming until he recovered.
Had a co-worker and friend who was a tiunnel rat. He went into tunnels dug by Viet Cong and North Vietnamese because he was small, armed only with a .45. He was spit on at the San Franscisco airport. A coworker had a photo album in his locker filled with pictures of bodies. A classmate was Darwin Judge, the last American killed in Vietnam defending the US Embassy. Another friend who enlisted with some high school buddies to serve their country and were spit on when they returned. That was the atmosphere then. You see a Viet Nam vet today, shake their hand and say a prayer for them and their peace. When I turned 18, they stopped calling for the draft, otherwise I would have gone too.
"Congratulations, they said, you've got what it takes!
They sent him back into the rat race without any brakes.
They took a clean cut kid
And they made a killer out of him is what they did."
- Bob Dylan
Such a underrated actor period
The sheriff's attitute to rambo is better explained in the book, the sheriff and gault were korean war vets, which is often called America's forgotten war because everyone remem ers WW2 and nam but noone remembers korea, and his determination to catch rambo when he escapes was his way of showing that korean war vets were just as good as their nam counterparts
Ironically in the book, the sheriff was the good guy, and rambo was some crazy psycho vet that just outrught murders people. But stallone did such a good job at showing how he was just messed up due to PTSD that when audiences saw the original ending where rambo died they were in uproar so they had to reshoot it to what we got
@16:04 lol Yes! I've thought that too. I don't know what it is, exactly. But it gives me old school NES vibes.
Perhaps the ending feels abrupt, but that might be due to the fact that original ending was supposed to end in suicide.. abruptly.
Oh wow, I had no idea! That would've been really sad but fitting honestly
@@EricSarahReact The book ends differently from the movie also. They filmed that scene of the original ending. It's on RUclips titled first blood the death of john rambo.
Fort Bragg is in North Carolina, ii is one of the biggest American forts, it is where the Army trains Special forces.
I will say that a lot of younger viewers that see this movie mention PTSD which when the movie came out wasn't actually a thing people understood. I'm glad that PTSD is now recognized as a legitimate problem and is being address on a more realistic level today than back in the 1980's.
Interesting fact… Stallone himself did the stunt where he leaped from the cliff into the trees. The point where he slams into the branch and cries out, “Agh, Jesus!” is not acting. He really did crack a rib or two when he hit that branch.
Any actor would be proud to give that performance at the finale.
its not Rambo aka First Blood, it is First blood. Keep up the good work, thanks.
All he wanted was something to eat.
You know what you expect when you watch his movies...
Maybe later, this one was incredibly powerful.
I was born into an Army family. My Dad retired after 39 years service when I was 26, by which time I had just entered service myself.
I first saw this film when I was 13. Of course back then it was just an action film. Now as an adult, the final scene is pretty much the whole meaning of the film.
Within the first 18 months of my service I had been on 2 operations, the second one being particularly intense. I'd worked 18hr days, 7 days a week, and there'd been a lot of events during the tour. Now here I was back home, but not the same as when I left. Long story short, during the new years events, 3 months after coming back, I knew something was wrong when the fireworks going off triggered me. Just a week later and I was back at work, not knowing what I should do. Part of my job was running shooting ranges. How was I supposed to do that in the state that I was.
After a lot of contemplation I went to see the Doctor to get a referral and just broke down crying in the Doctor's office. I went on to have about 8 months of weekly sessions with a counsellor which gave me time to process the things I'd seen and experienced. Treatment for PTSD is very complicated and it is not a cure. I was able to process a lot with the help I got, but that doesn't mean the memories are any different. It's just complicated, but 20+ years on and at least, unlike many of my military brothers and sisters, I am still here. Lost count of the number of those that couldn't cope and chose the only way out they thought they had.
I've seen this film a number of times since and Stallone portrays the long term effects of combat extremely well as evidenced by your reaction.
There are many films I could recommend that you may not be aware of, from many different genres, so here's a few of what I think are some of the best: The Princess Bride, The Thin Red Line, Good Will Hunting, The Mission, It's A Wonderful Life, Shawshank Redemption, Schindler's List, Forrest Gump, The Green Mile, Leon, The Big Blue, Heat, The Rock, Lawrence of Arabia, Full Metal Jacket.
And that's the good ending... The original ending had the Trautman shooting Rambo when they hug at the end, at the police station.
This film is a great example how to set stakes for a movie. This film basically started the "action movie" genre, and there is ONE death in it. The police and National Guard soldiers are all given first names, and we see the same guys over and over, carrying the wounds from their earlier fights - they are not disposable bad guys, so seeing one of them get stabbed in the leg carries a lot more impact than seeing faceless goon #23 get shot. Since Rambo started the movie not doing anything wrong and didn't really mean to kill the one guy who fell from the helicopter, every act of violence is an escalation, and if he intentionally killed the Sheriff at the end then that would be an unprecedented level of violence. By keeping the character motivations (and violence) small scale and letting them escalate, the movie sets itself in a more real world, and things that should be really bad (like a single person dying) are treated as if they are really bad.
Instead of going typical Hollywood "bigger, badder, more violent, save the whole world" all of the stakes are treated as small scale things that would matter to one person or a small community, which makes it matter more to us as the audience. It's a great way to write a movie; bigger stunts and a higher body count would make the film matter less, and would make the personal, emotional ending seem out of place.
I love Rambo's 1000 yard stare when someone looks at you like that you don't f@#$ with him.
The young redheaded cop in the station is actor David Caruso who became famous for NYPD Blue and CSI Miami.
Get the book. The original story details Rambo's inner thoughts and motivations and Teasle's and Trautman's. Unlike Rambo's PTSD, which he had been suffering from for a few years, Teasle, on the other hand, had suffered from PTSD for decades due to his heroic actions (yes, not a typo) when he served as a US Marine in the Korean conflict. Something that is alluded to in the movie but never expounded upon. You can see Teasle's medals from the conflict displayed on top of his desk in the film.
In the book, Teasle and Rambo both had problems in their childhood. Rambo's father was an alcoholic and a domestic abuser. Rambo's mother was the primary victim of his father's abuse, but he internalized the pain and became a victim himself.
Teasle's mother was a devout catholic who died while in childbirth and his father was killed by accident. He was then raised by his father's best friend. I won't tell you what happened to his adoptive father, so you must read the book. I can say you will be surprised. These traumas occurred when both characters were children, and they affected them in different ways.
Rambo and Teasle sought escape from their domestic situations and joined the military. Both characters found the regimental life of warriors fulfilling. But neither found solace in that atmosphere. Teasle tried to bring the professionalism of a military mindset to the civilian world, particularly law enforcement ancillary to his marriage. He craved openness but internally was more comfortable being alone and not being told what to do.
Sound familiar?
After his internment and escape from a POW camp and regret over his experiences during the war-Rambo sought acceptance within the communities he found himself in. Unfortunately, his PTSD and attire made him appear a counter-cultural outcast and less than a patriotic citizen, e.g., a hippie troublemaker. In truth, Rambo wanted his military service to "count for something", but he was constantly disrespected in a situations that would put him in 'war mode'. As he traveled the USA, more than one individual tried to mess with him. Unfortunately for them, and due to his training and (psychosis), Rambo delt with these individuals as one would on the battlefield, with no remorse or mercy.
Both men hated and cherished their military experiences, but neither would admit they were victims.
Thanks to this performance, Sylvester Stallone was nominated for an Oscar for best actor. First Blood or Rambo (for Latin America) is an essential film for your video library.
I had something in both of my eyes there at the end. Again. That scene is one of my all time favorites.
In the book John kills all the deputies and the kid and his Dad who were out hunting. At the end, after John's impassioned speech, Trautman shoots him in the head because he is just too far gone. Very sad but much more poignant ending. It drives home what we were doing to our boys coming home from that war. The studio however smelled sequel dollar signs so Rambo lived.
No, they didn't smell sequel dollar signs until _after_ FIRST BLOOD became a hit. The ending had nothing to do with the studio. That was Stallone's call.
Not every movie that Stallone made early in his career was a huge success. The popularity of FIRST BLOOD was never guaranteed.
13:26 British Columbia 🇨🇦
God bless our Vietnam Veterans 🇺🇸✝️🕊️♥️
Going to be honest with you, I clicked on this video by accident, but then I heard you say that you were "back with another video", and you pronounced the word "another" correctly, and didn't say "AY-nother" like most of these other idiots do, so you earned my 'Like' because of that.
4:55 One of the things everyone misses is that while the Sheriff is mocking Rambo for having a flag on his jacket, the Sheriff has a flag on his jacket.
When he cries “I can’t find his fuckin’ legs!” at the end there.
First Blood was filmed in the town of Hope, British Columbia and the mountain scenes were filmed in the surrounding hills.
The first Rocky and First Blood are kind of different movies than what the franchises became. Rocky came back to it's emotional roots (although it kept it's identity better than the Rambo movies ... ). I wonder what Stallone would be if these movies were a little less popular.
I guess you'll never know
Sheriff Will Teasle was a Korean War hero who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for Valor. It is the second-highest award the country can bestow upon a soldier. In his generation soldiers kept their hair high and tight and if they had a vice it was alcohol. Vietnam was a different mindset in the 60's. The Boomers were split with a lot of Hippies burning their draft cards and getting college deferments. They hated the war and everything about it. The press hated Nixon (who got the US into Vietnam) and hammered the people with negative images and lies in order to hurt Nixon politically. The stories they sent back from the war dealt with "atrocities" and drug use. The soldiers were experiencing a new kind of warfare that didn't follow the established "rules". They came back to a country that hated them for not refusing to go to war, for fighting in the war, for doing things that they never did while they were in the war, for doing things that they had to do while they were in the war, and then they hated them for "not winning the war". There is no way to overstate how poorly the Vietnam veterans were treated.
Then the real problems began.
Shortly after midnight on July 12th, 1973 a fire was reported at the National Personnel Records Center military personnel records building in St. Louis, MO. Firefighters arrived on the scene only 4 minutes and 20 seconds after the first alarm sounded and entered the building. While they were able to reach the burning sixth floor, the heat and the smoke forced the firefighters to withdraw at 3:15am. In order to combat and contain the flames, firefighters were forced to pour great quantities of water onto the exterior of the building and inside through broken windows. The fire burned out of control for 22 hours; it took two days before firefighters were able to re-enter the building. The blaze was so intense that local Overland residents had to remain indoors, due to the heavy acrid smoke. It was not until July 16, nearly four and a half days after the first reports, that the local fire department called the fire officially out. During the long ordeal, firefighters faced severe problems due to insufficient water pressure. Exacerbating the situation, one of the department's pumper trucks broke down after 40 hours of continuous operation. Numerous times, the fire threatened to spread down to the other floors; but firefighters were successful in halting its advance. In all, it took the participation of 42 fire districts to combat the disastrous blaze. Due to the extensive damages, investigators were never able to determine the source of the fire.
That fire destroyed about 80% of the records held for veterans between November 1, 1912 and January 1, 1960. It destroyed about 75% of the records held for Air Force veterans discharged between September 25th, 1947 to January 1, 1964.
However, this took YEARS to establish, and in the meantime the military wasn't able to tell who was who. There were homeless drifters all across the country claiming to be Vietnam Veterans, taking advantage of people and causing trouble. Many of them were ex-Hippies from the 60's just trying to score their next hit of drugs. My father saw this from both sides: A highly-decorated Vietnam Special Forces veteran (Airborne Ranger LRRP team leader) who came back to be a Minneapolis Police Officer for 30 years. This was one of his favorite films.
Think about what the Sheriff's words were: "You know wearin' that flag on that jacket...lookin' the way you do... You're askin' for trouble around here Friend.", and later "If you want some friendly advice: Get a haircut and take a bath. You might not get hassled so much."
In context of the times it would be more obvious that Teasle sees a long-haired freak in an Army jacket walking though HIS town, and he feels that soldiers should be squared-away folks who keep an appearance like him. Short hair, clean...tidy. Vietnam wasn't "tidy", especially the Special Forces units. At any other time in John Rambo's life he might have just shrugged and kept walking, but his last remaining happy thought literally died last year of cancer, and John didn't even know about it until a few days ago. He didn't have much at this point, so he really didn't care to just "move on". He had a right to be there. He knew he wasn't going to cause "trouble". His "look" was the same "look" his country wanted when he was so successful he had been awarded the nation's HIGHEST honor. If this small-town hick Sheriff wanted to push, then John would simply push back a little. He wasn't violent until Galt got rough with him, he was simply not cooperating. Will wasn't aware of Galt's violence - in fact Galt immediately went submissive when Will appeared and asked what was going on.
I've always felt Will Teasle and John Rambo could easily have been fast friends had they met at the local VFW over a beer. It was a shame for both that they met on that highway. Oh, Ft. Bragg houses the 1st Special Forces Command. Stallone did a lot of the stunts, including falling through that tree. He broke a rib hitting that final branch