"They drew first blood!"







-John Rambo





Troubled Vietnam veteran, John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone), is passing through Hope, Washington, where he is harassed and unjustly arrested by the sheriff, Will Teasle (Brian Dennehy). Several of the cops abuse Rambo to the point where he snaps and violently escapes the police station. Teasle and his men give chase into the wilderness where they soon realize that they aren't hunting Rambo, he's hunting them.









What Works:





The first half of First Blood is utterly thrilling. It's one long chase sequence and it doesn't let up. We get get plenty of awesome and intense moments that make the film fly by; Rambo's escape, the car chase, his cliff-hanging duel with a helicopter, and his face-off against Teasle. It's an absolute blast and incredible action.





The action sequences themselves are all really well done. There's a wide variety and it isn't just mindless explosions and guns firing. Rambo isn't trying to kill anyone and watching him go to war in a nonlethal manner is nothing short of thrilling.



