Plot: What’s it about?
John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) is a decorated soldier who served his country in Vietnam, earning a Medal of Honor in the process. But when he returned home, he was not hailed as a hero, since most people disapproved of the U.S. presence in the region, so he became disillusioned about his place in the world. So Rambo becomes a drifter and as he hitchhikes to visit some soldier friends, he finds himself in the wrong place, at the wrong time. He stops in a small town to get some food, only to be approached by the local law, Sheriff Will Teasle (Brian Dennehy). Teasle asks Rambo to leave town, but when Rambo states he just wants some food and then he will depart, Teasle arrests him as a vagrant. While he sits in the cell, Rambo is abused by one of the deputies and Teasle sees no reason to intervene, so Rambo bides his time. As memories from his prison camp stay swirl in his mind, Rambo decides to break loose and escapes, heading toward a wooded area to find safety, as well as prepare for his attackers. As Teasle and his men prepare to engage Rambo, can Colonel Trautman (Richard Crenna) stop them in time, or will they discover first hand the extent of Rambo’s abilities in battle?
This is the original, the film that started it all and in most circles, First Blood is considered to be the best of the three pictures. I’d have to agree with that, as it has not only terrific action sequences, but an excellent premise, some well crafted suspense, and characters that are well developed, making it a good movie, not just a good action movie. I’ve seen this film countless times and it never loses its impact, it has all the needed elements to be good and those elements are used well, especially the actors. Sylvester Stallone is excellent as Rambo and he is called on to do some real acting here, not just the action star requirements of the sequels, so his performance is based more on his thespian skills in this picture. Richard Crenna is solid as Trautman and would return for the two sequels, while Brian Dennehy (Silverado, Cocoon) is good as the local sheriff, which is a complex role, without question. I simply cannot recommend First Blood enough, it is a well made movie that refuses to settle for being an action flick, instead striving to be a tense personal drama, which I think it turns out to be.
After his episode with the small town law officials, John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) has been placed in prison, where he passes the time by performing hard labor. The work is very harsh, but Rambo takes some solace there, as he has become jaded toward most aspects of life, thanks to his past experiences. So when Col. Trautman (Richard Crenna) arrives and offers him a mission that could lead to his release, Rambo is hesitant to accept. But he does agree, since the mission involves a suspected prisoner of war camp and if Rambo can find prisoners there, it means the government could go in and find them, as well as others. He has an instant distrust for the man in charge of the operation, Marshall Murdock (Charles Napier), but he continues as planned, even though his mission is to take photos, not to engage the enemy forces. After a rough parachute jump, Rambo is able to venture through the jungle and meet up with his contact Co (Julia Nickson-Soul), a beautiful young Vietnamese woman. When Rambo discovers the camp is not empty, he decides to take action, but can he count on the word of Murdock and his men to go through with the pickup, or has he once again been betrayed by those he served?
Although Rambo: First Blood Part II is not as well written or performed as First Blood, it does stand as a top notch action movie, no doubt about it. This film supplies tons of battles, endless weapons, and an immense body count, thanks to Rambo’s nonstop assault on those who hold his fellow soldiers hostage. As with most action driven films, this one has plot holes and gaps of logic, but not as many as most and of course, nowhere near as many as we’ll see in Rambo III. This is kind of like a full blown action picture with some plot thrown in, as Rambo’s mission is well formed and the scenes back at the base are well done. This adds a personal side to the events and even though the main attraction here is the action, the storyline adds depth and impact, even the scenes with Co, which I felt were well executed. The action sequences are very good in this movie, with some great chases, sneak attacks, and of course, all out assaults all to be seen. I like Rambo’s choice of the bow & arrow at times, but the helicopter chase is perhaps my favorite sequence, maybe second only to the boat battle. I can’t imagine an action fan that wouldn’t want this is in their collection, as it is a prime example of how action should be handled.
It seems as though John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) has been fighting his entire life, but these days, he lives a more simpler lifestyle. He has taken shelter with some monks and in exchange for room & board, he works as a handyman of sorts. In addition, he ventures into the urban areas and competes in stick fights, to earn extra funds. He turns most of that cash over to the monks however, as he wants for very little in his new home. When Col. Trautman (Richard Crenna) arrives and asks Rambo to join him on a mission, Rambo refuses and states he is satisfied where he is, and wishes Trautman the best of luck. The mission was to help Afghanistan freedom fighters, who were enduring battles with Russian forces, but needed additional supplies. When the mission goes sour and Trautman is captured by a sadistic Russian commander, word is sent back to Rambo, since the two were so close. This spurs Rambo to embark on an unofficial mission to free his friend, as well as level the odds for the Afghanistan rebels. But with the odds stacked so high against him, can even Rambo overcome the forces on the other side?
The third and final installment in the Rambo series, Rambo III is the weakest of the trio and serves as an example of what happens when logic is tossed out in the window. The second Rambo film upped the action ante and provided more thrills than the first, but retained a credible storyline and some balance of logic, but Rambo III takes no such motions. I admit, I do like the action sequences and the endless battles are fun to watch, but come on, this film pits Rambo against the entire Russian armed forces. I can accept that he is a war machine and can overtake immense odds, but when he turns into this kind of one man army, the film’s tone seems out of place. In Commando, Arnold Schwarzenegger does the same kind of thing on a smaller scale, but the movie has a comical tone, so it seems acceptable. But Rambo III plays like a serious film and as such, the excessive bad marksmanship and Rambo’s battle skills seem downright silly, as if this were a parody of action movies, even though it isn’t. I think if you liked the previous Rambo efforts, you’ll want to own all three and since this deluxe four disc set is reasonably priced, you might as well grab them all, if just to have the bonus fourth disc of extras.
Video: How does it look?
First Blood is presented in a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, with a full frame edition included on the disc’s flip side. If you’ve seen this one before, you’re in for a real treat, as Artisan has served up the finest looking First Blood to ever hit home video. I admit, the colors look a tad faded at times, but aside from that, this transfer is excellent, especially given the age of the film and how worn some previous editions have looked. The print is free from debris, grain, and other issues, which is a welcome surprise, while sharpness is top notch, I’ve never seen this film in such good condition, excellent work. So yes, some minor flaws can be found here, but all things considered, this is a top notch visual presentation from Artisan.
Rambo: First Blood Part II is presented in a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, with a full frame edition included on the disc’s flip side. I was quite pleased with this new treatment, as I noticed a cleaner source print from the opening scenes, which means the rest of the elements are able to come through unhampered. I saw very little grain present, even in the darker scenes and that’s impressive work, no doubt about it. The image here is sharper than ever and provides terrific detail levels, Artisan has delivered the goods here. I found colors to be natural and bright, flesh tones were natural, and black levels were dead on, no problems in any of those areas. In short, Artisan has given us the best looking home video edition to date.
Rambo III is presented in a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, with a full frame edition included on the disc’s flip side. As this is a most recent of the series, it looks better than the others, but as I mentioned above, all three films look excellent here. The image here is clean and quite sharp, thanks to a great source print and flawless authoring, as to avoid compression flaws, digital noise, and other hiccups. The colors come through in bright, bold fashion, the flesh tones seem normal throughout, and black levels are refined and well balanced. Not much else we could want here, as the film has never looked this good on home video.
Audio: How does it sound?
Artisan has created brand new 5.1 surround tracks for all three films, with both Dolby Digital & DTS options offered. This is great news of course, since these movies are loaded with explosions, gun battles, and lots of tense moments, so each film has a lot of potential in terms of audio, but previous tracks have been less than impressive. Rambo III has the best overall sound, as it is the newest of the movies and is better able to take advantage of the new mixes, with much better directional use and stronger overall presence. The other two films sound very good, but the material is unable to be as active in some scenes, which lessens the audio impact, though it still comes through better than ever. As always, Artisan has included no subtitles options and in an unwelcome move, the burned in subtitles in Rambo III (when the Russians speak) have been removed, which throws off those scenes. I have no idea why Artisan would be this sloppy, but let’s hope it is corrected soon.
Supplements: What are the extras?
In this massive four disc collection, each disc houses a film and some extras, while a fourth disc is devoted to additional supplements, so you’ll find a wealth of extras with this set, no doubt about it. First Blood has been given an audio commentary track with writer David Morrell, who discusses the trials & tribulations of bringing his character to the screen, as well as some background on this books, which is highly interesting. Morrell is well spoken and seems to have prepared for this session, so it is well worth a listen. A new featurette titled Drawing First Blood runs just over twenty minutes and features new interviews with Morrell, stars Richard Crenna and Sylvester Stallone, and members of the production team. Morrell takes us back to the source of his Rambo novels, while the others talk about their own experiences from the production, making for an enjoyable, but brief look behind the scenes. This disc also includes some production notes, talent files, and the film’s theatrical & teaser trailers.
The disc for Rambo: First Blood Part II hosts an audio commentary track also, but this time, director George Cosmatos is the speaker. Cosmatos gives a technical slant to his session, such as production snags, the problems of location shoots, and he even details some of the special effects work, which was cool to hear. I think Cosmatos offers a lot of information here and is personable also, so the track never becomes dull in the least. We Get To Win This Time is an all new nineteen minute featurette with assorted cast & crew interview interviews. You’ll hear from Crenna, Stallone, Cosmatos, and others and while this was an informative piece, I felt it ran too short and needed some additional time added. This disc also includes some production notes, talent files, and two of the film’s theatrical trailers.
The last Rambo picture is Rambo III and it has been layered with supplements also, including an audio commentary track with director Peter MacDonald. Although MacDonald is candid and provides a lot of information, he seems to take the film too seriously, as if it has no real flaws and the battle scenes are realistic. I think this is rather humorous, but it would have been nice to hear some honest comments about the criticism, although I doubt MacDonald could have defended most of the flaws, to be honest. Afghanistan: Land in Crisis is a new featurette that focuses on the people of that area at the time shown in the film, as well as in more recent times. As we all know, Afghanistan has been put into the world’s spotlight for horrific reasons, but this piece tries to show us the fight for freedom that once took place there. This featurette runs about half an hour is well crafted, a more than worthwhile experience. This disc also includes some production notes, talent files, and two of the film’s theatrical trailers.
Now we’re to the fourth disc, which is exclusive to this set and is packed with bonus materials, mostly featurettes. The Real Name: Voices from Within runs twenty-five minutes and looks at the Vietnam conflict, from both perspectives. The political, social, and personal angles are explored and this piece pulls no punches, a very well made featurette indeed. An American Hero’s Journey: The Rambo Trilogy also clocks in at twenty-five minutes and while some of this material is covered elsewhere in the set, some new insight is also uncovered. I was taken with the look at some of the stunts involved, including some real tough ones Stallone did himself, as well as a look into how Rambo was created in Morrell’s mind. Guts and Glory runs just over twenty-five minutes also and is a look at the Rambo phenomenon, how it impacted movies, toys, politics, and in the end, became a lasting part of our culture. An additional six very brief featurettes are also found on this disc, which look at various aspects of Rambo’s legacy, from the influence of the Green Berets to the merchandise the films spawned to a few EPKs from the original releases. You’ll also find a Rambo trivia game, in which wrong answers result in Rambo being tortured, so make sure you study up, for his sake, of course.
