Rambo First Blood (1982) & Part II (1985) — Rewatch Review: PTSD, Politics & Peak Stallone

Story By Mitchell Smith

Hello everybody. I had some extra time this weekend and was able to catch Rambo First Blood part 1 and part 2. Of course we all know how iconic the 1982 and 1985 action war movie is, creating sequels, comic books, toys, and various other merch, but there was also a strong political tone that I did not pick up on when I watched this as a young kid. The story starts out with John Rambo searching for surviving members of his Vietnam outfit only to discover the last remaining member has passed away from agent orange. Rambo who has been trained in extreme survival and kill, faces the out-lash of the American people as he struggles to forget the torture of war.

This is one of the first movies to address soldiers with PTSD and Stallone delivers a stellar performance along side other cast members such as Richard Crenna, Brian Dennehy, Charles Napier, and Martin Kove. Rambo along with millions of other Americans signed up or were drafted to the service during the Vietnam War. They trained and did what they were ordered to do, still many anti protests filled the streets even after the soldiers came home. Stallone delivered several great performances throughout the Rambo First Blood movie and the rest of the franchise.

Many one liners came about such as “It’s over Johnny” (which I use frequently at work) and “They drew first blood, not me”. This was the first time I watched Rambo 1 & 2 all the way through since the late eighties and it just hits different as an adult. The movie really stands up today and if you have never watched them, now is a great time to look it up. Have a great week everyone.