Rambo: 10 Reasons The Sequels Could Never Top First Blood

While Sylvester Stallone’s most iconic role is undoubtedly Rocky Balboa from the title role in the vehicle the actor wrote to launch his career, John Rambo is a close second. Since his introduction in First Blood, Rambo has slaughtered legions of faceless henchmen in Vietnam, Afghanistan, Burma and Mexico. But it was the sequels that made Rambo a soldier of fortune with a weapon in his hands. The goal of First Blood was survival. Some small town cops pushed Rambo to his breaking point and he ran into the woods to avoid arrest. None of the sequels managed to recapture the tension and thrill of First Blood.

Rambo Was Turned Into A Relentless Killing Machine

First of all, the biggest change made to the Rambo franchise since First Blood is that the titular character has become a ruthless killing machine. Since First Blood Part II, Rambo has been known for carrying heavy artillery and shooting up crowds of people. Since then, the franchise has set records for the number of victims. In First Blood, Rambo wanted to avoid being killed at all costs. One of the pursuing police officers was killed, but only after falling from the helicopter they were using to try to kill Rambo.

First Blood Was More About The Character Than The Violence

Above all, First Blood is a character study. It’s about a man who returns from war, suffers severe psychological consequences from witnessing action in a war zone, and doesn’t know his place in the world because he’s become a social outcast. The sequels all focused on violence and the character work took a backseat. First Blood’s focus on characters with violence in the background made it a much better film.

Sylvester Stallone Gave One Of His Best Performances In First Blood

While his starring role in Rocky will always be his greatest, Sylvester Stallone gave his first starring role some serious competition with his riveting portrayal of John Rambo in First Blood. Stallone always brought a lot of passion to his performances as Rambo, but his performance in First Blood was much more nuanced and convincing than in the sequels.

Rambo 2’s Novelization Has The Franchise’s Most Horrific Scene

The Story Of First Blood Was Handled With Care

Drawing from David Morrell’s novel of the same name, First Blood’s screenplay tells its story with care. The first act economically establishes Rambo’s character and his standing in a post-Vietnam world, building toward the manhunt in the woods. The first acts of the sequels all have a similar economy, but suffer in their second and third acts as they devolve into generic shoot-‘em-ups. The second act of First Blood gradually raises the stakes, while the third reaches a satisfying climax.

First Blood’s Political Message Was Both Subtle And Poignant

Although Sylvester Stallone claims otherwise, all Rambo films are political in nature. 2008’s Rambo and Last Blood were loud and clear in their critiques of Burma and Mexico, respectively. First Blood is the only film whose political message is subtle because it is not explicitly stated to the audience. In First Blood Part 2, Rambo gives a long speech about how war veterans want their country to love them as much as they love it. The politics of First Blood were also incredibly poignant in 1982, as the film dealt with the post-traumatic stress disorder that Vietnam veterans suffered from and the indifference they faced when they returned home. There is also a veiled hint of the Agent Orange effect.

Rambo’s Relationship With Colonel Trautman Was Emotionally Engaging

All Rambo films until Richard Crenna’s death revolved around the title character’s relationship with Colonel Trautman. Trautman is the one who talks him down in First Blood, recruits him to rescue prisoners of war in First Blood Part II, and needs rescuing in Rambo III. The father-son relationship was the most emotionally compelling in First Blood, and the final scene at the police station told viewers everything they needed to know about their complex dynamic.

First Blood Had Real Subtext

There’s no subtext in Rambo blowing up Mexican gangsters or jamming his knife through the insides of a Tatmadaw soldier, but there is a real subtext in Rambo fleeing from a trigger-happy small-town police squad. The conflict in First Blood can be viewed as a powerful metaphor for the U.S. government’s treatment of its troops when they got back from Vietnam.

The Suspense In First Blood Was Palpable

All good action films need tension. Preparing for action is much more effective than just diving into it. As Rambo is chased through the forest in First Blood, the tension is palpable. The sequels lacked this tension. Rambo was called into action, showed up and killed a bunch of people. There was no build-up between them.

War Was Condemned In First Blood, But Glorified In The Sequels

The First Blood sequels conveyed the opposite message to their predecessor. In First Blood, Rambo is a walking, talking symbol of the ravages of war. But later, when Rambo’s glorious bloodshed frees prisoners of war and missionaries, war seemed like the perfect solution to the problem of institutionalized sadism around the world. If First Blood condemned war, its sequels glorified it.

First Blood Was More Of A Drama Than An Action Movie

The Rambo sequels are all straight action movies that don’t beat around the bush. But the original was so much more than that. Although there’s plenty of action in First Blood, it’s more of a drama than an action movie. With its heavy themes and character-focused plot, First Blood feels a lot more like a “real” movie (i.e. the kind of movie that warrants analytical discussion) than its sequels.