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Steve McQueen was slated to be Rambo and probably would have been had he not been considered too old.
By the sequels, he had transformed into an ultrapumped, flag-waving superhero.
The original cut ofFirst Blood, directed by Ted Kotcheff (who would go on to directWeekend at Bernies!
), was more than three hours long.
And to hear Stallone tell it, the film was a disaster.
(Their mistake: ensnaring Rambos niece, played by Yvette Monreal, in their illicit enterprise.)
(Or something its harder to make out what hes saying than usual.)
The end credits show clips from previousRambomovies, and they all look like masterpieces compared with this slop.
The whole film is parodied wonderfully inHot Shots!
It is stunning how profoundly graphicRambois, and Stallone doesnt pretend hes not relishing every second of it.
This movie has to set some sort of record for exploding brains: There areso manyexploding brains.
Though nothing can really top Rambopunching a mans head off.
This film is obviously not for everyone.
But for pure cartoonish, borderline-insane ultraviolence, Stallone outdid himself.
We dont know if its necessarilygood.
But its definitely something we havent forgotten.
I said, I dont give a damn what the perceived wisdom is; hes perfect for the part.
Hes tough, but hes also empathetic and capable of great sensitivity.
I cant see anybody else playing that part.
Rambos big speech at the end ofFirst Bloodmay be overblown, but Stallone sells the characters disillusionment.
