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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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| Year: | 1982 |
| Country of origin: | USA |
| Director: | Sylvester Stallone |
| Genre: | Revenge thriller |
| Starring: | Sylvester Stallone, Brian Dennehy, Richard Crenna |
| Rating: | 5/5 |
| IMDB link: | http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083944/ |
| Tagline: | One war against one man. |
| Favourite line: | "Vagrancy wasn't it? That's gonna look real good on his grave stone in Arlington: Here lies John Rambo, winner of the Congressional Medal of Honor, survivor of countless incursions behind enemy lines. Killed for vagrancy in Jerkwater, USA" |
Not content with bringing us one screen icon in the shape of Rocky Balboa, Sly Stallone had to go and get involved with another one.
John Rambo is a Vietnam veteran, still struggling to come to terms with the psychological scars inflicted during that awful conflict. A loner, he is making his way cross country when he has the misfortune to attempt to enter a town run by a sadistic sherriff, played with malicious glee by Brian Dennehy. The sherriff takes an instant dislike to Rambo, and refuses to let him enter the town lines, even though all he wants to do is buy a sandwich and move on through.
Anyone out there with leftwing sensibilities will be filled with loathing for this small-minded, power hungry pettiness.
Thing is, what Dennehy doesn't know is he has just chosen the wrong guy to humiliate and, upon escaping the jail he is unceremoniously thrown into, sets out on a bloody and brutal operation of revenge, taking down those he believes have wronged him in the town, but no one else.
Well acted (yes, even the almost unintelligible rant from Stallone during the denouement), well directed and with a powerful message, this is a stylish action thriller somewhat sullied by the increasingly silly action sequels.
Well worth a watch.
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