As battle-scarred John Rambo, star and screenwriter Sylvester Stallone uses the post war traumas of real-life war veterans as fuel for a jingoistic revenge fantasy in the mode of Death Wish and Walking Tall. Efficiently directed by Ted Kotcheff (The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, North Dallas Forty), 1982’s First Blood is the quintessential Reagan era action film; the beleaguered Rambo takes up arms against a corrupt Washington state police department and essentially goes to war with his own government. Andrew Lazlo’s (Southern Comfort, Innerspace) beautiful cinematography (utilizing the lush landscapes of British Columbia) recalls Vilmos Zsigmond’s work on The Deer Hunter and Jerry Goldsmith’s thoughtful score conveys an appropriately manly but melancholy mood. As always, you can find more commentary, more reviews, more podcasts, and more deep-dives into the films you don't know you love yet over on the Trailers From Hell mothership: http://www.trailersfromhell.com What's that podcast, you ask? Why, it's THE MOVIES THAT MADE ME, where you can join Oscar-nominated screenwriter Josh Olson and TFH Fearless Leader Joe Dante in conversation with filmmakers, comedians, and all-around interesting people about the movies that made them who they are. Check it out now, and please subscribe wherever podcasts can be found. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-movies-that-made-me/id1412094313 Spotify: http://spotify.trailersfromhell.com Libsyn: http://podcast.trailersfromhell.com Google Play: http://googleplay.trailersfromhell.com RSS: http://goo.gl/3faeG7