I think the reason why First Blood has still got a hardcore fanbase is the fact that many people can relate in some way to that of the fictional character.
The character of Rambo seemed scared to the very core of his soul by what he had witnessed and had been ordered to do in the Vietnam conflict (very similar to what our guys are going through now with the up to date conflicts).
The difference was that the majority of the American people at the time were not patriotic towards these young men and women who were trying to keep freedom instilled by fighting the Communists. When the character was deemed mentally unfit to serve his country he was thrown by the wayside, so he drifted from one state to another trying to reconnect himself with his only chance of connecting with humanity, who was his old army buddies.
We see Rambo in the introduction walking into shot, happy and joyful with the bright sun shining down on his face, and the sound of children playing. He then finds his last chance of staying connected to conventional life died when his friend Delmar Berry did. As he threw that brown address book away, it signified him casting away any domestic values that he did have.
Wandering aimlessly we see him walk into Hope with a pensive look on his face, almost as though he was in a semi-autistic state. As he walks into the town’s border, the sky is very dark and gloomy, again it’s now a reflection of the movie characters state of mind.
That is why First Blood could only have been shot in Hope, the beautiful backdrop with the mountains, but at the same time kind of intimidating with the surrounding mountains – a little like how Teasle was trying to bully and intimidate the Rambo character.
I joined Norfolk Constabulary Police Force for four years. I left three years ago now, but because of the Rambo character not giving up, I fought hard to get into the police service, which is the hardest force to join within the UK.
So that is another positive knock-on effect that this movie has had on me.
Regan Greenard, United Kingdom