Nonetheless, in the film, Rambo is a somewhat sympathetic character that is a by-product of a harsh Vietnam War. The film even questions the war's harsh existence. First Blood is the reflection of a confused American still in the cloud of Vietnam. However, in First Blood Part 2, Rambo is a character comparable to Arnold Schwarzenegger's character in Commando. Think, (he shoots a bow and arrow) "Look! A building just blew up!" Yes, First Blood Part 2 was a part of Reagan Macho America. My question, relates to now:
"Where America was in the original First Blood, is comparable to now. Will the same type of Macho Patriotism reappear?"
4 comments:
The cheesy machismo of Arnold, Sylvester Stallone, Steven Seagal, Roger Moore, isn't as popular anymore. Today, the emphasis is on fast, lethal thrillers where the heroes and antiheroes have much more character depth. Jason Bourne is really the best example of this. He's a cold-blooded killer and skilled assasin, but not excessively like war/action movies of the past. He's morally divided, often driven by ambiguous motives, and feels significant remorse if he must in fact kill someone. Another example is Daniel Craig's James Bond, who has morphed into very much a Jason Bourne-like character. He kills swiftly, but the cheese factor is drastically toned down to give a gritty, realistic feel over the silly escapism of past action movies.
Have a look at the book HARD BODIES that tie Rambo et al to the Reagan '80s.... I suppose GW Bush's years can be seen as an echo of that period... But Obama is something different (although maybe we're not enirely sure what).... There's room for another heroes & politics argument for your 496 paper!!!
I have seen "Hard Bodies." Needless to say, Bjorn is right, it provides plenty to go off of.
I also feel that this uber machismo male influence was more a reaction to the Cold War than anything.
We as a nation constantly wanted to portray the strong American manly hero, and of course when doable, the evil Russians, examples being "Red Dawn," "Rocky IV," and countless bad Chuck Norris films, like "Invasion USA."
If you noticed once the USSR was gone these heroic types seemed to dissipate more so.
YEs all i have to say is that i love the rambo movies and i do not care what anybody says, it might have been a reflection of the time period but i rather not relate them to anything. I rather enjoy them as a great movie and leave out any other influences.
Stallone you are the man!!!
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