Better In Your Head?--FIRST BLOOD

 

Spoiler Alert: first blood, best blood.

THE BOOK-Written by David Morrell, released 1979

THE MOVIE-Directed by Ted Kotcheff, written by Michael Kozoll, Sylvester Stallone & William Sackheim, released 1982

THE STORY-A drifter and a cop. A father and a son. The sin of pride and the virtue of resourcefulness. Connections once made, broken only by death. War is hell and heaven only knows.

MIND THE GAP-Whether you read the book before watching the film...or you watch the film before reading the book...let a few days elapse. Lest you run a risk of debilitating whiplash.

Sylvester Stallone used his superstar status to change 90% of the source material. Rambo on film is still a decorated Vietnam vet--a Green friggin' Beret--experiencing significant difficulty re-assimilating into civilian life. He still snaps after incessant torment from small-town cops. But he's no killing machine; his body-tally is just one, and that one a case of manslaughter. Otherwise, Rambo disarms and subdues pursuers with phlegmatic expertise. He is given a first name, the quintessential American first name--John. He's a super-buff scruff victimized by circumstances. He wields an iconic weapon. He survives at the end.

Smart changes, commercially speaking. Stallone knew what crowds of the era craved, and he filled their plate accordingly. Whether boxing ring or battlefield, a Stallone character gives audiences reasons to cheer. He's at his arguable best in First Blood, a muscular marvel who can still pull off a highly emotional moment. (Just the one, though.) His chief antagonist is a sheriff, name of Teasle (the dependably fantastic Brian Dennehy). Just like in the book, Teasle is driven by vindictiveness towards a homeless guy who just won't leave town. Unlike in the book, however, he's vengeful and frothing, like Joe Don Baker with rabies. "I'm gonna pin that Congressional Medal Of Honor to his liver." Why? Just let him be Walla Walla's problem, dude! (Oh right, locale changed from small-town Kentucky to small-town Washington. 'Cause the South can't have all the controversial statues.)

BETTER IN YOUR HEAD-The novel's greatest feat is a layered, sensitive portrayal of hunter and hunted. Two men, just-Rambo and Chief Teasle, brothers-in-shame racing towards the same clearly-marked minefield. Neither is reduced to a symbol, and that's why the book shines. Because the movie proudly reduces both men to symbols. Further to its detriment, the screenplay also dials down the violence (a "wrong" righted in the slew of sequels). The carnage in Morrell's gripping articulation of machismo run amok adds another shade of whatever color comes to mind when you hear the words "warrior in isolation." 

I've never read another book quite like Rambo and I'm unsure if I could.