Rambo : Sylvester Stallone as a veteran victim of society
Revealed with Rocky (1976), Sylvester Stallone took a few years to get it his other legendary role as Rambo. It was in 1982 (1983 in France), after having made two other works dedicated to the boxer Balboa, that the actor appeared before Ted Kotcheff’s camera in the role of a Vietnam veteran, returning to the United States traumatized by the war. A character therefore quite far from the man of action capable of destroying everything with machine gun fire and leaving behind numerous corpses, as in the other films of the saga.
Because in this first Rambo, John wanders around an American town like a vagabond, lost in this society and without a trace after seven years of fighting. Immediately rejected by the town sheriff, he was imprisoned without a real reason. His only crime was to possess a knife and not to obey the orders of the police officer. By dint of being persecuted and mistreated by the policethe trauma of the former soldier will resurface. For this reason he will take refuge in the surrounding forest, before responding with force to the men pursuing him.
The greatness of Rambo It must be a film about the consequences of the Vietnam War without showing the conflict. Ted Kotcheff focuses on this veteran abandoned by his nation despite his services rendered. It is therefore more a work on the post-traumatic stress of soldiers and a criticism of America, than an action film that seeks to glorify the soldier.
Three broken ribs and a character saved from the final cut
A huge success at the cinema, grossing $125 million at the worldwide box office on a budget of just $15 million, Rambo is now considered one of Sylvester Stallone’s best films. However, the actor was not the first choice for this film adaptation novel by David Morrell (1972). But by joining the production, the American star was heavily involved. First of all by making changes to the scenario to make Rambo not a psychopath as in the novel, but a victim of society. It was also on the set that Sylvester Stallone gave his all. Filming a stunt in which the protagonist falls from a cliff onto a large tree before ending up on the ground, the actor broke three ribsThe sequence was kept as is in the final cut.
As for the ending, however, a change was made that could have changed everything for Sylvester Stallone’s career. In fact, in the original scenario, John Rambo had to commit suicide in front of his mentor, Colonel Trautman. The scene was even filmed and included in a rough cut. However, during test screenings, the feedback was very negative about this ending. As mentioned Classic DVD in an article about the film, “the spectators (had) had compassion for the veteranFor this reason the production decided to change the ending and keep the character alive. A much better idea since from that moment on sequels would have been possible. Without this change today there would only be one film Ramboand not one of the most famous sagas in the history of cinema.
Check out the alternate ending below Rambo :
Source: Cine Serie
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