RAMBO

I read something interesting over at David Morrell’s website: he likes the new film Rambo based on the character from his novel First Blood. He thinks the film is the most faithful adaptation of the John Rambo character, and that Sylvester Stallone does a terrific job portraying the broken, self-loathing man Morrell imagined when he created the character for his 1972 novel. He says, in part:

This is the first time that the tone of my novel First Blood has been used in any of the movies. It's spot-on in terms of how I imagined the character—angry, burned-out, and filled with self-disgust because Rambo hates what he is and yet knows it's the only thing he does well.

I’ve been a little suspicious of the film for a few reasons—the trailer looks extremely violent (although pretty good to my action-junkie eyes), it’s release date was pushed back at least once, and the producers exiled David Morrell from the production. You may remember a post I did last summer about Morrell’s isolation from the film, and his frustration about it. So his kind words carry some weight in my mind for the simple reason that he didn’t have a thing to do with anything. I doubt he ever spoke to the director, screenwriter, or anybody with anything to do with the film. And I’m glad it passes the author test—if he likes, I bet I will. And this is a film that I would really like to enjoy.

A Note: First Blood is a novel you should read—assuming you haven’t—because it absolutely rocks. This one turned the action thriller on its head, and its themes of war, violence and death are as relevant today as they were when it was written. And it’s entertaining as hell.

Click Here to read David Morrell's comments about the film.