writhaus

The ’80s were an interesting time. It was a decade stamped indelibly by both Ronald Reagan and MTV. It was a golden age in film for the ribald comedy and the action movie. What other decade could hold so many genre classics by the likes of Sylvester Stallone, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Arnold Schwarzenegger?

Of interest this time is Stallone’s First Blood, directed by Ted Kotcheff and based on the novel by David Morrell. We all know the story by now: John Rambo is haunted by Vietnam and what he was trained to do there during the war. His grasp on the world has been cracking and finally snaps with the treatment he receives from the law enforcement personnel of Hope, Wash.’s, sheriff, Will Teasle (Brian Dennehy).

Teasle sees Rambo walking into town and realizes there might be a problem, so he promptly escorts him out of town. Rambo only wanted a warm meal, though, so he turns around to find one. Teasle arrests him, his men abuse him, and Rambo slips back into Vietnam mode.

While the sequels diminished the series, this first film has a lot going for it. Its subject of the treatment of Vietnam vets is very relevant. It also touches on things now clichéd such as flashbacks of soldiers’ experiences.

Performances are solid among the leads. Dennehy always plays a good villain, and the part of John Rambo plays to Stallone’s strengths as an underdog. Richard Crenna is also quite good as Rambo’s Vietnam-era commander.

Like most good action movies, First Blood doesn’t wear out its welcome with a smartly paced 97 minutes. I viewed the movie on HD DVD from Studio Canal, and while the source material probably could be better, I was pleased with the extra detail afforded in the transfer. First Blood might one day look better, but for now it’s perfectly acceptable.

Even if you only know First Blood by its reputation, you owe it to yourself to see it. With a new movie, John Rambo, in development, you might as well reacquaint yourself with the best film in the series.

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For the better part of eight years, I worked as a photojournalist. As a free thinker, I have seen internally the problems brought on by profit-driven corporations owning media outlets. The first television station I worked for had really nice equipment — equipment that was really out of place at a station its size. That station was run under a corporate banner, but essentially it was owned by one man. The next station was owned by the Hearst Corporation via their Hearst-Argyle subsidiary. At that station, videotape decks never had their tops screwed down because you never knew when one would break down at an inopportune time. It is from this background I approached Good Night, and Good Luck.

Good Night, and Good Luck tells the story of Edward Murrow’s public battle with Senator Joseph McCarthy’s hunt for communists. Murrow had a forum in his show on CBS, and he used it to do something good in the country. The political points made in the film are rather profound. Murrow’s stand was that Americans should be free to believe what they want, even if it goes against the majority. That’s the sort of thinking this country was built upon but is sorely lacking today.

David Strathairn portrays Murrow as a serious man but one thoughtful as to the repercussions of his actions. He knows he is poking a stick at a hornets nest, but he is more afraid not to. I could feel the knots form in his stomach a few times during the course of the film. Strathairn knocks it out of the park with this performance.

Interestingly, Joseph McCarthy is portrayed by himself from relevant historical footage of the time. I found this method very rewarding, as seeing McCarthy speak his words himself gave them more gravity. With an actor, you might wonder, too, whether they changed what was spoken for dramatic effect. As it stands, the movie has a great debate feel to it — the sort of feel you get when talking to your friends about their positions on issues that you disagree with.

At just over an hour and a half, George Clooney delivers an exceptionally lean film. The brisk pace allows the story to be told without allowing you to grow tired of its message. The black-and-white color palette helps evoke the ’50s setting. I viewed Warner’s HD DVD. The transfer did the film great justice, giving everything a nice level of high definition “pop.”

As we move further into the 21st century, I recommend everyone familiarize him or herself with the Murrow/McCarthy feud. This film is an excellent place to start.

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