The Story of Rambo - Movie Review Example

Rambo: How Hollywood Views The Vietnam War And Its Effect On The Soldiers Who Fought During The War I. Introduction The movie “Rambo” is perhaps one of the best known movies about the post-Vietnam war. Starred by Sylvester Stallone, this movie series became one of the most memorable flicks in the 1980s starting with the first in the series “First Blood” and then followed by “Rambo: First Blood Part II” (Greenburg, 1987). The third and the fourth movies in the series did not make as much money as the first and the second Rambo (Zaitchi, 2007) which means that the audiences gave gone tired of the formula of violence and mental tortures which made the first and second Rambo movies very successful. The movie focused on the story of Rambo, a member of the elite Green Beret who fought during the Vietnam War and was not able to integrate back in the mainstream society after returning home (Ramboo: First Blood movie). In the first movie, Rambo was arrested for vagrancy and was forced by the sheriff to shave his beard and cut his long hair. Since Rambo was captured and tortured while he was in Vietnam, the fact that he was forced to shave his beard and cut his hair brought back the painful memories of his captivity. Technically, what Hollywood wants to show in this scene is that a lot of soldiers who were involved in the Vietnam War suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PSTD). According to Gallicchio (2007), many of those served during the Vietnam War indeed suffered from PSTD and many of these soldiers indeed up in mental facilities after being unable to come to terms with their traumatic experiences in the battlefield. The term “Vietnam syndrome” which was used to describe the traumatic experience of the soldier who fought during the war became a symbol of the national humiliation (Gallicchio, 2007). II. Building The Image of Rambo And Society Where He Moves In the first movie Rambo, the main character of the story was obviously disturbed by his experience in Vietnam. After being discharged from his duties and allowed to go home for the first time, Rambo was at a loss as to what to do with his life. The fact that he was arrested brought out the pent emotions inside him and he seem unable to grasp the fact that he is no longer fighting a war in Vietnam but rather he is already home and should feel more secure about his safety. Because Rambo was suffering from PSTD like many Vietnam war veterans, he found it hard to distinguish his past from his present that is why when he was forced to cut his hair, he equated this situation which the torture he experienced while in captivity in Vietnam (Greenburg, 1987). Technically, what the people in Hollywood wanted to show here is that most of those soldiers that have suffered tremendously during their tour of duty in Vietnam need help and that they should be given more support by the government (Greenburg, 1987). If we take a closer look at the scene of the films especially during the first Rambo film, we see Rambo being allowed to go home without going through proper debriefing or any support. He was hitchhiking which could only mean that he did not have enough money to pay his way home. What the movie tried to show us is that the government did not give enough support to its soldiers after they are discharged from their duties and since many of these soldiers are broke, they find it even harder to get back into mainstream society. Aside from depicting Rambo as a disturbed soldier in the first movie, Hollywood also tried to show us how the public seem to be unwilling to embrace back into its fold the soldiers who have been discharge from war duties (Greenburg, 1987). If we take a closer look at the reaction of the sheriff when he learned that Rambo was a decorated war hero, we can clearly see that he was not impressed. He did not even show his respect for Rambo and had him arrested and locked in jail for vagrancy. Technically, this scene with the sheriff depicts the fact that many people did not want the United States to get involved in the Vietnam War and many Americans were not impressed with the performance of the soldiers during the war. We have to understand that the Vietnam War was a source of humiliation for the United States during that time (Walsh, Aulich, 1989) and Hollywood movies such as Rambo shows the contempt that some people feel about the heroes of that war. The fact that many soldiers who fought in the war suffered from PSTD seems to give Hollywood an unwritten right to exploit this situation and depict the war heroes as dangerous people who are on the brink of a breakdown (Greenburg, 1987; Gallicchio, 2007). If we take a look at the first Rambo Movie, we see a lonely and tortured man who is unable to make peace with himself and since he is unable to make peace with himself, he became a threat to the people around him. The fact that he had extensive military training made him even more dangerous to the people around him. Technically, what the movie tried to tell us is that many of those who fought during the Vietnam War had become mentally disturbed that they have become a threat to themselves and to others. The ending of Rambo one where the sheriff was eventually killed only drives in the point that a renegade soldier like Rambo can be quite dangerous and vindictive. The culture that depicts war veterans as mentally unstable and dangerous is highly politicized (Ahmed, 2004) but this does not seem to stop filmmakers from cashing in on the sufferings of these veterans. In fact, the exploitations of stories of torture and psychiatric harm have become so popular simply because many people buy this kind of story (Altman, 2004). While the first Rambo movie was all about the dangers that a renegade war veteran can do to society, the second and the third Rambo movies focus more on the redemption of Rambo. In the second movie, Rambo was released from prison and was put on a mission with the CIA. The second Rambo movie which was released in 1985 is a sharp contrast of the first Rambo which was released in 1981. In the second Rambo story, the United States symbolically won the war in Vietnam when Rambo because the guerilla wielding indigenous weapons, hiding in holes in the ground and killing well-armed and bigger enemies (Rambo: First Blood II). The reversal of the role between Rambo and his enemies in the second movie give us a clear view of how the perception of the Hollywood about the Vietnam War has changed from a critical view that dwell on the pains and sufferings of soldiers to a more upbeat view where it actually sees the soldiers winning the war. The change in Hollywood’s views regarding the post-Vietnam can be clearly seen in the way Rambo behaved in the second movie. Here, Rambo became the true hero who saved lives and helped people escape from difficult situations. Because the film took on a more positive note and does not highlight the humiliation of the United States during the Vietnam War, the film became a bigger hit than the first one. What also put Rambo II in a more favorable light is that this movie seems to follow the general foreign policy of the Reagan administration which was in power at the time that this film was released (Zaitchi, 2007). Note that the foreign policy of the Reagan Administration at that time was low tolerance towards anything that poses a threat to democracy (Walsh & Aulich, 1989). III. Conclusion The story of Rambo many not be the typical story of a Vietnam War hero but the movies themselves have political statements on how Hollywood sees the war and its effect on humanity (Greenburg, 1987). In this movie, we see the concerns of society regarding the threat that some mentally disturbed war veterans may pose to the people around them and how the government failed to extend the necessary support to these veterans in order for them to be integrated smoothly back into mainstream society. The changing scenarios between the different Rambo movies depict the changing views of Hollywood and the changing degree of acceptance of the people of the ideas espoused by the film industry (Leagan, 2000). Note that in the first Rambo and the second Rambo movies were big hits but the third one tanked because the people presumably have gone tired of the winning formula that made Rambo I and II very successful. Works Cited Ahmed, S. (2004). The cultural politics of emotion. New York: Routledge. Altman, N. (2004, Feb. 19). Humiliation, retaliation, and violence. Tikkun Magazine. Gallicchio, Marc. (Ed.). (2007). The Unpredictability of the past: Memories of the Asia- Pacific War in U.S.-East Asian relations. Durham: Duke University Press. Greenburg, Harvey R. "Dangerous Recuperations: Red Dawn, Rambo, and the New Decaturism." Journal of Popular Film and Television. Vol. 15, No. 2, 1987, 60-70. Lane, William K., Jr. "Vietnam vets without Hollywood, without tears" Wall Street journal (Jul 26, 1988) Walsh, Jeffrey, and James Aulich, editors. Vietnam Images: War and Representation. Hampshire, United Kingdom, Macmillan Press, 1989. Zaitchi, Alexander (2007) Preview Review: Rambo IV, Nine Months to the Rebirth of Rambo http://www.exile.ru/articles/detail.php?ARTICLE_ID=10145&IBLOCK_ID=35 Read More