FILM REVIEW: First Blood - Page 2

diebitter · #11 11-03-2005, 10:16 AM

Well, okay, it's not that realistic, but I meant comparatively. compared to Rambo 2, Commando etc etc

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Stallone's ending speech might be my favorite bit of gibberish ever.

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Oh, yeah, good point!

This and the old coot in Blazing Saddles have got the entire history of cinema tied up on this point.

samjjones · #12 11-03-2005, 10:22 AM

Brian Dennehy plays one of the great film assholes of all time in this.

diebitter · #13 11-03-2005, 10:26 AM

"Greatest Assholes in cinema" - we got to do a thread on this sometime...

My minds blank on possible contenders at the moment though...

jakethebake · #14 11-03-2005, 10:32 AM

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Brian Dennehy plays one of the great film assholes of all time in this.

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I don't remember it this way at all. As I recall, he didn't want vagrants in town, but he also sympathised with Rambo. Or maybe that was all from the book too and I just read it into into the movie myself.

jakethebake · #15 11-03-2005, 10:33 AM

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"Greatest Assholes in cinema" - we got to do a thread on this sometime...

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Very good idea.

ethan · #16 11-03-2005, 10:50 AM

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Brian Dennehy plays one of the great film assholes of all time in this.

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I don't remember it this way at all. As I recall, he didn't want vagrants in town, but he also sympathised with Rambo. Or maybe that was all from the book too and I just read it into into the movie myself.

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He was pretty decidedly an [censored] in the movie.

drewjustdrew · #17 11-03-2005, 10:50 AM

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Brian Dennehy plays one of the great film assholes of all time in this.

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I don't remember it this way at all. As I recall, he didn't want vagrants in town, but he also sympathised with Rambo. Or maybe that was all from the book too and I just read it into into the movie myself.

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He was very much like the sheriff in Unforgiven. Had a job to do, did it ruthlessly, but seemed to understand.

jakethebake · #18 11-03-2005, 10:53 AM

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He was very much like the sheriff in Unforgiven. Had a job to do, did it ruthlessly, but seemed to understand.

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I don't see them as the same at all. In Unforgiven, Hackman was just a giant ego that enjoyed being an [censored]. I didn't get that from Dennehey's character. IIRC in First Blood, Dennehey reigned in the deputies a couple of times after the arrest, etc.

diebitter · #19 11-03-2005, 10:56 AM

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Brian Dennehy plays one of the great film assholes of all time in this.

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I don't remember it this way at all. As I recall, he didn't want vagrants in town, but he also sympathised with Rambo. Or maybe that was all from the book too and I just read it into into the movie myself.

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Really? I remember reading underlying malice right from the get-go (hence my reference to 'covert menace' in the OP).

Could be a memory thing - I'll have to rewatch it sometime.

imported_The Vibesman · #20 11-03-2005, 11:17 AM

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He was very much like the sheriff in Unforgiven. Had a job to do, did it ruthlessly, but seemed to understand.

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I don't see them as the same at all. In Unforgiven, Hackman was just a giant ego that enjoyed being an [censored]. I didn't get that from Dennehey's character. IIRC in First Blood, Dennehey reigned in the deputies a couple of times after the arrest, etc.

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I agree with the assessment of Hackman's character in Unforgiven, it's actually one of my problems with the movie that all the characters are so clear cut. "Look, the hookers and killers are good guys and the cops bad guys" is a lot more fun when the hookers and killers don't act completely noble, and the cops don't act like total scum.

Dennehy's character is a bit more complex, but I was never sure he was meant to be. You do get the impression in the opening scenes that he feels for Rambo and is just trying to enforce the law; but his behavior later in the movie goes against any sympathetic understanding of his character. He never seems as malevolent as HackMan in Unforgiven, just dense, stubborn and non-understanding. I felt someone dropped the ball on Dennehy's character, that it started as a decently complex guy and then just turned into the stock movie bad cop when it became convienent to do so. It seemed to me that either the writer or director got lazy with that character.