Hero survives ending; premise; score; PTSD theme; early David Caruso; police brutality; original John Rambo; Teasle rising in his office; National Guard photo; Clinton Morgen character; "They drew first blood"; Kassar and Vajna credits; real-life touches
Pulled forward from What's Aged the Best: not having Rambo kill himself, as in the script, after test audiences disliked it may be the smartest action-movie decision ever; don't kill your hero. — Brian Koppelman
The premise is unassailable and the score is great, including when he plows through the cars near the end. — Bill Simmons
A hero with PTSD was still new; it is how one host learned about PTSD at 13. — Bill Simmons
Objection: the PTSD flashbacks as a filmmaking technique did not age well; Spike's Five Bloods did them better. — Brian Koppelman
Early Caruso, sneering with a terrible haircut, was somebody to watch. — Brian Koppelman
Police brutality, cops treating someone like dirt for no reason, was new in a popular movie; original John Rambo has aged well. — Brian Koppelman
Teasle slowly standing in his office when told Rambo is alive, and the weekend National Guard guys posing for a picture ("back to the drugstore on Monday") are singled out. — Brian Koppelman
