10 Reasons That Prove Sylvester Stallone Is Underrated

2. First Blood

It's easy to forget, as John Rambo took down Vietnam, Afghanistan and Burma that he actually started as a quiet Vietnam War veteran that simply wanted to see an old friend as he passes through the small town of Hope in Washington State. When picked up by Brian Dennehy's sheriff as a drifter, Rambo decides that he won't be treated this way by the state and is promptly arrested for walking back into town. He is then bullied by the cops before a Vietnam flashback prompts a violent attack and escape from the police station. He is then chased into the mountains where he defends himself from the cops and the National Guard. Based on David Morrell's 1972 novel, this film might be less subtle than the book it's derived from, but it is still a stark reference point for how Vietnam veterans were treated and the small town bullying which is given to outsiders. Again, after various jungle and desert wars, seeing Rambo in the mountainous forests of British Columbia is great to see as he uses the environment to his advantage at every point. It also includes perhaps Stallone's finest moment as, weeping on the floor of the police station, he tells his ex-Colonel about the death of a friend in Vietnam. A moment that has scarred his memory for life.