5. John Rambo - First Blood
It's perhaps because of this change that most people associate the name "Rambo" with a series of brainless, excessively violent action films, despite the fact that the original film, First Blood, was a savagely intelligent, visceral and heartfelt examination of the post-Vitenam temperament in America, topped by a career-best performance from Sylvester Stallone. The film ends with Rambo giving a tearful, powerful monologue about his plight before being taken into custody by his superior officer, Colonel Trautman, setting up a series of sequels that become increasingly less intelligent and more chaotic (though the finale of the fourth film was totally awesome). However, the original, filmed ending featured Rambo committing suicide at the finale, grabbing Trautman's gun and shooting himself through the chest. While neither ending is explicitly "better" than the other in my eyes, it's really a balance of interests; one ending made Stallone filthy rich, whereas the other would have kept the reputation of the film water-tight.