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BY MARK ENDERLE FIRST BLOODAmerica’s favorite under-dog, Sylvester Stallone, is once again gracing our screens with another .slow-talking, heroic performance. Only this time he’s not fighting Apollo Creed or Mr. ‘T’ for the heavyweight championship, but rather, as the movie ads proudly proclaim, he’s fighting for his life. (Gosh, sounds exciting, doesn’t it?)xPerhaps the most suprising aspect of First Blood is that it isn’t a bad film. It contains a very simplistic plot, plodding dialogue and a cast of characters that is just a bit too redneck. However, this movie can be enjoyed if it is accepted at face value. It is simple, action-packed adventure; at this level it is reasonably successful.First Blood begins with an ex-green berer and Vietnam veteran’s (Stallone) attempt to locate one of his old war buddies. When he is told that his friend has died of a belated nepalm-inflicted cancer, he dejectedly hitches to the nearest town for some warmth and food.This is when the fun begins. Sly is met oo the outskirts of town by the local, stereotypical, redneck sheriff; the sheriff tersely tells him thathis long-haired appearance “isn’t much” appreciated in their fine town. He coerces Sly into his car, proceeding to escort him out of town.Stallone, despite thesheriff’s wishes to the contrary, defiantly makes his way back to the town. Our friendly law enforcer, deciding that enough is enough, decides to arrest and take him in on vagrancy charges.During his brief incarceration, Stallone is ridiculed, humiliated and physically abused. While one of the deputies attempts to dry shave Stallone, he suffers from a Nam flashback; inspired by fear, he violently frees himself from the clutches of the guards and makes his escape into the surrounding woods.The rest of the movie deals with the local police and, later on, the National Guard’s inability to bring Stallone in.There is only one man who appears to have a chance on br-inging Sly in, his excommander (Richard Crenna) from Vietnam.Much to the dismay of the local sheriff, Crepna explains that Stallone, although outnumbered by over 200, is in charge of the situation. His survival instincts, which are a direct result of his extensive green beret training, place him at a distinct and consistently unfair advantage.The climax of the film nearly makes the first 90 minutes worthwhile. Stallone, in a very moving dialogue, expresses a haunting and inescapablepoint of view that is certainly shared by many Vietnam veterans.The major shortcoming of this movie wasn’t its shallow plot or its all-star redneck cast. It was the unfortunate pefor-mance of Richard Crenna as the green beret colonel. Crenna, who definitely possesses adequate talent needed for this role, mistakes an annoyingseries of distracting facial twitches and eyebrow raising for acting.First Blood undeniably has many drawbacks. However, the key to enjoying this movie is the suspension of all semblance of belief for approximately 100 minutes. If this can be accomplished, First Blood can be an entertaining, action-packed adventure.GREGORY S GIRLGregory ’s Girl, a recent Scottish film import, combines a cast of young teenage actors with an attractive, but simple storyline. This basic premise is honed to virtual perfection making this movie an absolute delight.Gregory's Girl has been playing to critical acclaim throughout the country, and justifiably so. The film, which deals, with a host of adolescent problems and concerns, most notably a first love, is performed and written-in a very thorough and sensitive manner.It is the lack of polish which makes this film special. The protagonists look and act likeyoung teenagers trying to understand and find their place in a world that is seem-
Newspaper Details
Oshkosh Advance Titan
Oshkosh, Wisconsin, US
Thu, Dec 02, 1982
Page 19
Full Page
Clipped by
Jon C.
NJ, USA 14 Jan 2020
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