The Rambo Report: Five Films, Three Books, One Legend

From the beginning, Rambo was more than a character in a 1972 novel by David Morrell. He was the culmination of the author's personal encounters with veterans returning from the Vietnam War. The 1982 movie adaptation of First Blood reflected the novel's powerful insights into a troubled veteran's postwar experience. Then in 1985, the film's explosive sequel Rambo: First Blood Part II transformed the character into something shockingly different. With a focus on blood-and-guts action, Rambo ...