“This movie is an amazing mixture of good parts and bad parts.” Kristl said, “and one part is certainly still relevant today as it was in those days, but, and I say this to underscore this, in a totally different way.”
“I think I lost you somewhere after the word ‘parts’.” Henry said cheerfully, while he poured himself a beer and adjusted the red headband. He was wearing something that resembled a camouflage jacket and army boots, the same Kristl was equipped with.
Kristl took a long and deep breath, “In those days a veteran soldier was an outcast. Spit out by society because of the Vietnam war they had lost and of a society tired of war.”
“Yeah..That part is clear. It is kinda spelled out.”
“Now it has been reversed. Nowadays he is put on a pedestal and revered. They can’t do any wrong. And this, my American friend, is called irony. For whether we see Rambo as a vet that is shunned by
society or as a vet that is revered by it, he is and still is dangerous killing machine that has been bred by it and totally useless to it one peace has come. And that makes the movie still relevant today as it was
back then.”
“But in a totally different way. I get it.” Henry was cleaning his nails with a Swiss army knife. It was the biggest knife he had. Kristl frowned at him.
“Otherwise it has a lot of bad parts. Like the way the police of Jerktown, in the state of Nowhere are depicted as scumbags. Well some probably are, but all? Is it not over the top?”
“Well. They had to be, to push Rambo over the edge, I guess. And once he got going.. he got going. Actually the fights are mostly believable.
Like they aren’t as over the top as they are today. It is kind of refreshing really.”
“Except that the police keep M-16’s in their armories. The standard arms for the local hillbilly police in action town, USA.”
“Come on, you’re nitpicking.” Henry bowed forward and tried to use his Swiss army knife to cut the shoelaces of his combat boots, which failed because the knife was dull. He decided against saw the laces and
instead just untied them and removed his boots.
“Okay, I admit it. I am. Yet somehow the whole movie has a message to say and it is snowed under by the action scenes. I somehow feel that if the police had been a little bit less bad and the national guards a little less dumb and the state police had a little bit less gawking as fish that find themselves on dry land, the movie might have been better. Just a bit here and a bit there.” Kristl said.
“You know, have you ever considered that without the action sequences the movie might be a bit more boring and that it requires a lot rewriting and recasting to make the moving in a kind of social drama that the other people, who don’t like action movies, would appreciate?”
“I guess it does.”
“So considering this, I would say that it is a decent action movie for it’s day and it even got a bit of a message. And as you say, that message had meaning then and still has meaning now and this in a way makes it exceptional for an action movie..”
“I think you are right.” Kristl said and then continued after a pause, “Did you notice that there is not one woman in the whole movie. Well, except at the very beginning and a waitress who says hi somewhere halfway through the movie..”
“Now that you mention it.”
“Strange, isn’t it?”
“Well, I guess. Does it matter?”
“Not that I know. Just noticed it.”
“Takes one, to notice one. Or the lack thereof.” Henry said and he gurgled down some beer.
“What is that suppose to mean?”
“Well.. you’re a woman?”
“Maybe we should watch a movie with only a female cast next time then.”
“I think I wouldn’t watch it.I think I would fall asleep.”
“Male chauvinist pig”
“Really, a film with a whole female cast would either be a chat movie or a lesbian one. And both make me fall asleep, only because of
different reasons.” Henry said and then he cried out in pain because Kristl had kicked him,
“Hope you remember that one for a while.”
“That hurts. What did you do that for!” He put down his can of beer and started rubbing his smarted ankle.
“To get your beer of course.” And she grabbed his cans of beer and ran away.
