Two jingoistic sequels reduced Vietnam veteran John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) to an indestructible cartoon figure, but this first film in the series is an involving action drama about an ostracised loner pushed too far. Brian Dennehy is on fine snarling form as a bigoted small-town sheriff, the catalyst for a woodland cat-and-mouse chase in which his battle-hardened quarry quickly assumes the feline role. The warfare is tautly assembled by director Ted Kotcheff and Stallone portrays Rambo with enough wounded conviction to forgive some of his increasingly far-fetched escapes. It's a shame that Richard Crenna, as Rambo's revered colonel, is little more than a know-all caricature and that the film's initial message about the lack of understanding bestowed on returning soldiers becomes lost among the trail of destruction. Yet there is a thread of humanity here that went missing in action during his later missions.

When former Green Beret John Rambo is harassed by local law enforcement and arrested for vagrancy, the Vietnam vet snaps, runs for the hills and rat-a-tat-tats his way into the action-movie hall of fame. Hounded by a relentless sheriff, Rambo employs heavy-handed guerilla tactics to shake the cops off his tail.