First Blood by David Morrell

(pb; 1972)

From the back cover

“Nobody in the small Kentucky town knew his name was Rambo. All they knew was that he was a stranger. . . and that he looked like trouble. The army had trained him in the art of killing, and now he did not know how to stop.”

 

Review

First is a character-driven actioner about two war veterans─Will Teasle, from the Korean War, and John Rambo, from the Vietnam War─who are too stubborn for their own good. When Teasle, a small-town sheriff, tries to drive Rambo out of his county, he sets off a conflict that neither he nor Rambo expected, one that echoes the fights they abandoned in foreign countries.

Morrell’s writing is vivid and balanced, his characters relatable and sympathetic, and the pacing battle intensive. First’s body count and brutality never dominate the character-centric human elements of the novel, which are, of course, the heart of the work. This is a good, blaze-through read.

Morrell wrote a book sequel, Rambo: First Blood Part II, but don’t be fooled by that. Rambo is a movie tie-in novel, not a sequel to the source novel. (Read First Blood and you’ll understand.)

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First Blood was released stateside on October 22, 1982. Ted Kotcheff directed it, from a screenplay by Michael Kozoll, William Sackheim and Sylvester Stallone.

Sylvester Stallone played John Rambo. Brian Dennehy played Sheriff Will Teasle. Richard Crenna played Col. Samuel Trautman.

Bill McKinney played State Police Capt. Dave Kern. Jack Starrett played Galt. Chris Mulkey played Ward. David Caruso played Deputy Mitch. John McLiam played Orval the Dog man. Bruce Greenwood played Guardsman #5.

North Dallas Forty, by Peter Gent

(pb; 1973)

From the back cover:

"Eight days in the life of a pro-football player. Eight days of savagery, pain, drugs, drinking, laughter and raunchy sex, and haunting love between a man and a woman... Eight days that take you into the heart of a man, a team, a sport, a game and the raw power and violence that is America itself. The author, Peter Gent, former offensive for the Dallas Cowboys, has emerged as an astounding writing talent."

Review:

Laugh out loud funny in some parts, sad in others, this dark comedy is a roller-coaster ride of Dantean proportions. It's not just another football book: it's a written-from-the-gut, inside look at a sport and a country that's troubling, compromised (by power-brokers, money men and players alike) and often admirable.

The ending is one of the most shocking I've ever read. I still get upset when I think about it, all the while applauding Gent's galvanizing finish.

By all means, check it out. Avoid the lackluster book sequel, North Dallas After Forty, which posssessed none of the power and realism of the original novel.

The film version was released stateside on August 3, 1979.

Nick Nolte played Phillip Elliott. Mac Davis played Seth Maxwell. Charles Durning played Coach Johnson. Dayle Haddon played Charlotte Caulder. Bo Svenson played Jo Bob Priddy. John Matuszak played O.W. Shaddock. Dabney Coleman played Emmett Hunter.

Ted Kotcheff directed the film, from a script by Peter Gent, Nancy Dowd (uncredited) and Rich Eustis.