Rambo series
Sylvester Stallone became famous in the United States because he created the character of Rocky from scratch but a lot of his international longevity is due to his portrayal of John Rambo, a Vietnam veteran who to date has had five screen adventures presumably as harrowing as anything he faced during the war. Rambo first appeared in the novel First Blood, written by David Morrell. The author reportedly came up with the memorable name after his wife bought some Rambo apples and he based the character on veterans who were struggling with PTSD. Rambo’s veteran status is a core characteristic of his struggles, especially in the novel and in the first film. While audiences enjoy the Rambo films for the nihilistic joy of watching a tough guy gun down really bad guys there are plenty of mindless action films that offer that experience. Rambo has unprocessed pain from both serving in Vietnam and then facing the cruel aftermath in the U.S. in which the public’s dis...