First Blood Vs. Commando (Ep. 0020)
First Blood and Commando - these two films became the blueprint for the modern action movie. While these films have completely different tones, they share the same core: they're built around the concept of the one-man-army while yielding two of the most recognizable and iconic action stars to ever grace the big screen.
Film Summaries:
Commando
Retired Special Forces soldier John Matrix (Arnold Schwarzenegger) lives with daughter Jenny (Alyssa Milano) in isolation, but his privacy is disturbed by former commander Franklin Kirby (James Olson), who warns him that his fellow soldiers are getting killed one by one. After Kirby leaves, Jenny is kidnapped by former Latin American dictator Arius (Dan Hedaya), who wants Matrix to restore him to power. Instead, Matrix sets out to take down the rogue leader and rescue his daughter.
Rating:
R
Genre:
Action
Original Language:
English
Director:
Mark L. Lester
Producer:
Joel Silver
Writer:
Matthew Weisman, Jeph Loeb, Steven E. de Souza, Steven E. de Souza
Release Date (Theaters):
Oct 4, 1985 Wide
Release Date (Streaming):
Nov 1, 2005
Box Office (Gross USA):
$34.9M
Runtime:
1h 30m
Distributor:
20th Century Fox
(Info courtesy of Rotten Tomatoeshttps://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1004567-commando)
First Blood
Vietnam veteran and drifter John J. Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) wanders into a small Washington town in search of an old friend, but is met with intolerance and brutality by the local sheriff, Will Teasle (Brian Dennehy). When Teasle and his deputies restrain and shave Rambo, he flashes back to his time as a prisoner of war and unleashes his fury on the officers. He narrowly escapes the manhunt, but it will take his former commander (Richard Crenna) to save the hunters from the hunted.
Rating:
R
Genre:
Action, Adventure
Original Language:
English
Director:
Ted Kotcheff
Producer:
Buzz Feitshans, Herb Nanas
Writer:
Michael Kozoll, William Sackheim, Sylvester Stallone, David Morrell
Release Date (Streaming):
Nov 23, 2004
Runtime:
1h 35m
(Info courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/first_blood)