FIRST BLOOD has often been misremembered because of its sequels. People forget that the original film is a smart, hard-hitting character piece. An unflinching and unflattering portrait of so many elements of American society. The casting is impeccable, top to bottom. The screenwriting is top-notch. This scene is a prime example. The insincere smile, the veiled threats. The contained anger. The action may be a little tame by today's standards, but it's not really an action film. It's a drama, with action. In the end, it's hard to see it as anything other than a tragedy. An angry rebuke to the arrogance of power and how most of us just want to look the other way. It still fascinates me how we can tell such entertaining stories about these things. I love this movie. The sequels are just entirely different things (I liked #4.)