Ruckus

This film is okay from what I remember of it. Unfortunately, it is not all that much seeing as how it has not come on television in many years and I have never seen a DVD of it. Heck, I never even knew the title of this movie and had the hardest time finding it on this site. I remember it having a bit of humor in it so I had added comedy to part of the search criteria and that is what threw off my search for the longest. Then I looked up Dirk Benedict as I was sure he was the guy and I finally found this title. Like I said I remember this one being a bit humorous at times, but like in Rambo it is about a Vietnam vet being treated badly by a small town. Which like I have said before in my review of "First Blood" and "Tank" makes little sense to me. There may have been a hatred of veterans of wars by those on the coasts and such, but usually the small towns embrace those who serve their country. This one though has him more of a drifter and looking rather filthy so I can see it a bit more here as rednecks do tend to act stupid like the ones that started the whole mess at that restaurant. The movie is a bit one note, usually involving the local law and such trying to capture the guy then he ends up busting some heads. Nothing like what is seen in "First Blood" where traps are set and spikes get stuck in a dude's legs. Somewhat good movie, but it needed some work too.

The copy of "Ruckus" that I own (an old-fashioned VHS tape ... still the best collectible) features something I've never seen before, not even in all my many years as a cult-movie fanatic. Before the opening credits, there's a message on the screen stating: "Ruckus has a similar theme as the well-known Sylvester Stallone movie, but got released more than a year before First Blood". Ha! Seems to me the distributors were sick and tired of hearing their film was nothing but a lame imitation of Rambo. It's definitely true that "Ruckus" and "First Blood" have the same basic plot, namely that of a bewildered and traumatized Vietnam veteran who isn't welcome in a sleepy little town, and where the local rednecks attempt to chase him away.

The resembling plot is where the comparison stops, though. "First Blood" is an intense and gripping action/drama, with complex characters and underlying messages, whereas "Ruckus" aims straight for slapstick and pretty much gets ruined by its combination of excessively dumb yokel characters and endless car chases to the tunes of banjo music. Dirk Benedict, in between his TV-successes "Battlestar Galactica" and "The A-Team" doesn't has to do much acting, as he's the strong silent type - mentally scarred by his experience as a POW - who likes to climb in trees and manufacture his own bow and arrows. The gorgeous Linda Blair is utterly wasted, unfortunately. The film doesn't have a few remarkable and unexpected strong points, I must admit. The two characters of which you assume they are the slimiest villains actually turn out to be completely anti-stereotypical. Richard Farnsworth (as the intelligent Sheriff) and Ben Johnson (as the town's rich industrialist) are guaranteed to surprise you.

Having read "First Blood" I told everyone what a tremendous movie it would make. Imagine my surprise when I watched this movie. The hero's name was different but there was no doubt that this was the same story. Linda Blair had been added as a love interest but the battle against the small town sheriff by a disturbed Vietnam vet was definitely the story of John Rambo later made famous by Sylvester Stallone. I have spent years trying to convince others that this movie existed. It didn't help that I forgot its name. Fortunately I did remember it starred Dirk Benedict. Although not a great movie, it does satisfy the "machismo" ethos. In a way, Stallone's version was a let down. The book has a much grimmer ending than either movie. If Stallone-Rambo had suffered the fate portrayed in the book there could have been no sequels.

The lead, Dirk Benedict, is really cool. There is a lot of comedy in the way he makes monkeys of all of the country rednecks that try to take him out. There is nothing he doesn't know about how to defend and take care of himself. His relationship with the young and delectable Linda Blair is tender and cute.

The country songs, especially "One Day at a Time," complement the hokey, but cool and entertaining story perfectly. The supporting actors, including Ben Johnson and Richard Farsnworth, are great. I've watched the film dozens of time, first when it came out on cable in 1982, and then after 2000, when I bought the VHS tape. You'll really enjoy this film.

I was too young when I first saw this movie to connect it to First Blood, knew they were similar but didn't realize until way later that this was likely born of the circulating First Blood script. Don't hold that against it though. While it does get much sillier and the repetition of the same song over and over is quite noticeable this movie is very much a product of its time and a great, fun flick from 1980. It's very much flawed but Dirk Benedict makes Kyle Hanson a very likeable protagonist. The villains are terrible, like rejects from a Smokey & The Bandit movie and the violence is more of the A-Team type with no one being injured beyond the likes of a schoolyard brawl but it is still a good time and I will always remember it as a childhood favorite. Check it out at least once and try to judge it on its own merit!