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Sylvester Stallone stars as John Rambo N o romance, very little boredom in First Blood By JULIAN KARCHMER The manhunt of First Blood moves at a fu rious pace. Sylvester Stallone casts the proper pose as John Rambo, a former Green Beret and veritable killing machine. He is on the run from small town police for denting their pride and faces. Rambo's trouble begins when he drifts through a quiet, sleepy town where he is ar rested for vagrancy and is challenged by the testy local sheriff. After a healthy dose of police brutality, all hell breaks loose. Rambo " escapes in spectacular fashion and we are swept into one long, heady chase through the mountains of British Columbia. As handled by director Ted Kotcheff, the pursuit is mobile and violent There is no ro mance, no sentiment and very little bore dom. At first the confident hunters have no idea of what they are getting into, for Rambo is a true superman. One character says, "It's like sending the pigeons after the cat" Very few survive the chase in one piece. r HIP! IS c: A- JF -, A? a ' -3. ... . M 8 If The Triable Area will be graced by the presence of one of contemporary show business' most versatile and ener getic performers when the Broadway at . Duke concert series brings "Can Vereen in Concert" to Duke's Page Auditorium on Friday, Nov, 5, at 8:15 p.m. Vereen wiit present his musical side through a collection of song and dance numbers with accompaniment by mem bers of the Greensboro Symphony and students from the North Carolina , School of the Arts. This collaboration of area artists and a prominent Broadway figure is unprecedented. Vereen initiated his long career as a .stage performer. His impressive Broad way credits include "Sweet Charity," in which he made his Broadway debut, Hairf Pippin, for which he copped Tony . and Drama Desk awards, and fesus Christ Superstar. Although the theatre is where it all began for Vereen, most people remem ber him better ,for his film and television performances. Vereen has appeared on the big screen with Barbara Streisand in funny Lady, and with Roy Scheider in Bob Fosse's acclaimed musical autobi- - osrephy All Jhit fazz Vereen's appearance on television in -Roots remains the credit which has con- , tributed most heavily to his popularity , and fame. As th3 charrr.lr industrious Chicken Geor-; he provoked enormous . . amounts of cclh'syrriplhy and shame . : from Americans. He followed up his act ins triumph with his own television vari ety special, Ben Vereen His Roots which won seven Emmy awards. Vereen's amazing diversity of talents brought him the American Guild of Va riety Artists's "Entertainer of the Year award In 1976 and continues to bring ; hkrt recognition from critics and fans alike. It is this rare combination of talents that Vereen will bring to the Duke cam pus Friday evening. For ticket informa tion, cat' the Page Auditorium box office at 654059. ' -FRANK DRUNJ f J 2 S11- 'mzzT'i h Sill! : TRAVELING? Make Plans Early For Best Rates Thanksgiving Christmas Spring Free consultation for complete and personalized travel arrangements. . Individual or Group VUNGTJWEL S58-4586 Kroger Plaza 103 S. Elliot Road next to Godfather's BIER 11 M 2 64 (H fp 2.64 IT 2.64 t lH 2.64 (A fjj .. 2.64 'ifm 2.64 Alf I p ...........2.64 .;...2.64 If fff ..'2.64 ffVjsi m CHINESE RESTAURANT 132 W. Franklin St. Downtown across from University Square AmpW Parkins ASABCPcmiU OPEN 7 DAYS LUNCH: Mon.-Fri. 11 am 2Q pm Set. & Stm. 12 nooR2d pin DSNNIR: Mon.-Tfews. & Son. 5-10 pa Frl. 4 Sat. S-103 ft Regular Dinner Menu Entrees Abo Avulable At Lunch 1. Chicken Chow Mein . . . . . . . 2. Shrimp Chow Mein 3. Cantonese Chicken ........ 4. Sweet and Sour Chicken .......... . 5. Beef with Green Peppers . . . 6. Roast Pork with Fresh Chinese Cabbage 7. Sweet and Sour Pork 8. Boast Pork Egg Foo Young . 9. Beef Curry 10. Shrimp with Lobster Sauce 11. Chicken with Almonds 12. Pork with Hot Garlic Sauce 13. Kung Pao Chicken 14. Beef with Fresh Broccoli . . . 15. Double-Cooked Pork ...... 16. Vegetarian's Delight . . Take-ewt e4tcr Cr" r In one tightly edited sequence, the police are closing in on their quarry only to be caught in a variety of Rambo's bloody, inge nious traps. It becomes increasingly difficult to tell the hunters from the hunted. One aspect of First Blood which sets it apart from other revenge films, a la Charles Bronson, is that Rambo is not a totally sym pathetic character. Although the police draw f irst blood, Rambo is intent on getting more than even. He is not the clear hero we are used to seeing because of his violence, especially toward the end of the film, is unwarranted. Sylvester Stallone portrays John Rambo almost as an animal, which lends a peculiar credence to the hunt Stallone's forte is ac tion. But hft stumbling speech and large phy sique tend to overshadow his acting talent. Even though Stallone's lines in First Blood are limited, his screen presence is very strong. Unfortunately, First Blood's success is not maintained throughout its duration. It suf fers from an ending that lacks creativityand comes too quickly. Except for the last few minutes, the film successfully entertains through action. But the schmaltzy conclud ing attempt to explain Rambo's plight is out of place, and his return to destroy the small town seems merely an excuse to let the py rotechnicians loose. Still, First Blood is a deftly-made thriller that deserves more attention than, might be indicated by its rather cheap ad campaign. The poster art showing Stallone with muni tions and his bulging muscles expresses an exploitative element that fortunately is not apparent during the film. A subdued, effective musical score by Jerry Coldsmith and beautiful scenery help to keep things popping along at a nice clip. The sum of First Bloods parts does tend to be more than the whole, but it is acceptable enough for fans of action. Julian Karchmer is a staff writer for The Daily Tar Heel. z-z r JJ ilice Na fff w..,'. F K-'.. ilm HfJI-.'-' icl free! f , m 00 i . - ' - liL.; Ir tod y - il This special offer will continue through December 31, 1982. r5 TO;E3)LILailSS ON ANY LARGE PIZZA OR mum zii lgD ON ANY SMALL PIZZA Qsm Offer good through 11-1062 with this coupon. One discount per pizza. r 1 1 ,s l rs i L LdLiLi Lijly Wbuili ANYWHERE IN OUR SERVICE ZONE 0 IhWuW Weekenct November 4, 1982
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Nov. 4, 1982, edition 1
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