'First Blood'

In this movie's sequels, Sylvester Stallone's John Rambo would return to Asia to metaphorically re-fight the Vietnam War and win it for our side, but in this initial installment, he's a haunted vet at home who, tired of being treated as insignificant, snaps and becomes the Viet Cong, conducting guerrilla warfare in the woods against a better-armed, more numerous enemy. Unlike the steroidal Stallone slugfests that followed, this one is a surprisingly thoughtful, low-key drama.