MovieChat Forums > First Blood (1982) Discussion > Flag on jacket

Flag on jacket

posted 7 years ago by ASACWHITE (411)
7 replies | jump to latest

Lmao what was wrong with the flag on his jacket why did the sheriff say he was looking for trouble because of the way he looked

[–] Cheepshooter (672) 6 years ago

The story was written to be in the early 70s amid harsh anti-Vietnam Veteran feelings. For reasons of budget, they made the movie in the present day (80s).

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

Thats not the impression i got

[–] Cheepshooter (672) 6 years ago

That wasn't necessarily the impression I got from watching the movie, either. However, that's what the writer had to say about why he wrote it that way. The screenwriters then just mimicked that in the screenplay.

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

It came across to me like the community in general were supportive of the military and Rambo was disrespecting the uniform and the flag by looking scruffy.
Its set in a small mountain town where people are generally flag waving jingoistic army recruitment grounds type , not hippy dippy san francisco big city conscientios objectors.
Teasle himself was a korea vet.

So i reckon he was either saying he looked scruffy , or worse looked like a protester

[–] strntz (10775) 5 years ago

The way I saw it was that if Rambo was a prototypical fresh faced, buzzed cut, clean shaven, neatly pressed veteran proudly wearing the American flag on his jacket, Teasle would have bought him breakfast instead of showing him the way out of town.

But because Rambo was a unkempt, smelly, rumpled vagrant veteran proudly wearing the American flag on his jacket, Teasle misinterpreted Rambo's patriotism as mockery.

[–] Obifuntoknowme (1093) 5 years ago

I think you nailed it!

[–] Luis (187) 4 years ago

Because the US Flag on a dirty jacket was/is disrespectful. Just like putting the flag on the pants is. When you sit down on the ground, you are grinding the flag in shit. In places that people shit, pee, etc. It is like stepping on the flag.