He picked him up and dropped him off then Rambo watches and goes back into town. The sheriff is supposed to protect the town. Be honest not knowing who Rambo is would you want him in your town? Me neither. Now don't get me wrong it was way out of line for them to squirt him with a fire hose and hit him but the sheriff did the right thing in the beginning.
When you find yourself with the majority
It's time to stop and go with the minority.
You are wrong, have you not heard that saying "it's a free country"? Rambo was an AMERICAN CITIZEN. ANY American citizen has a right to be in ANY American city. You cannot make someone leave a city just because of your ingrained prejudices.
I am glad he did not kill that sheriff in the end because he RUINED the man, ruined his life and ruining someone's life is a much better revenge than taking it. Rambo got to be a super hero of sorts in the 3 sequels to this while that Fat butt ugly middle aged Sheriff A hole had to live with what his being an A hole had caused. I wonder what happened to him.
Of course someone who doesn't understand the law, or the rules of society would use a general blanket statement of "it's a free country man, back off dude." No, you don't have the right be a vagrant in any town. Small towns have the right to govern their own community and if they don't some jobless, homeless psycho around, they can be nice and ask him to leave or throw him in jail for all the laws he's breaking. He got off light by being escorted out of town, but didn't like it, so he proved them right by chimping out when he broke the law, thus proving why a psycho like that isn't wanted/allowed in towns.
shareTell us, Mr. Law Expert. What law did he break by walking through his town? I have a degree in Criminal Justice and I can assure you that he did nothing wrong. The sheriff labelled him as a vagrant with no proof and tried to arrest him because Rambo didn't do as he said. That reeks of control issues and that man should not have been in the position he was in, elected or not. Jobless, homeless psycho? Based on what proof?
shareForgetting for a minute that Teasle was a dick, Rambo was indeed a vagrant, particularly in 1982. The definition of vagrant from Cornell Law School is:
A person who roams from place to place without a permanent job, home, or material resources. Some states criminalize vagrancy. Some criminal vagrancy statutes, however, have been invalidated for being unconstitutionally vague — a violation of due process.
Still, many states and towns/cities still carry vagrancy statutes. Whether they enforce them these days is another debate.
But back in 1982, Rambo fit that description and the statutes at that time probably would have backed that up. Teasle had the right to arrest him for vagrancy on the spot but thought he would "help him out" by giving him a ride out of town. Rambo didn't seem to have much money on his person, so where was he going to stay? His options were pretty much sleeping in his bedroll and that would have been on either public or private property unless there was a campsite he could have stayed at. Classic vagrant.
Where's your proof that he was a vagrant? Because you don't like the way he dressed? Because he had long hair? Vagrancy is a stupid crime anyway and there's a reason no one enforces it. You can try to make it lawful all you want, but the sheriff just didn't like his lifestyle and abused his power to enforce a law from the dark ages. He probably ruined his own career and life in the process. I can only hope he became a vagrant himself and got treated the same way.
shareWhere's your proof that he was a vagrant?
Not to mention, things would have been very different in a small rural town in the 80s. John was trying to provoke him from the very beginning, and getting removed from town the first time would have been kinder than the reality of that era.
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I think John was non confrontational initially and the sheriff was being a dick, but where John went wrong was to march back into town within eyesight of the sheriff.
If he waited another ten seconds until Teasle was out of sight, then walked back into town to get something to eat, there's a good chance there's no interaction and of course no story. Even if Teasle caught him eating in town later he probably wouldn't have erupted and again most likely would have driven Rambo out of town. But when Rambo headed back into town directly after Teasle told him he wasn't wanted there, it was a direct slap in Teasle's face.
Both were jerks.
I agree fully. Both were jerks. I felt John was antagonistic by not telling the sheriff he was there to visit a friend. He actually lied and said he didn't know anyone in town. While technically true, I'm sure having a reason to be there would have gone a long way in the sheriffs view. He DEFINITELY knew that immediately walking towards town was going to cause a problem, and then he was intentionally difficult at the police station. The other cop was written to be a complete sadist so it would push John over the line, but he'd probably have spent a night in jail and left otherwise...after getting a free meal, lol.
I just rewatched this this after decades of not seeing it, and it's actually a really well done movie, moreso than I remembered.
That's no proof. We as the audience know he's a vagrant, but the sheriff didn't. He just made a snap judgment based on his appearance. How can you tell just by looking at a guy that he has no job and just roams from place to place or that he doesn't have a home?
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Yes, but Teasle was right and it was more than just a look - when Teasle questioned Rambo if he was visiting someone in town, and he said no - hint #1. He noticed that Rambo was walking with a sleeping bag over his shoulder, so it seemed pretty clear to Teasle he wasn't staying at a hotel. Hint #2. He also asked him where he was heading and he said Portland (hint #3), so Teasle (dick that he is) "helped" him out by ushering him out of town.
There has been talk of an anachronism a bit because vagrancy laws were off the books by the early 80s, but there are ways around that by charging them with "disturbing the peace" or some other trumped up charge.
Vagrancy is the ultimate victimless crime. Just leave them alone!
shareBut what the Sheriff was doing is within the law, not illegal.
"it's a free country" is something easy to say, but more often than not it is just a slogan so they can sell guns and porn.
If it is really a free country, why drugs and prostitution are illegal in most states?
Now don't get me wrong it was way out of line for them to squirt him with a fire hose and hit him but the sheriff did the right thing in the beginning.
1. The Sheriff didn't know Rambo was a war veteran. He thought Rambo was a drifter up to no good.
2. He defied the sheriff's orders by going back into town. So, the sheriff had every right to arrest him and enforce the law.
3. Hosing him down and abusing him was not right and out of line but Rambo was being uncooperative then he breaks out like mad man.
Yes, I would want that sheriff protecting me and the the town.
When you find yourself with the majority
It's time to stop and go with the minority.
1. The Sheriff didn't know Rambo was a war veteran. He thought Rambo was a drifter up to no good.
2. He defied the sheriff's orders by going back into town. So, the sheriff had every right to arrest him and enforce the law.
3. Hosing him down and abusing him was not right and out of line but Rambo was being uncooperative then he breaks out like mad man.
Yes, I would want that sheriff protecting me and the the town.
1. The sheriff told Rambo to get a shave and clean himself up a bit and he might not get hassled so much. If you look like a criminal people are going to treat you like one. It's not right but thats the way it is.
2. Rambo stopped and waited for the sheriff to pass then started going back into town. What did he do that for? What did Rambo think was going to happen?
3. If Rambo had been nice and cooperated with the Sheriff everything would have gone all right. Even, after he had been arrested.
The Sheriff is supposed to keep the peace.
When you find yourself with the majority
It's time to stop and go with the minority.
1. Clean himself up?
How? Where?
The sheriff didn't even give him the chance to do that on his own. It wasn't until he was arrested that they hosed him down and were about to forcefully shave him (which caused him to snap.)
2. Hard to know exactly what was going through Rambo's mind; but I'm willing to believe that this was his train of thought at the time:
"This is utter BS. Why should I have to walk another 30 miles just to get a bite? I've done nothing wrong so I'm headed back to town. Screw the sheriff."
It was developing into a battle of wills between him and the sheriff.
3. But if Rambo HAD cooperated either at the bridge or police station -
-then the rest of the movie would not have happened and we couldn't be having this discussion.
(C'mon; you knew that was coming sooner or later.... )
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The movie has a plot hole?!?
EVERY FRIGGIN' MOVIE HAS A FRIGGIN' PLOT HOLE!!!!!
You're putting cops above the law and then trying to put civilians under non-existent laws. Police need to go by the REAL law, not make up their own.
shareYes, I would want that sheriff protecting me and the the town.It's obvious they had had little proper training as law enforcers and gave even less attention to ensuring high standards of ethical law practices were maintained.🐭 share
It's obvious they had had little proper training as law enforcers and gave even less attention to ensuring high standards of ethical law practices were maintained.🐭
You'd get no argument from on that front.🐭
shareDid you miss the part where he told him to walk over 30 miles to get a bite to eat? Do you have any idea how long it would take to walk over 30 miles? And let's say he does do what the Sheriff said. What makes you think some other jaded cop isn't going to not let him eat? Then Rambo dies of starvation. I really hate how Teasle was changed from the book in this. In the book he lets Rambo get a bite to eat when he came back into town a 2nd time. It's not til he comes back a third time that he arrests him. Also unlike the movie he actually listens to Truatman about Rambo and comes to feel bad about how he treated him. Unlike the movie where he dismisses everything Tratuman says and acts like a judgmental jerk who you would like to see Rambo blow away with an M-16.
Green Goblin is great! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1L4ZuaVvaw
Not very clever, yelawolf. First you say the sheriff was right in what he did, then later you say, "If you look like a criminal people are going to treat you like one. It's not right but thats the way it is." I don't think I've ever seen a better example of contradicting oneself.
shareIf yall haven't noticed, small town cops, and most large city cops, do what they want, including messing with people just passing through, in some ways, at the beginning the sheriff merely picked him up and gave him a ride to the other side of town, considering alot of drifters and hitchhikers are usually fugitives, thieves and druggies up to no good, and rather put up with them, they simply ride them to the edge of the city limits, getting rid of them, and though Rambo is a bad a$$ veteran, sheriff teasle had it out for him from the get go, remember Korean war vets held alot of animosities toward Vietnam vets, feeling they the Nam vets got all the glory
shareIt's all about the constitution.
Rambo broke no laws, simply put teasle was out of line. You can't make someone get out of town for nothing. they have to show they are a threat of some kind.
He trumped up a bunch of bullcrap charges like "concealed weapon".
I would like to think that that A hole redneck sheriff ended up getting fired for how horribly he handled things and ending up a bum.
I would love for Brian Dennehey to have reprised his role in a sequel, amazingly that guy is still alive despite advanced age plus he was fat and should have had a heart attack or something.
I really hope the Sherrif will appear in Rambo 6
shareI love how brainwashed people are in this country that it's totally ok to mindlessly discriminate and harass people who have broken no laws.
Rambo looked like a criminal? How? His hair wasn't even that long and he barely had any facial hair. And since when is facial enough to have one deemed a no good criminal? I guess every man with a beard better watch his step.
F--k you OP. I have no respect for people so blind and accepting the gang mentality of cops.
Excellent post that the original poster and people like them need to hear. They are Right Wing Authoritarians and Right Wing Authoritarians are what's wrong with humanity.
shareHe picked him up and dropped him off then Rambo watches and goes back into town. The sheriff is supposed to protect the town. Be honest not knowing who Rambo is would you want him in your town? Me neither. Now don't get me wrong it was way out of line for them to squirt him with a fire hose and hit him but the sheriff did the right thing in the beginning.