(Article updated 04/08/2022 / Cover photo: Sylvester Stallone and Brian Dennehy on the set of “Rambo”, 1982 - photo by Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)
It is the story of a man that we could sketch in a few lines, like a short poem in verse. Legend has it that it takes its name from both fruit and literary inspiration. Between the apple and the poet, there will therefore be a man, who appears for the first time on the screens in 1982. That is ten years after the withdrawal of American troops from Vietnam.
If the subject is sensitive, veteran films are gradually coming out of the woodwork. No wonder you find here and there a family resemblance with Michael Cimino's "Deer Hunter", for example. We are talking about the same America.
Among the most emblematic American films relating to the Vietnam War, let us also cite “Apocalypse Now” by Francis Ford Coppola or “Full Metal Jacket” by Stanley Kubrick, “Platoon” by Oliver Stone or, more realistic and documentary, “ Vietnam Year of the Pig” by Emile de Antonio. There are of course many others and you will even find some of them in this article:
The series of films that interests us today is particular in that it is not only a testimony: over the years, its main character has become a sort of pop culture icon.
John Rambo is a lost soul, a wandering soldier returned from everything but the trauma of war. For the role, Sylvester Stallone is cast. He's perfect there. For the atmosphere, it's the setting that does almost everything: the wooded and mountainous regions of Washington State, in the North of the United States, and a small, uneventful town called Hope.
There's more humor here than you might think and if you don't want to
Certainly, the posters often tend to show him grumpy, weapons in hand and willingly shirtless. But does that mean that there is nothing to remember in terms of clothing in the Rambo films? Let's take a closer look at all this.
1. 1982, THE WILD RIDE
Rambo's first adventure at the cinema opens with a walk in the fresh air. The landscape is magnificent, all mists, mountains and forests. On his shoulders: a green M-65 jacket, with star-spangled banner and US Army inscription. John Rambo is not a solitary walker like the others. He's a former Green Beret, an expert in weapons and camouflage like we've never seen before.
He speaks little or not at all, or with cries. For the most cinephiles, it is a form of original language that you will find in “Un Lac” by Philippe Grandrieux. In the meantime, the style we discover here is a model of military workwear.
To complete: a gray tank top under a textured red sweatshirt, light blue jeans, a pair of very rustic brown boots.
It’s an outfit that still works today. Why not reproduce it inexpensively, by looking at thrift stores for example. Old Levi's 501 jeans and a vintage M-65 always have a nice effect.
You can also have fun with Red Wing, a Japanese Orslow or Momotaro canvas, a Benjamin Jezequel or BonneGueule sweatshirt and of course swap the tank top for a Velva Sheen or Bronson t-shirt. For the haircut and the survival knife, it's up to you.
What is certain is that we have just reviewed his most civilized outfit. A “provocation” for the local sheriff, who knows quite a bit about this. He indeed rewards us with the most cult coat of the franchise: a huge camel shearling!
What follows is a quite striking primitive painting, with a survival spirit, nature, knife and compass. It's all about the atmosphere and the photography, with images and lighting sometimes close to the prehistoric scene.
You will undoubtedly learn to hunt, design traps, make a fire or make an item of clothing with rope and old canvas. Perhaps you will also like the headband tied on the forehead. If you ever want to try the course and the survival equipment, a very useful little story here:
Note that for social life, a bandana around the neck will be more appropriate. For some ideas, if ever:
This first adventure ends with a city in flames. A standing KO man leaves the stage under good escort. We will find him soon. But we are already almost sure of one thing: Rambo's style among men is a fleeting image.
It is often placed at the start of the course, before the muscles take over the clothing. The future will confirm this to us.
2. 1985, THE RETURN TO VIETNAM
Three years have passed. We find John Rambo prisoner under a blazing sun. He breaks rock in an Arizona quarry. Brown work boots, blue jeans and a blue work shirt, probably chambray.
It's a uniform. But it has since crossed the border of American prisons to integrate daily life, thus dressing fans of workwear and military inspirations. In this register, you can find what you are looking for at Red Wing or Wolverine for boots, and at Orslow or Champ de Manoeuvres for jeans and shirts.
First news: John Rambo still says nothing, or almost nothing. We know, however, that he is going to go back on a mission: this is the French subtitle of the film. The second news is that once released, our man does not seem to have changed his wardrobe one iota.
It is simple and effective. The textured red sweatshirt is still there, sleeves rolled up to the elbows. Jeans and shoes too. What changes, however, is the nature of the film, here suffering from the same syndrome as the sequel to “Alien”: less atmosphere, more muscle and spectacle.
From a style point of view, this second part will not tell us much more about Rambo's wardrobe, except perhaps that blue suits him well. On the other hand, he is far from having flair when it comes to the choice of colors on mission and the right look to plan depending on the weather.
What to say by
Rest assured: this new adventure has other advantages, starting with the jungle itself, superb, like a return to wild life. This is where the beginnings of a romance are woven between Rambo and his companion. A few moments of modest emotions between the river and the jungle, a furtive kiss, unfortunately followed by a tragic death.
Through this event, unique in this ultra-masculine saga, Rambo discovers the strength of the symbol, color and accessories. From then on, his headband will be red like his loved one's dress and he will now wear
It was her lucky charm. This will be his own style secret. We can find less green, less exuberant. But if you follow us regularly, you already know what a few thoughtful accessories can add character to an outfit. Some examples and tips here:
After many adventures, the film ends on the tarmac of a military airport in Thailand. If the final word is bitter, for Rambo's locker room anything is now possible.
3. 1988, THE THAI RETIREMENT, THE BLUE AND THE AFGHAN SUN
Often criticized for its scenario, its interpretation
We also discover some small stylistic novelties, a bit of assumed relaxation but nothing yet that suggests the almost revolution of the last part.
In the meantime, we find traces of Rambo a few years after his last adventure, still in Thailand, in a probable clandestine warehouse in Bangkok. To earn a living, he now participates in organized fights. We learn in passing that he hangs out with Buddhist monks.
It's incredible. But that's not all. His refuge is a temple, his life a kind of mystical retreat. His hair has grown. He's aged a bit. His style has also changed: less overtly military, more relaxed. As if the war was finally over for him. Two examples?
First from the opening, when he appears like a Bruce Lee US: bare torso, red headband tied around his forehead, charcoal gray joggers and black fabric belt, small high-top Converse-type shoes.
Here, if like me you are not too keen on sports or fighting, and for something more elegant and less directly "kung fu", consider the beautiful outfits from Informale: long-sleeved polo shirt and drawstring pants, with a good pair of sleek sneakers.
Then to the temple, totally relaxed: light jeans, khaki t-shirt, gray canvas shirt, wooden buttons, red and green Indian patterns around the collar.
The jade necklace is still there. As for the shirt, let's just say he might as well have made it himself with an old canvas, a bit of sewing thread and his survival knife, undoubtedly the most important style element of the saga , and this well before clothes. It's definitely a piece apart: his other style secret.
And there, it's simple: you can find equivalents by browsing here , apart from the shirt, which is so special.
For John Rambo, life now seems almost sweet. However, a new mission awaits him under the Afghan sun. She first takes him to the markets of Peshawar in Pakistan, the opportunity to witness one of the most cult scenes in American action cinema. A clue: it's about a light... which makes blue.
You will find many scenes of this kind in this third part, much less in the following two, and also more generally in the eighties career of Sylvester Stallone.
Let us cite for example the extraordinary “Tango & Cash” with Kurt Russell or the lesser known
If Rambo is indeed free, his outfit here recalls that of the penitentiary from the previous film: blue jeans, blue chambray shirt, black work boots. Let us note in passing that he still struggles to adapt his locker room to the weather. This is confirmed by the rest of his journey to the province of Khost, in the east of Afghanistan.
A strange idea, for example, to cross the desert without any protection and dressed all in black (field jacket, tank top, cargo and military boots) . Oddly I almost want to revisit this whole outfit with SEH Kelly. But let's move on. What we should remember is perhaps elsewhere.
John Rambo draws a line here on his past. Touched by the courage of a little boy, he decides to pass on his lucky jade necklace to him. The circle is complete. Mission accomplished. Aboard the jeep that takes him at the very end of the film, who knows if he isn't already thinking about the next outfits that will open his next two adventures?
4. 2008, THE RED AND BLUE PERIOD
For his retirement, John Rambo could have chosen to take up painting, gardening, find a house facing the sea, discover the joys of reading or idleness, in any case no longer do anything too bloody or extraordinary.
From a cinematographic point of view, his last two adventures are far from the best. What is most fascinating to observe now is the passage of time on his body, his face, his gaze.
John Rambo is thus worn but still standing. It is a period both marked
“Back to basics” is the general idea of his return, twenty years after his last Afghan adventures. Except as you might suspect, his daily life still has nothing in common with ours.
His country and his haven of peace is still Thailand. If we look at his chaotic journey, we can say that he leads an almost peaceful life there: hiking and hunting snakes in the jungle, walking on the river and bow fishing.
Among his other activities: everything related to blacksmithing and, more generally, everything that can take him away from speech and social life. If the Rambo of 2008 is more solitary and nihilistic than ever, he has also given up on clothes. His wardrobe is functional at best, often loose, always in the same shades of blue, khaki and black.
For style lovers, “John Rambo” the film will therefore be dull, a little sad. Why not take a few minutes to colorize our character a little. For example with a beautiful pair of Viberg work boots, Orslow khaki fatigue pants, short-sleeved Henleys and BonneGueule Noragi.
As for cinema fans, they will have to deal with a recurring problem with modern action films: a certain propensity to want to show everything, especially the least useful and preferably in fourth gear.
Here you will see flesh, blood red and the unbearable almost everywhere. Just like the next film, “John Rambo” hurts the eyes. Between two sequences, I especially invite you to dream of what a great master like John Carpenter could have done with it, for example.
For Rambo, this fourth adventure will also be the time of return home, with the same outfit or almost as the one with which we discovered him in 1982. We can say that it is the emblematic outfit of the character. The story, of course, could have ended there. But you've probably already noticed: there are few sequels in cinema that have been able to end at the right time.
5. 2019, THE STYLISTIC REVOLUTION
In 2019, John Rambo is back for a final adventure. If the film is not a masterpiece, it remains interesting in more than one way, if only for the clothes. This is in fact the first almost fully dressed Rambo in the saga. In fact, there is much more to see than stevedores and military cargo ships.
However, don't expect to find our character in costume. Here, it is the heart of America that speaks. We might think that he was inspired by Clint Eastwood from “Ruthless” or Kevin Costner from “Yellowstone”.
His new style is indeed resolutely western: brown boots, blue jeans, white t-shirt over a checked shirt and light blue denim jacket. For other denim jackets at the cinema, click here:
Nothing is missing. Not even the cowboy hat, the horse and the porch with rocking chair for moonlit reflections. John Rambo spends peaceful days on an Arizona ranch. He created a cave, with multiple underground passages. It's there that he relives his past and indulges his never-denied passion for forging things. We also learn that he has nothing against current music. But he definitely prefers the Doors.
Let's move on to the film, sluggish. What interests us more precisely here is our man's new wardrobe: 100% US inspiration, with lots of jeans, checks and Henleys, as if John Rambo had never really gone to war. Clothing at home is now everywhere. On a character level, it's almost a revolution.
For boots: look at the classic Red Wing or Wolverine. For jeans and denim jackets: BonneGueule, Levi's in thrift stores and Panache for inspiration. For the checked shirt: Gitman or BD Baggies. For henley: Pike Brothers, Merz B Schwanen. And for everything else, a little useful reminder here:
Because of course, this is all just cinema. What to remember from the saga? That there are definitively timeless pieces, that you can take your time, find and reinvent style everywhere, away from fashion.
In a way, the adventures of John Rambo perhaps don't even tell anything other than that: 40 years of style and cinema, to reconcile a little with clothing and one's own history. Sitting on his rocking chair, his knife placed on his knees and looking at the setting sun, who knows if John Rambo is not now thinking of trying other styles?
