42 years later, we still use this cult replica, pronounced by Stallone and passed in everyday language

On March 2, 1983, Rambo arrived at the cinema in France and was an immediate success, attracting 3 million spectators. Carried by Sylvester Stallone, the character quickly became an international icon, just like a certain Rocky.

A mythical character

42 years later, fans continue to chant the cult lines of the famous green beret, a veteran traumatized by the Vietnam War. In a manhole under tension, John Rambo tries to survive in the face of the relentlessness of the teasle sheriff, determined to get his hands on him.

“In town, you make the law. Here, it's me. So do not piss off. Do not piss off or I will make you a war like you have ever seen it”he launches him, threatening him with a knife. If this sentence has marked the spirits, it is another punchline which has rather remained in the memories.

You can hear it at the end of the film, when Rambo is confined in a shop in the city, surrounded by the police. Colonel Trautman, camped by Richard Crenna, then tries to make him hear reason for him to go to the authorities.

Carolco

An emblematic replica

So far very silent, Rambo lets go and swings his 4 truths to his superior. Referring to his involvement in the bloody Vietnam War, he shouts this replica which will pass to posterity: “It was not my war!” Even today, the general public knows this sentence and spells it in all sauces and in all contexts.

It was not my war!

The sentence is short, direct, almost brutal. In a few words, it expresses a complex feeling: rejection of war, personal pain and refusal to be involved. This contrast between simplicity and depth makes it very impactful.

A universal message

This sentence speaks to all those who have experienced wars or conflicts that they have not chosen, or to anyone who feels a deep gap with a situation that exceeds them. It embodies the rejection of absurd violence.

The reply “It was not my war” is memorable because it captures in a sentence all the complexity of Rambo's trauma, while being universal, simple and powerful. She marked the spirits by her authenticity and her emotional strength. In the rest of the scene, Rambo continues his diatribe by attacking the American army, the latter having abandoned his soldiers after the conflict.

“It was you who called me. Not me! And I did what I needed to win, but we didn't want to let us win! And I came back in the world. And I saw these larvae expect me at the airport conspired as a criminal. They treated me with all the filth, they called me the butcher. But who are they to blame me?

John Rambo then collapses in tears, confident a tragic moment of war and the loss of one of his friends, victim of a bomb attack. This extremely poignant scene stacked the first bricks of Rambo's legend. The film, directed by Ted Kotcheff, is available on Ciné+OCS in Canal+offers.