Re-watched Rambo the other night. Only the second time I'd seen it. I noticed something that went under most people's radar that significantly changes the tenor of the film. I certainly didn't catch it the first time. We all know that Sheriff Teasel was a general asshole who started the sequence of events. His motivations were probably alright, nobody really wants drifters in their town, but he was frankly a dick about it. He was never a sadist, though. That was his deputy Galt, who died a deservingly gruesome death. He just didn't like Rambo. Something about him pissed him off. After the escape he certainly wanted to recapture him for professional reasons, and avenging Galt was also a motivation, but there was something deeper than that going on. His resentment towards Trautman made that clear. Then I noticed something in the background that sheds a whole lot more light into what's going on in Teasel's noggin.
This is the only time you see this angle, and it only lasts a second, but behind him is an Army distinguished service cross, a purple heart (with I think an oak leaf cluster device), and a silver star. Silver stars don't grow on trees, you really have to earn the things, and the distinguished service cross is second only to the congressional medal of honor in recognizing badassery. Teasel is a war hero by pretty much any definition.
I noticed but it didn't really click that Teasel gets pissed off every time somebody mentions Rambo's war record. He picked up his hardware in Korea, which is called the forgotten war for a reason. Everybody loves a WWII vet or a Vietnam vet, the latter for being particularly dumped on, but nobody really thinks about the Korean vets. I think this is the root of Teasel's problems all along. He's resentful as all get-out of the recognition Rambo gets in contrast to the general disregard for his own highly distinguished service. Knowing this makes the film a whole lot more meaningful, I think. If Teasel is just a general asshole cop the whole movie's rather 1 dimensional. Providing him some motivation adds another layer to it.
Better movie than I recalled.