Critique of ‘Rambo’ Film

I came across Ellen Goodman’s critique of the movie “Rambo: First Blood, Part II” in The Times (Editorial Pages, June 25). It was no surprise to me that she despises the film. “Intellectualoids” like herself have always been appalled at the idea that American moviegoers enjoy seeing heroic qualities displayed in conjunction with patriotism.

Goodman seems most concerned that Rambo is so brutal in his methods. She frets that we will begin to “look up to those who act out of primal instinct, those who can match the enemy in brutality.”

What Goodman has never learned is that real political life is frequently brutal. If her viewing of “Rambo” should someday cause her to realize that the world is just as much a jungle as the highlands of Vietnam, the experience will not have been wasted on her.

DANIEL C. PALM

Claremont