Rambo was my first grown up movie

Film classifications used to be a big concern in my life, because I was just a kid, and didn't know what real concerns actually were. But just because I didn't know what was really important in life didn't mean the entire classification system wasn't still a cause of heartbreak and sorrow.

Around these parts, it used to be G for general admission, and GY for the parental guidance thing. But it was the hard Rs that deprived me of seeing great films up on the big screen, and it could be years before I properly caught up.

Me and my mate Nigel completely failed to get into the R13 Terminator when we were 10, and I can still taste the bitter disappointment of not being allowed to see Blade Runner because I was too young, even though it had Han frigging Solo in it.

Things got a bit looser when video players rolled into town, but there were still restrictions at home. I wasn't allowed to watch Beverly Hills Cop after 10 minutes, when his boss showed up and unleashed a tirade of f-bombs, because my Dad was a pretty liberal dude, but he still had his limits.

So it was a big deal when I was allowed to watch Rambo, I was just shy of the 13-year mark, but that was close enough. The profanity was bad, and the sexual stuff was just awkward for all concerned, but cartoonish violence was still a-okay.

This kind of permission must be immediately seized on, before broader issues of parental responsibility come to mind, and we were on our way to the video store as soon as that permission was granted.

The movie itself was no big deal - I was never really into the absurdity of Stallone in the 80s, and it's fair to say that a lot of aspects to the biggest Rambo of them all have not held up well, (although it remains dumbly entertaining, and long as you don't think too hard about it).    

But it was the first taste of something that was made for adults, and a powerful symbol for the changes machine-gunning their way into my life. It's one way to do it.