First Blood Reviews

(MU) Kotcheff makes a good deviation on vet/outsider small town drama, to estabish some far right political points. Stallone supports everything but, thanks to Dennehy (not so a bad guy) and Crenna, stays in reality...

John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) is a former member of an elite United States Army Special Forces unit and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his service in the Vietnam War. The film begins after the war, in America, and takes place in December 1981. Rambo is searching for one of his friends from his unit, Delmare Berry and soon learns that he has died from cancer due to Agent Orange exposure. Although not yet revealed to the audience, Rambo knows he is now the last surviving member of his unit. The scene cuts to Rambo entering the fictional small town of Hope, Washington (actually filmed in Hope, British Columbia) on foot. With his long hair and military-style coat, he is quickly spotted by the town's overzealous and paranoid sheriff, Will Teasle (Brian Dennehy) who quickly drives Rambo out of town, noting his strong distaste for "drifters." Rambo heads back toward town immediately, causing Teasle to get suspicious and arrest him.

Rambo stands his ground against the deputies at the station and is brutalized and harassed by Art Galt (Jack Starrett), the sheriff's cruel head deputy and closest friend. While being processed, Rambo has flashbacks to his time as a prisoner of war. When Galt and two other officers (Chris Mulkey and David Caruso) attempt to dry-shave him with a straight razor, Rambo has a flashback to being tortured in a North Vietnamese P.O.W. Camp back in 1969 and loses control, escaping on instinct using his military training. He fights his way out of the station, assaulting most of the deputies, throws a civilian off a motorcycle, steals it, and is pursued into the nearby mountains. The deputies are eventually forced to search for Rambo on foot and he climbs down onto a steep cliff to elude capture. After spotting Rambo from a helicopter, Galt blatantly disregards protocol and attempts to shoot him in cold blood. Rambo drops into a mass of trees and, while cornered, throws a rock at the helicopter in self-defense. The helicopter, struck by the projectile, pitches, causing Galt to fall to his death. Teasle, who had not seen Galt's attempt to kill Rambo, vows to avenge his friend's death.

Rambo tries to convince them that he did not mean to kill anyone, but they do not listen, and Teasle leads his deputies into the woods in an attempt to capture Rambo. The deputies are inexperienced and bicker, particularly after learning over the radio about Rambo's combat experience and status as a war hero. Rambo quickly disables the small, disorganized team using guerrilla tactics and booby traps, severely wounding but not killing the deputies. In the chaos, Rambo isolates and confronts Teasle with a knife to the throat. "Don't push it...or I'll give you a war you won't believe. Let it go!" he warns before disappearing into the woods. A base camp is assembled near the site, the State Patrol and the National Guard are called in. United States Special Forces Colonel Sam Trautman (Richard Crenna) arrives, taking credit for training Rambo. He is surprised to find any of the deputies still alive and warns that it would be safer to let Rambo go and find him after the situation has calmed down. Fueled by a mixture of scorn and pride, Teasle refuses to heed his advice.

Rambo is eventually cornered by the National Guard in a mine entrance. The novice guardsmen fire a M72 LAW rocket at him, collapsing the entrance and trapping him inside. They assume Rambo is dead. Unbeknownst to his pursuers, Rambo has escaped into the tunnels of the mine. Rambo finds some old fuel and makes an improvised torch. After wading through waist‑deep water and fighting off rats, Rambo cleverly uses the flame of the torch (as an indicator of air flow) to find an escape. Rambo hijacks a passing M135 2½ ton cargo truck and is chased by a police car. He rams the car into an abandoned car, which explodes and overturns it, killing the two people inside. Rambo returns to town, crashing it into a gas station. He blocks the highway to anyone in pursuit by igniting the spilled fuel, also destroying the stolen truck. Armed with an M60 machine gun, Rambo destroys a sporting goods shop and a few other businesses in an attempt to confuse Teasle and identify his position before spotting him on the roof of the police station.

Rambo carefully enters the police station. Aware of Teasle's presence on the roof, Rambo darts under the skylight to draw fire as bait to reveal his exact location. Teasle immediately fires at Rambo who notes his position and returns fire through the ceiling with the M60, injuring him. Teasle falls through the skylight onto the floor. Rambo steps over him, prepared to kill him. Before Rambo can shoot Teasle, Colonel Trautman appears and tells him that there is no hope of escaping alive. Rambo, now surrounded by the police, rages about the horrors of war. He weeps as he recounts a particularly gruesome story about witnessing his friend dying by having his legs blown off by a booby-trapped shoeshine box planted by a Viet Cong child operative. Realizing he has nothing left to live for, Rambo then turns himself in to Trautman and is arrested. Teasle is taken to the hospital. The credits roll as Rambo and Trautman exit the police station.

After ‘Rocky’, this is obviously the most iconic character played by Sylvester Stallone and the funny thing about this flick is that, in my opinion, it has actually barely anything to do with the rest of the franchise. To start with, it is actually not bad at all. Indeed, it is a rather dark action flick which takes in the USA and not in some exotic location like the sequels. And, in fact, 2/3 of the movie is about John Rambo pretty much loosing his sh*t in the woods which was actually quite compelling to watch. Then, towards the end, you finally get the Rambo we all know, the guy with a huge gun blasting everyone on sight but most of the movie is actually about something else, about the messed lonely guy who doesn’t really fit in this world anymore. In my opinion, this movie actually suffers from the reputation of its sequels and, even though it is an action movie, there are actuallys some thoughts behind it. To be honest, I wasn't really convinced by Stallone's acting and the end was still way over the top but still it remains very well done and a really entertaining action movie. To conclude, even though I’m not a huge fan, it is still a decent flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you're a fan of good old action stuff.

This is a film that I was told that this is the only good one of all four Rambo films that there have been. Rambo: First Blood is the start of a franchise that is full of fun and complete fast thrill rides that will keep you on the edge of your seat. What I really loved about this film was that real kick ass style that some people really hate but some people love aswell. This film made me feel really nervous at first because I know that is was going to be a very graphic film but I didnt know it wasnt going to be really gut wretching gore. But for me it wasnt as violent as I thought it would be even though it still was violent. I have to say that I dont think Sylvester Stallone earned very much credit for the Rambo series as he did in the Rocky series because it might seem like a rip-off of awesome action films. This film is just a complete action packed thrill ride that sounds a tiny bit like Deliverance because they are in the wild with arrows, guns, knives and stuff like that.


Sylvester Stallone delivers a decent performance as John Rambo. Sylvester Stallone did have the looks for Rambo: the personality, the muscles and the voice for Rambo but in my opinion he doesnt quite have the acting abilities for Rambo. At first, before I saw Rambo: First Blood I couldnt stand him not only because he was a crap actor but also because of the way he portrays his characters. It is his deep booming voice and the way he moves around that really irritated me. It wasnt so much in his earlier acting career but it was mostly in the sixth Rocky film Rocky Balboa.


The direction was good from Ted Kotcheff. His direction is probably the best from all of the Rambo films. He shows his real epic style of what sort of character John Rambo really is and how deadly he can really be. The writing wasnt that bad really but it was still really well done though. The first and probably the best of all of the Rambo's didnt receive any common nominations at all where I think it should have for Best Sound Mixing and Editing and also Best Visual Effects and Make-Up. The only thing that disappointed me about it was the slightly lame script and the not many good supporting characters involved with Rambo. Apart from that, Rambo truly is one of the best aciton films of all time. Rambo: First Blood is an absolutely amazing start of real hardcore action that hasnt really been seen on the big screen before.

''Nothing is over! Nothing! You just don't turn it off! It wasn't my war! You asked me, I didn't ask you! And I did what I had to do to win! But somebody wouldn't let us win! And I come back to the world and I see all those maggots at the airport, protesting me, spitting. Calling me baby killer and all kinds of vile crap! Who are they to protest me? Who are they? Unless they've been me and been there and know what the hell they're yelling about!''


Sylvester Stallone: John J. Rambo

Richard Crenna: Col. Samuel Trautman

A mentally unstable Vietnam war vet, John Rambo, when abused with a small town's police force, begins a one man war with it.

Back in the 80's, a film was released, which i was pleased to get to watch recently that would change the way action movies felt.

The film of course is Rambo:First Blood and it made a small time actor called Sylvester Stallone into an action star.

Based on a novel about a disgraced and out of place Vietnam veteran by David Morrell, First blood tells the story of John J. Rambo who returns to America after a torturous tour of duty in Vietnam. His friends are gone, killed in action and he returns to a world where he is treated like an alien or a criminal by the Police force.

He's an outsider and they really don't likeany outsiders. What follows is a brutal and harassing unprovoked attack on John by them.

Finally something snaps inside him and Rambo becomes a one man army who no-one can control. When it comes to the crunch, Rambo has no mercy. he becomes detached and unstoppable, a collosus...

Relentless in his goal he will destroy anything or anyone who gets in his way.

There is a powerful message in First Blood. Rambo is one of the many Vietnam war Veterans (whether fiction or factual) who returned after slugging their guts out fighting a losing battle that was the Vietnam war.
Only to return unappreciated, unwelcome and unheard even ignored.
The ones who lost their limbs or worse for a war no-one cared about. What hell these people must have gone through. I mean it makes you think, What was the whole point of fighting for a country that never cared?
Why bother risking your life and body on the line only to have your neighbour spit back in your face and not give a damn? I have always felt sorry about these unfortunate people since i learnt about the Vietnam war in History lessons from School, it was a horrifying time. The things they did to people doesn't bear thinking about.
So i was feeling for Rambo from the very start. To go through all that and then get the treatment he got from the Police, he just didn't deserve it. He wasn't even hurting anyone for the first half of the movie, THEY were hurting him. I never felt sorry for the cops at all in this film, as far as i was concerned they deserved everything they got. They didn't deserve my pity, they bought it all on themselves. They really made him a vicious one man army so justice was ultimately dished.

First Blood contains great performances from Richard Crenna as Col. Trautman, Brian Dennehy as Sheriff Will Teasle, David Caruso (who found renoun in NYPD Blue and CSI Miami) as a wet behind the ears deputy and of course Sylvester Stallone as the main character who became a hero to Vietnam vets and the American citizens by playing John J. Rambo. First Blood is easily a film that can be watched again and again and will stand it's ground in the seas of time.

That last scene will stay with me forever, it was so powerful between the Colonel and Rambo i couldn't help but get teary eyed...

"I could have killed 'em all, I could've killed you. In town you're the law, out here it's me. Don't push it. Don't push it or I'll give you a war you won't believe. Let it go. Let it go."

On account of Sylvester Stallone's reputation for playing tough, invincible action heroes, the actor is often typecast as an action super-star incapable of proper acting or depth. 1982's First Blood, however, is evidence that Stallone can act with the proper material. Additionally, this first instalment of the Rambo franchise is not as brain-dead as most will assume it to be, as the movie acknowledges the possibility that movie-watchers may possess a functioning brain. The trio of writers who contributed to the screenplay (Stallone included) are adept enough to realise that the appeal of John Rambo is not limited to bulging biceps or the character's ability to massacre legions of bad guys with an arsenal of weaponry. First Blood is therefore a powerful character study rather than a brainless blockbuster, and it benefits from an immaculate mix of heart and action.

John J. Rambo (Stallone) is a disillusioned Vietnam veteran and ex-Green Beret who is reduced to the life of a drifter ostracised by a prejudice society. After learning that the last surviving soldier of his former unit has passed away, Rambo drifts to the small town of Hope where he is made unwelcome by the local Sheriff Teasle (Brian Dennehy). Rambo only wants something to eat, but is unfairly turned away. Unable to understand Teasle's hostility, Rambo defiantly refuses to leave town, and is consequently arrested for vagrancy. When the police officers mistreat Rambo at the station, he snaps, escaping custody and fleeing into a neighbouring forest with the entire police department on his tail. Employing his extensive knowledge of guerrilla warfare, Rambo begins a one-man war against the police and the national guard. Soon, Rambo's former commander in Vietnam - Colonel Trautman (Richard Crenna) - is sent in to help the situation, and finds his loyalties divided between the man he trained and those seeking to bring him down.

First Blood is an adaptation of David Morrell's novel of the same name, though the material was heavily altered for its translation from page to screen. For starters, Rambo killed hundreds of police officers in the novel and was in fact the antagonist, whereas this film version posits Rambo as a mistreated hero who does not willingly kill anyone (the only death is accidental). Additionally, Trautman killed Rambo at the end of the book, yet the movie's ending deviates from the source material in this area as well (though the decision to alter the ending was ultimately made after initial test screenings). First Blood was initially intended as a standalone feature, but went on to gross enough at the box office to justify a few sequels. Considering the cash-cow that the franchise became, the executives at Orion Pictures must be thankful that Rambo was not killed at the film's conclusion.

In the hands of director Ted Kotcheff, First Blood is a picture of rousing action, compelling drama and gut-wrenching emotion. Pacing is superb, with bursts of intoxicating tension between the action sequences to keep viewers riveted throughout. Another memorable constituent of First Blood is the remarkable, heroic score by Jerry Goldsmith. Nearly as iconic as the muscular protagonist himself, the music complements the action, emotion and drama impeccably - every note enhances the visuals. Additionally, while this is primarily an action film, First Blood is at its core an absorbing character study about a man pushed over the edge who's coming to grips with a world that does not want him. When Teasle harasses Rambo, it's just another insult hurled at him for no reason. As he is physically abused by the police officers, flashbacks are triggered of Rambo's dark Vietnam days. Is it at all surprising that he reaches breaking point and reverts to doing what he does best? The sympathy the film generates for Rambo is commendable, as is the way that the film turns the police into antagonists whose comeuppance we crave. Once Rambo turns the tables on the police, we are thoroughly on his side.

Buried beneath the action is a powerful message about the awful treatment of Vietnam vets, and the plight of returned soldiers in general. After these highly trained men returned home, they were discarded by the government and country they risked their lives for. While a fictitious character, John Rambo is representative of many true stories. Additionally, for a character that's often perceived as an unstoppable force, Rambo is shown to have a vulnerable side: he bleeds, he screams, he feels pain, and he emotes. Interestingly, Stallone was not the first actor to be considered for the role of Rambo - he was only hired after thespians like Al Pacino and Dustin Hoffman turned it down. In retrospect, it's impossible to imagine anyone other than Sly as Rambo, and the star's capabilities as an actor are on full display here. His extraordinary monologue towards the film's end should have earned Sly an Oscar nomination. In the supporting cast, Dennehy and Crenna are equally terrific - in particular, Crenna is perfectly cast as Colonel Trautman.

It's too easy and unfair to dismiss First Blood on the basis of what the Rambo series became: an over-the-top action franchise. First Blood is significantly different, and superior to its sequels in spite of a few credulity-stretching scenes (like Rambo surviving a large fall without injury). The dark tone and sombre subtext of this film was only matched by the third sequel in 2008. Those who enjoy an engaging action-drama with intelligence, poignancy and substance should find this to be a highly satisfying 90 minutes of cinema. The film was followed by four sequels, beginning with Rambo: First Blood Part II in 1985.

9.3/10

When people hear Sylvester Stallone most people think of Rocky, but when I hear his name I instantly think Rambo.

In First Blood, Stallone plays John Rambo, an ex-Special Forces operative come back from the Vietnam war trying to find one of his last friends from his unit. But after finding out that his friend was dead, Rambo starts to drift and comes to a town with a sheriff that instantly dislikes Rambo and arrests him for vagrancy even though Rambo was just trying to go back into town for something to eat. Rambo is brought in the local jail and is mistreated by the deputies but escapes and makes his way in to the near by mountains where he is chased by the sheriffs and later by the National Guard with nation wide media coverage.
I'm not going to spoil the end because it's a great ending with a great message that says something that most Vietnam vets have wanted to say for years, that they are not baby killers, but men fighting for their countries freedoms.

Acting in the movie, on everyone's part, is superb even for a action film of its time.
Music is sometimes haunting and other times glorious that is fitting the moments there in.
Other effects, sound and visual, fit great and are never over the top which gives the movie a more realistic feel than other movies of its kind.

Overall, First Blood in one of my favorite action movies that speaks a message at the end that I believe to true and sincere and should be enjoyed by anyone how watches.