First Blood is the first film featuring the character of troubled Vietnam War veteran John Rambo. It starred Sylvester Stallone as Rambo, Brian Dennehy as Sheriff Will Teasle, and the late Richard Crenna as Col. Samuel Trautman. Based on a 1972 David Morrell book of the same name, the film (which differs from the book in many areas) was directed by Ted Kotcheff, produced by Mario Kassar and Andrew G. Vajna, and released on Friday, October 22, 1982.
Plot
The film centers around a drifter named John Rambo, a former member of an elite Special Forces unit in Vietnam who cannot acclimate himself to civilian life.
After a long journey to see one of his comrades, who, unknown to Rambo, had died of cancer the previous summer due to exposure to the controversial defoliant Agent Orange that was used in Vietnam, he runs afoul of Will Teasle, the heavy-handed sheriff of a small Washington State mountain resort town called Hope. After being arrested, he is assaulted by members of the police force, which triggers the training he received in the Special Forces and memories of torture at the hands of the Vietnamese military. He declares war on Sheriff Teasle and his deputies and escapes to the mountains.
Rambo's former commanding officer, Col. Sam Trautman, involves himself in the manhunt for Rambo, not to save Rambo from them, but "to save you from him", setting up one of the best movie quotes ever:
Teasle: Are you telling me that 200 of our men against your boy is a no-win situation for us?
Trautman: You send that many, don't forget one thing.
Teasle: What?!
Trautman: A good supply of body bags!
A squad of Army reservists led by Lt. Clinton Morgan manages to corner Rambo in a mine shaft and he orders a shoulder-fired missile launched at Rambo. The cops believe that Rambo died in the explosion, but he didn't, and Rambo virtually destroys the town and seriously injures Sheriff Teasle. In the closing minutes of First Blood, Rambo breaks down and Col. Trautman convinces Rambo to turn himself in.
Various screenplays adapted from the Morrell book had been pitched to studios in the years since its release, but it was only when Stallone, who at the time had extremely limited success outside of the Rocky franchise (most of his non-Rocky films either barely broke even or were flops altogether,) decided to become involved with the project and helped refine the script that filming it became a reality. Just before shooting began, however, Kirk Douglas quit the role of Col. Trautman over a script dispute (he wanted the film to end as the book did) Richard Crenna was quickly hired as an emergency replacement. It ended up becoming the veteran character actor's most famous role. A suicide scene was filmed, but ultimately, Kotcheff and Stallone opted to have Rambo turn himself in at Trautman's urging.
First Blood, which had a modest shooting budget of $14 million, became a major hit, going on to earn an estimated $47 million in North America and $78 million overseas, solidifying Stallone's career and silencing critics who had said that Stallone was a one-trick pony. First Blood also spawned three sequels. It was shot entirely in British Columbia, Canada.
Although often criticised for being extremely violent, First Blood is actually very tame compared to later films in the action genre. Only one person, Deputy Galt, the officer who falls out of the helicopter, actually clearly dies due to Rambo's actions. However, it can be argued that Galt's own arrogance and stupidity were contributors to his death.
Author David Morrell recorded an audio commentary track for the First Blood Special Edition DVD released in 2003.
For his right-wing iconic stature, however, the John Rambo character didn't attain it until the popular sequel, Rambo: First Blood Part II was released in 1985. Often viewed as much more of an action film than a drama, as the original had been, "Rambo II" was panned by most critics. But that didn't stop the film from being the second-highest grossing film of the year, trailing only Robert Zemeckis' Back to the Future. Then-president Ronald Reagan set off a minor controversy when he admitted he admired Rambo.
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