First Blood (1982)

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Watched this movie numerous time since its release in 1982 . One of the all time great action movies. Stallone's best movie. The character of John Rambo is so identified with Stallone that it's amusing to note how many actors were considered for the role, including Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. Taking a huge leap forward for Action/Adventure films, "Rambo: First Blood" get's the job for fans of the genre, and can even welcome newcomers. It may not be a perfect movie, but I absolutely loved it for what it was. As a former vet, John Rambo (Stallone) has escaped prison and is on the loose, fighting to stay alive. Throughout his fight we get glimpses of what happened to him during the war and the depth of his character becomes far more detailed than one might expect. I loved the action, the characters, and the story, but the script could have been a bit smarter I suppose. These filmmakers pumped out everything they had and damn, this is one hell of a ride!

John J. Rambo, awarded the Congregational Medal of Honour for services in Vietnam. Back on US soil his friends are nearly all dead, he feels unwanted and the abuse he suffered during war has turned him into the shell of a man. In today's world he might be diagnosed with PTSD, anxiety, paranoia, violent tendencies. As he wanders through small backwater towns looking for any friends who may have survived he is the victim of abuse from a small town sheriff and he his troops. He's locked up and starts having flashbacks to the torture he received during war. Something snaps in him. He escapes with only a hunting knife and heads into the wilderness, pursued by his taunters. He is forced to survive at any means necessary which he does to great effect with his years of training and past experiences. The Rambo character was big in the 80's, becoming a cult icon and spawning spin-off's, cartoons and merchandise. However that was in the 80's, today's audiences barely just remember "Rocky" and probably aren't too familiar with Rambo. This isn't at all a family friendly film, it's more of a macho bloodthirsty action film rather than anything deep and inspiring. Stallone does a decent job as John Rambo showing that he's an onion with layers of passion and pain. The supporting cast is good and believable, especially Brian Dennehy, Richard Crenna and even David Caruso. The score is effective and drives the movie on. It gets a little cheesy in places, especially towards the end but that doesn't sour the film one bit. Like the subject of the film this is dark and misunderstood. Not the kind of film I'd watch with kids, family or a lover. While audiences have moved on to a different kind of film this offers a bit of 80's nostalgia. Worth a watch, but you wouldn't be missing a masterpiece if you skipped it instead.

First Blood is the first in a great series of movies.John Rambo is a Vietnam veteran still haunted by the demons of the war the soldiers weren't allowed to win. The transient Rambo goes to see one of his former friends and fellow soldier only to find out he died from exposure to agent orange.While passing through a small town, the local sheriff spots him and decides their quiet community isn't the place for people like Rambo. After refusing to leave, Rambo is arrested, tortured, and ultimately escapes into the dense forest.The rest of the movie is a cat and mouse game between the local sheriff's department, state police, national guard, and Rambo, with Rambo ultimately becoming the cat and the police the mice.Rambo is fast paced with action and the last several minutes of the movie are unforgettable, as Rambo breaks down and perfectly gets across the demons that still haunt him.

Vietnam veteran John J. Rambo was only hoping to visit an old war buddy but when he gets to his home he learnt that he died the year before from cancer caused by Agent Orange used in the war. He walks on to the nearest town, just hoping to get something to eat before moving on. Here he is stopped by the local sheriff, Walt Teasel. He doesn't want drifters like Rambo in his town so drives him out of town. Rambo turns to walk back into town and is promptly arrested and once in custody he is mistreated by some of the deputies. This causes him to have flashbacks of the torture he experienced in Vietnam. He then fights back and escapes, steals a trail bike and heads to the wooded mountains outside town. Teasel and his deputies give chase but it is soon apparent that they have bitten off far more they can chew; one deputy tries to shoot Rambo from a helicopter but falls to his death after Rambo throws a rock at it. The rest are picked off one by one; not killed but incapacitated. Eventually State Police and the National Guard are called in. At this point Rambo's former C.O. Col Trautman arrives and cautions against continuing the chase unless they want a war that they have no chance of winning.Given that this film has a reputation for being overly violent one might be surprised that only one character died… perhaps those criticising it had just read the book which contains far more deaths. There are other scenes of violence though; the way Rambo is treated is definitely 'police brutality' and the way the deals with the pursuing deputies is shocking at times. This film is an impressive action film but it also has a message about the treatment of Vietnam veterans and police attitudes to people they don't feel fit in with the sort of people they want in their town. This message is pretty obvious without being too heavy handed. Sylvester Stallone is on great form as Rambo to such an extent that it is impossible to imagine anybody else in the role. Brian Dennehy is also impressive as Sheriff Walt Teasle; the character could easily have been a pantomime villain but Dennehy's performance makes him human. There is also a fun performance from Richard Crenna as Col Trautman and solid performances from the rest of the cast. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to anybody wanting a solid action film that packs lots of great moments into its short run time.