First Blood

1982 Action/Adventure

First Blood is the Sylvester Stallone film that unleashed "Rambo" onto an unsuspecting world. Wandering into a small, hostile town, ex-Green Beret John Rambo (Stallone) is targeted for persecution and abuse by potbellied Sheriff Will Teasle (Brian Dennehy). When he can stand no more, Rambo goes bonkers, killing a deputy and heading into the surrounding hills, armed to the teeth. Only after Rambo has picked off practically every law enforcement officer within a radius of 50 miles do the local authorities bring in his former commanding officer, Trautman (Richard Crenna), for advice. Trautman's response -- that the locals had better get a lot of body bags ready -- is hardly encouraging. First Blood proved to be one of Stallone's biggest non-Rocky hits. Kirk Douglas had originally been cast as Trautman, but he quit the project when the producers refused to cave in to his demand that Trautman kill Rambo in the finale. more..

Director: Ted Kotcheff

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Brian Dennehy, David Caruso,Jack Starrett

 13 Reviews  1 Awards

Reviews

  • There's the fact that First Blood is a first-rate, taught action thriller.

    Adam Smith - Empire

    19 January 2013

  • Until the last twenty or thirty minutes, however, First Blood is a very good movie, well-paced, and well-acted not only by Stallone (who invests an unlikely character with great authority) but also by Crenna and Brian Dennehy, as the police chief.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    19 January 2013

  • Boasting some of the best use of rugged landscape since the westerns of Anthony Mann, First Blood is an effective, if outlandish, picture that exists merely for its big-screen thrills.

    - TV Guide

    19 January 2013

  • The director, Ted Kotcheff, does a good job with the violence and suspense, working well with the wide-screen format, and he seems fully aware of the dark, subversive implications of the material, even if the screenplay doesn't allow him to resolve them successfully.

    Dave Kehr - Chicago Reader

    19 January 2013

  • Ted Kotcheff's First Blood is a cute, slick anti-Vietnam war film carefully treated to go down for the pro-war constituency it's made for.

    - The Boston Globe

    19 January 2013

Awards

  • Best Overall New Extra Features, Library Release

    DVD Exclusive Awards (2003)

     

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