Review of First Blood (1982) by Ola G — 30 Jul 2017

Seven years after his discharge, Vietnam War veteran and Special Forces soldier John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) travels by foot to visit one of his old comrades, only to learn upon his arrival that his friend had died from cancer due to Agent Orange exposure during the war. Distraught, Rambo continues to travel, wandering into the small town of Hope, Washington. He is intercepted by the town's Sheriff Will Teasle (Brian Dennehy), who considers him an unwanted nuisance. When Rambo asks for directions to a diner, Teasle drives him out of town and tells him not to return. Rambo returns anyway, so Teasle arrests him on charges of vagrancy, resisting arrest, and possessing a concealed knife. Led by chief deputy Art Galt, Teasle's officers abuse Rambo, triggering flashbacks of the torture he endured as a POW in Vietnam. When they try to dry-shave him with a straight razor, Rambo overwhelms the police, fights his way outside, and flees into the woods. A furious Teasle organizes a search party-complete with automatic weapons, dogs, and a helicopter-to recapture him. During the search, it is learned that Rambo is a former Green Beret who received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his service. Galt spots Rambo and resorts to lethal force in defiance of orders, attempting to shoot Rambo from the helicopter. Trapped on a high cliff over a creek, Rambo leaps into a tree to break his fall, injuring himself in the process. Galt leans out of the helicopter, trying to shoot Rambo, who is hiding behind a tree. Rambo throws a rock which fractures the helicopter's windshield; the pilot's sudden reaction causes Galt to lose his balance and fall out of the helicopter to his death. Rambo attempts to persuade Teasle and his men that it was an accident and that he wants no more trouble, but the police open fire and pursue him into a wooded area. Rambo disables the deputies non-lethally one by one using his combat skills, until only Teasle is left. Holding a knife to his throat, Rambo threatens to fight back much harder if Teasle doesn't "let it go," giving him a war that he won't believe. Teasle chooses to press the issue, and the state police and national guard are called in to assist in the manhunt. At the same time, Rambo's mentor and former commanding officer, Colonel Sam Trautman (Richard Crenna) arrives. Warning of his former soldier's abilities, Trautman advises that Rambo be given a gap to slip through so he can be recaptured more safely later. Confident that Rambo is hopelessly outnumbered, Teasle refuses...

"First Blood" is a 1982 American action adventure film directed by Ted Kotcheff. It was co-written by and starred Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo. It is based on David Morrell's 1972 novel of the same name and is the first installment of the Rambo series. The film was released in the United States on October 22, 1982. Despite initial mixed reviews, the film was a box office success, grossing $47.2 million at the box office. Since its release, First Blood has received reappraisal from critics, with many praising the roles of Stallone, Dennehy, and Crenna, and recognizing it as an influential film in the action genre. It has also become a cult film. The film's success spawned a franchise, consisting of three sequels (all of which were co-written by and starred Stallone), an animated series, comic books, novels, and a Bollywood remake. A fifth film, tentatively titled Rambo: Last Stand, was cancelled in January 2016 when Stallone stated that he was retiring the character. First Blood originally received generally mixed reviews, with several critics noting that the plot lacks any sense of credibility. Variety called the film "a mess" and criticized its ending for not providing a proper resolution for the main character. More recently, Leonard Maltin gave the film one-and a half stars out of four, saying that it "throws all creditability to the winds about the time [Rambo] gets off with only a bad cut after jumping from a mountain into some jagged rocks." The film's three lead actors received much praise for their performances. In his review, Roger Ebert wrote that he did not like the film's ending, but that it was "a very good movie, well-paced, and well-acted not only by Stallone... but also by Crenna and Brian Dennehy". He commented, "although almost all of First Blood is implausible, because it's Stallone on the screen, we'll buy it", and rated the film three out of four stars. In 2000, BBC film critic Almar Haflidason noted that Stallone's training in survival skills and hand-to-hand combat gave the film "a raw and authentic edge that excited the audiences of the time". James Berardinelli of ReelViews called the film "a tense and effective piece of filmmaking". He noted that the film's darker tone, somber subtext, and non-exploitative violence allowed the viewer to enjoy the film not only as an action/thriller but as something with a degree of intelligence and substance. On Stallone's performance, he wrote "it seems impossible to imagine anyone other than Stallone in the part, and his capabilities as an actor should not be dismissed".

This is the first time we get to see the character John Rambo on the screen and I remember vividly how I thought this was a good and different action movie back in the early 80s as a teenager. The character is more believable here compared to how Stallone developed the character later on. Here he is a Vietnam vet haunted by his memories of what he experienced in the Vietnam war and the emotional layers are strong and thought worthy. Yes, the character does carry some "overpowers" here as well, but not so it feels too over the top as it does in the sequel "Rambo - First Blood II". Sylvester Stallone plays the character in a convincing way and doesn´t become just some super action figure in this first part. The violence in the film is graphic but not overbearing or comic book like. I reckon "realistic" in many ways. It´s easy to sympathise with John Rambo as he is merely a man who is trying to get by haunted by what he became as a Green Beret and the horrifying experiences he had to endure in the Vietnam war. He doesn´t want any trouble, he just wants to be left alone. But, society keeps pushing him and when push comes to shove John Rambo gives Teasle a war that he won't believe. Rambo doesn´t kill anyone with purpose and the killing of Galt is accidental. The drama and the ensemble with Stallone, Crenna and Dennehy works very well and Ted Koetscheff´s direction is dynamic in some ways and uses the beautiful environments and sceneries in a proper manner. "First Blood" is yes maybe not the best action movie ever made, but yet it´s an ok action film from the 80s with some interesting emotional layers.

Trivia: The first rough cut was over three hours, possibly three and a half hours long and according to Sylvester Stallone, it was so bad that it made him and his agent sick. Stallone wanted to buy the movie and destroy it thinking that it was a career killer. After heavy re-editing, the film was cut down to 93 minutes; this version was ultimately released in theatres.

"First Blood" was Sylvester Stallone's first non-Rocky movie which didn't bomb. In fact, it arguably saved his career.