First Blood (1982)

A Vietnam Veteran uses his combat skills against the lawman of a small town when he arrests and abuses him.

Director:

Ted Kotcheff

Writers:

David Morrell (novel), Michael Kozoll (screenplay),

Stars:

Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Brian Dennehy

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sylvester Stallone	...	Rambo
Richard Crenna	...	Trautman
Brian Dennehy	...	Teasle
Bill McKinney	...	Kern
Jack Starrett	...	Galt
Michael Talbott	...	Balford
Chris Mulkey	...	Ward
John McLiam	...	Orval
Alf Humphreys	...	Lester
David Caruso	...	Mitch
David L. Crowley	...	Shingleton (as David Crowley)
Don MacKay	...	Preston (as Don Mackay)
Charles A. Tamburro	...	Pilot (as Chuck Tamburro)
David Petersen	...	Trooper
Craig Huston	...	Radio Operator (as Craig Wright Huston)

Storyline

John J. Rambo is a former United States Special Forces soldier who fought in Vietnam and won the Congressional Medal of Honor, but his time in Vietnam still haunts him. As he came to Hope, Washington to visit a friend, he was guided out of town by the Sheriff William Teasel who insults Rambo, but what Teasel does not know that his insult angered Rambo to the point where Rambo became violent and was arrested, as he was at the county jail being cleaned, he escapes and goes on a rampage through the forest to try to escape from the sheriffs who want to kill him. Then, as Rambo's commanding officer, Colonel Samuel Trautman tries to save both the Sheriff's department and Rambo before the situation gets out of hand.

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Plot Keywords:

rambo | sheriff | deputy | escape | colonel | 

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Taglines:

One war against one man.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 October 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rambo

Filming Locations:

Golden Ears Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$14,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

SEK 12,389,699 (Sweden)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Anabasis N.V., Elcajo Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the DVD commentary, Sylvester Stallone compares Rambo to the monster of Dr. Frankenstein and Col. Trautman as the doctor, in the respect that Rambo is a war machine monster created by America to do its bidding, but then he escapes and runs amok, but also wanting to fit into a society who shuns him, and Col. Trautman basically was instrumental in making Rambo into what he is and feels remorse for how he turned out and does what he can to help make things right.

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Goofs

As Rambo makes his way through the cave looking for an escape route, he crawls through waist-deep water, only to emerge completely dry.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Rambo: Can you tell me if Delmar Berry lives here?

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Connections

Referenced in 9th Company (2005)

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Soundtracks

"IT'S A LONG ROAD"
Music by Jerry Goldsmith
Lyrics by Hal Shaper
Arranged by David Paich and Marty Paich
Produced by Bruce Botnick
Sung by Dan Hill

User Reviews

Rambo is an icon.

The adaptation of this novel to the big screen is a great accomplishment. The film is not only the beginning of one of the greatest action trilogies of all-time, but it charts the developments of its characters, something rarely done by an action movie. "First Blood" is a moving story about the realities of post-Vietnam America and is very underrated as a film.