First Blood (1982)

A veteran Green Beret is forced by a cruel Sheriff and his deputies to flee into the mountains and wage an escalating one-man war against his pursuers.

Director:

Ted Kotcheff

Writers:

David Morrell (based on the novel by), Michael Kozoll (screenplay by)

Stars:

Sylvester Stallone, Brian Dennehy, Richard Crenna

1 win & 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 | vietnam war veteran | green beret | abuse of power | bad cop | 

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Taglines:

He just wanted something to eat.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Instagram

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 October 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rambo: First Blood

Filming Locations:

Golden Ears Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,642,005, 24 October 1982

Gross USA:

$47,212,904

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$125,212,904

Company Credits

Production Co:

Anabasis N.V., Cinema '84, Elcajo Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo (4 channels) Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Some time after they made First Blood (1982), Sylvester Stallone and director Ted Kotcheff were involved in another movie project titled The Base. It was based on the screenplay by David Webb Peoples which he wrote around 1983. Once Stallone left the project, Clint Eastwood was briefly involved in it but once he left, it was cancelled. The Base script moved between various studios next 15 years, until it was eventually re-written and made into Paul W.S. Anderson's film Soldier (1998) starring Kurt Russell.

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Goofs

Rambo is hiding on the hillside above the road waiting for an opportunity to jump onto the canvas top of the last truck in the convoy. As that truck approaches the canvas sides are unrolled and "down". Seconds later when he jumps on top, the canvas is rolled "up" halfway. Seconds later as the same truck in shown going down the road the sides are back down.

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Quotes

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

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Alternate Versions

TV version omits Rambo's stitching of his arm wound. In its place a brief scene of him checking the ammunition on Galt's rifle is added.

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Connections

Featured in Forget About It: Rocky (2011)

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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.