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:

A one man war.

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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

Lee Marvin turned down the role of Colonel Trautman, because he didn't want to play a Colonel.

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Goofs

After Rambo is arrested, he goes through a number of processing procedures before he can be taken before the Judge in court. During this time, Rambo is stripped down stark-naked as a Jaybird and washed down with a high pressure fire hose. As we see the water violently hit his backside from his head down to his nude butt crack, the make-up scars on Rambo's back start to fall off, due to the ferocity of the water's blast.

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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

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Cannibal Holocaust II (2017)

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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

The only good rambo movie

How people can call this the worst one of the series or just a bad movie in general is beyond me. The action is actually believable and not something out of a video game. And the storyline is good and paints a good picture of life in America after the Vietnam war. Following the tale of the best of the best it is certainly not the best but very good. Better yet is the laughs that come from watching the bad cops get theirs. The only I have to complain about this movie is that the sequels were atrocious and painful. This is often looked over excellent movie that puts many other in the genre to shame. Many of you who find it boring are just gore junkies who thrive off of cheap explosions and a plethora of bullets in the air. Take it for a man trying to survive, not bringing down a whole army.