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:

abuse of power | vietnam war veteran | veteran | bad cop | john rambo | 

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Taglines:

He never fought a battle he couldn't win.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

In 2020, Sylvester Stallone revealed that statues of the character of John Rambo were put up in Hope, British Colombia, the location where this film was shot.

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Goofs

When Rambo picks up the tarpaulin to use as a coat he throws away the sheath from his knife. You then see him pick the knife up from the tree and run off. Later in the film he is seen using the sheath again. But seeing as he threw the wire he used to tie up the tarpaulin in the same direction, he probably retrieved the sheath along with the wire, and the camera angle hides the sheath from sight.

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Quotes

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

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Alternate Versions

NBC edited 3 minutes from this film for its 1985 network television premiere.

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Connections

Referenced in Days of Darkness (2007)

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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.

Details

Official Sites:

Instagram

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 October 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rambo: First Blood

Filming Locations:

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:

2.39 : 1