First Blood

Directed by Ted Kotcheff

Screenplay by Michael Kozoll, William Sackheim and Sylvester Stallone

Based on the novel First Blood by David Morrell

Starring Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna and Brian Dennehy

Warning: The Following Contains Spoilers for First Blood

"They drew first blood, not me," John Rambo

And so The Sylvester Stallone Project begins with the first appearance of one of his most iconic characters, John Rambo, in 1982's First Blood.

What's it about?:

John Rambo, a former member of an elite United States Army Special Forces unit, is searching for a a friend from his old unit. Discovering that his former comrade had died of cancer, due to exposure to Agent Orange,  the previous year Rambo heads on into the small town of Hope, Washington. Rambo attracts the attention of the over protective town sheriff Will Teasle who believes Rambo to be a drifter and drives him out of town. Rambo refuses to be treated like a criminal and heads straight back into Hope only to be arrested by Teasle. 

Whilst in custody Rambo is treated poorly by the sheriff's deputies with their cruel and unpleasant treatment of the war veteran lead to him having flashbacks to the horror of the Vietnam war. Rambo manages to over power the deputies and escapes to the mountains leading to a cat and mouse chase between him and Teasle. Rambo is too much for the local sheriff to handle and the National Guard are called into help with the manhunt. Rambo's superior officer Colonel Sam Trautman arrives at the scene to warn Teasle that he's picked the wrong man to mess with. Then lot's of shit gets blown up as everyone tries to stop the one man army that is John Rambo.

The Verdict:

First Blood is easily the strongest installment in the Rambo series and one of Stallone's finest films to date. The series may be well known for it's extreme violence but there's little of that here. The body count is insanely low when compared to the sequels that follow it. There's one death. That's right just one and it's one of the more unpleasant character's that very much deserves the fate that befalls him. The real enjoyment of First Blood is seeing Rambo using his survival skills to survive and outwit his foes. The story is fairly deep for a Stallone vehicle and one I can imagine getting the remake treatment. Who honestly can't see Hollywood planning a First Blood remake with a disillusioned Iraq veteran?

Stallone in the Spot Light:

Stallone is excellent in John Rambo. I don't care what anyone says Sylvester Stallone is a very good actor and he portrays the Vietnam War Veteran that can't readjust to life back in America perfectly. His break down at the end where Trautman arrives just in time to stop him murdering Teasle is perfectly acted by both of them. Allowing Rambo's story to be told by those around him makes the film work well and means we see a lot less of Rambo than you'd expect but Stallone steals every scene he's in. Overall this film must be in his top five performances ever.