First Blood (1982)

Genre: Action / Thriller

Directed by: Ted Kotcheff

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Brian Dennehy

Running Time: 93 minutes

Based on the David Morrell novel of the same name, First Blood tells the story of John Rambo, a discharged Vietnam vet and Green Beret who decides to visit a former comrade only to find out he passed away from cancer after the war. As he leaves on foot, Rambo crosses the little town of Hope, Washington. He is intercepted by local sheriff Will Teasle, who takes the veteran for a vagrant. After being subjected to abuse at the police station, Rambo snaps and starts waging war on the little community.

While he may not be the best actor of all-time, Stallone has had a knack for picking some characters that would maximize his strengths. In the process, he made us care about these characters, be it the ultimate underdog Rocky Balboa or the killing machine John Rambo.

First Blood, the first title in the Rambo franchise, did a solid job of exposing the life that awaited many Vietnam veteran after that war. Those lines delivered by Stallone, in character, towards the end were quite powerful. Brian Dennehy was the perfect choice as the abusive sheriff who finds himself way over his head. On the other hand, Richard Crenna’s performance felt wooden and false.

In my book, First Blood remains a classic that I love to watch again and again.

Rating: ««««