First Blood

For other uses, see First Blood (disambiguation).

First Blood
Theatrical release poster by Drew Struzan
Directed by	Ted Kotcheff
Screenplay by	Michael Kozoll William Sackheim Sylvester Stallone
Produced by	Buzz Feitshans Mario Kassar Andrew G. Vajna
Starring	Sylvester Stallone Richard Crenna Brian Dennehy
Cinematography	Andrew Laszlo
Edited by	Joan E. Chapman
Music by	Jerry Goldsmith
Production company	Anabasis Investments N.V.
Distributed by	Orion Pictures
Release date	October 22, 1982
Running time	97 minutes
Country	Template:Film US
Language	English
Budget	$14 million
Box office	$125,212,904

First Blood (also known as Rambo or Rambo: First Blood) is a 1982 action thriller film directed by Ted Kotcheff. The film stars Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo, a troubled and misunderstood Vietnam War veteran, with Sheriff Will Teasle (Brian Dennehy) as his nemesis and Colonel Samuel Trautman (Richard Crenna) as his former commander and only ally. It was released on October 22, 1982. Based on David Morrell's 1972 novel of the same name, it was the first of the Rambo series. Unlike the sequels, which were war adventure films set in foreign countries, First Blood was a post-Vietnam War psychological thriller set in the United States. First Blood lacks the gore and violence that would become a trademark of the series.

Since its release, First Blood has been a critical and commercial success and has had a lasting influence on the genre. It has also spurred many parodies. The film is notable for its psychological portrayal of the after-effects of the Vietnam War, particularly the challenges faced by American veterans attempting to re-integrate into society, something not deeply examined in subsequent Rambo movies.

In 2008, the film was chosen by Empire magazine as one of The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time.

Cast

Main article: List of Rambo characters

• Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo
• Richard Crenna as Colonel Sam Trautman
• Brian Dennehy as Sheriff Will Teasle
• Bill McKinney as State Police Capt. Dave Kern
• Jack Starrett as Deputy Sgt. Arthur Galt
• Michael Talbott as Deputy Balford
• Chris Mulkey as Deputy Ward
• John McLiam as Orval the Dog Man
• Alf Humphreys as Deputy Lester
• David Caruso as Deputy Mitch
• David L. Crowley as Deputy Shingleton
• Don MacKay as Deputy Preston

Production

Shortly after David Morrell's novel was published in 1972, Columbia Pictures bought the filming rights, which were then resold to Warner Bros. Ted Kotcheff was offered the project, picking out of many screenplays the one done by Michael Kozoll and William Sackheim. While Kotcheff was prepping the movie, Warner decided to pull the plug as they thought Vietnam was too recent and the film was not going to work. Kotcheff only returned to work on First Blood after Mario Kassar and Andrew G. Vajna of Anabasis offered to finance one of his projects. Kotcheff offered the role of John Rambo to Sylvester Stallone, and the actor accepted after reading the script through a weekend.

Long before Stallone was hired to play Rambo, other actors were being considered for the role such as Clint Eastwood, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, Nick Nolte, John Travolta, Dustin Hoffman, James Garner, Kris Kristofferson and Michael Douglas. Terence Hill, as recently confirmed during an interview to an Italian TV talk-show, was offered the role but rejected it because he considered it "too violent". Dustin Hoffman and John Travolta declined the role for the same reason. When Al Pacino was considered for the role of John Rambo, he turned it down when his request that Rambo be more of a madman was rejected.

For the role of Sheriff Teasle, the producers approached Academy Award winners Gene Hackman and Robert Duvall but both turned the part down. Lee Marvin, another Oscar winner, turned down the part of Colonel Trautman.

Various screenplays adapted from Morrell's book had been pitched to studios in the years since its publication but it was only when Stallone, who at the time had limited success outside of the Rocky franchise (most of his non-Rocky films either barely broke even or were flops altogether), decided to become involved with the project that it was finally brought into production.

Stallone's star power after the success of the Rocky films enabled him to rewrite the script, to make the character of John Rambo more sympathetic. While Morrell's book has the Rambo character violently kill many of his pursuers - Kozoll and Sackheim's draft had him killing sixteen people - in the movie version Rambo does not directly cause the death of any police or national guardsmen. Stallone also decided to let Rambo survive the film instead of keeping the book's ending where he dies, stating that after Rocky he felt that the protagonist should not be killed. A suicide scene was filmed but Kotcheff and Stallone opted to have Rambo turn himself in at Trautman's urging.

Prior to Stallone taking the lead role, Steve McQueen expressed interest in it. When David Morrell wrote the novel in 1972 the producers first considered McQueen but then rejected him because they considered him too old to play a Vietnam veteran from 1975.

Just before shooting began, Kirk Douglas quit the role of Colonel Trautman over a script dispute; Douglas wanted the film to end as the book did, with the death of the Rambo character. Rock Hudson was approached but was soon to undergo heart surgery and had to pass up the chance to work with Stallone. Richard Crenna was quickly hired as a replacement; the role of Trautman became the veteran character actor's most famous role, his performance of which received much critical praise.

The film was shot in British Columbia, Canada in the winter. The town scenes in the movie were shot in Hope, while the rest of the movie was shot in Golden Ears Provincial Park and Pitt Lake in Pitt Meadows.

Music

The film's score was composed and conducted by Jerry Goldsmith, whose theme "It's a Long Road" added a new dimension to the character, and featured in the film's three sequels and animated spin-off. The soundtrack was originally released on LP by the Regency label, although was edited out of sequence for a more satisfying listen. The album was reissued on CD with one extra track ("No Power") twice, first as one of Intrada Records' initial titles, then as an identical release by Varèse Sarabande. The complete score was released by Intrada in a 2-CD set, along with a remastered version of the original album, on November 23, 2010, as one of their MAF unlimited titles.

Track listing

CD 1 – Complete Original Soundtrack

1. "Theme from First Blood" (pop orchestra version)
2. "Home Coming"
3. "My Town"
4. "Under Arrest"
5. "The Razor"
6. "A Head Start"
7. "Hanging On"
8. "Over the Cliff"
9. "A Stitch in Time"
10. "Mountain Hunt"
11. "No Truce"
12. "First Blood"
13. "The Tunnel"
14. "Escape Route"
15. "The Truck"
16. "No Power/Night Attack"
17. "Hide and Seek"
18. "It's a Long Road" (instrumental)
19. "It's a Long Road (Theme from First Blood)" (vocal: Dan Hill)

CD 2 – Original 1982 Soundtrack Album

1. "It's a Long Road (Theme from First Blood)" (vocal: Dan Hill)
2. "Escape Route"
3. "First Blood"
4. "The Tunnel"
5. "Hanging On"
6. "Home Coming"
7. "Mountain Hunt"
8. "My Town"
9. "The Razor"
10. "Over the Cliff"
11. "It's a Long Road" (instrumental)
12. "It's a Long Road" (recording session piano/vocal demo)
13. "Carolco Logo"
14. "Rambo" (Special Summer 1984 trailer)

Reaction

Box office performance

First Blood topped the North American box office for three weeks in a row, and its $6,642,005 opening weekend was the best October opening at the time. The film ended as a moderate financial success, with a total gross of $47 million domestically - ranking as the 13th highest-grossing film of the year - and $125 million worldwide, against a $14 million budget.

Critical reception

First Blood received generally favorable reviews, and is considered by many to be one of the best films of 1982. Stallone, in particular, received much praise for his performance. In his 1982 review, Roger Ebert wrote that he did not like the film's ending, but that it was "a very good movie, well-paced, and well-acted not only by Stallone...but also by Crenna and Brian Dennehy" He gave it three out of four stars. He even went as far as to say, "although almost all of First Blood is implausible, because it's Stallone on the screen, we'll buy it". In 2000, BBC film critic Almar Haflidason noted that Stallone’s training in survival skills and hand-to-hand combat gave the film, "a raw and authentic edge that excited the audiences of the time". James Berardinelli of ReelViews called the film "a tense and effective piece of filmmaking". He noted that the film's darker tone, somber subtext, and non-exploitative violence allowed the viewer to enjoy the film not only as an action/thriller but as something with a degree of intelligence and substance. On Stallone's performance, he wrote "it seems impossible to imagine anyone other than Stallone in the part, and his capabilities as an actor should not be dismissed".

David Nusair of Reel Film Views praised the film, stating that "First Blood is an engaging piece of work that ultimately doesn't have a whole lot in common with its increasingly cartoonish follow-ups and is anchored by Stallone's effective, surprisingly low-key performance". Film critic Eric D. Snider described the film as "a dark drama about war and the exorcising of demons, and an unforgettable one at that" and that "it's a shame this film became a prototype of sorts for shoot-'em-up, one-man-against-the-world action flicks, because it's so much better than that". He also praised Stallone's "haunting performance which showcased great range from the actor, and provided the film with its resonating depth and thought-provoking morality". Alex Sandell of Juicy Cerebellum called the film "a thriller that's actually thrilling".

The film has not escaped criticism. Although Bill Chambers of Film Freak Central praised Stallone's performance, stating that he "hits his climactic breakdown monologue out of the park" with a performance that was "sweet and moving", he gave the film two stars out of four. He stated "devotees of Joseph Campbell embrace First Blood because it has clear mythological roots, but recognizable art isn't always valid art". Brian Webster of the Apollo film site called First Blood "an embarrassingly sloppy production" with a weak script. Leonard Maltin gave the film one-and a half stars out of four, saying that it "throws all creditability to the winds about the time [Rambo] gets off with only a bad cut after jumping from a mountain into some jagged rocks." (Although in fact he had jumped into a tree.)

First Blood's portrayal of a Vietnam veteran also sparked some controversy. Bill Chambers argued the film "reflect[ed] a new compassion towards traumatized veterans of the Vietnam conflict".

Legacy

In 2008, First Blood was named the 253rd greatest film ever by Empire magazine on its 2008 list of The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time. The character of John Rambo was considered a possible candidate for the American Film Institute's list 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains. The film itself was also a candidate for AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills, a list of America's most heart-pounding movies.

First Blood's release on DVD sparked a series of contemporary reviews, earning it an 86% "Fresh" rating from Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 62 ("generally favorable") from Metacritic.

In a 2011 article for Blade Magazine, by Mike Carter, credit is given to Morrell and the Rambo franchise for revitalizing the cutlery industry in the 1980s; due to the presence of the Jimmy Lile and Gil Hibben knives used in the films. In 2003, Blade Magazine gave Morrell an industry achievement award for having helped to make it possible.

References in popular culture

The Simpsons episode "Separate Vocations" references the film. Bart envisions himself as a drifter holding a green Army duffel bag who complains how the sheriff drove him out of town, echoing the sequence in First Blood where John Rambo is ushered out of town by the sheriff for being a drifter.

In Episode 42 (entitled "I Can't Find Your %*#ing Legs") of the FUNimation Entertainment version of Crayon Shin-chan, a flashback sequence shows Yuu performing John Rambo's final monologue from the end of First Blood in preparation for an acting audition.

The 1989 film UHF features a scene parodying the Rambo films, especially Rambo: First Blood Part II. The main character fantasizes that he is Rambo, rescues his friend from the antagonist, and then defeats the antagonist in a helicopter battle.

Distribution

Author David Morrell recorded an audio commentary track for the First Blood Special Edition DVD released in 2002. Actor Sylvester Stallone recorded an audio commentary track for the First Blood Ultimate Edition DVD released in 2004. This edition also includes a "never-before-seen" alternate ending in which Rambo commits suicide (a brief snippet of which appears in a flashback in the fourth film) and a "humorous" ending tacked on afterwards. Lionsgate also released this version on Blu-ray. Both commentary tracks are on the Blu-ray release.

Momentum Pictures released an HD DVD version of First Blood in the United Kingdom in April 2007. Lionsgate also released First Blood as a double feature on February 13, 2007, along with the 2004's The Punisher.

The film was re-released as part of a 6-disc box set, which contains all four films in the series, on May 27, 2008. However the box set is missing the David Morrell commentary, even though the packaging clearly states it is included. In anticipation of the release, the film was shown back in theaters for one night, May 15, 2008, through Fathom Events; the alternate ending was shown after the main feature.

External links

• First Blood at IMDb
• First Blood at Rotten Tomatoes
• First Blood at AllMovie
• First Blood at Box Office Mojo
• Scott Hardy's - First Blood Filming Locations