The Throwback Film: FIRST BLOOD (1982)

Via Lionsgate

First Blood is an action film directed by Ted Kotcheff. It stars Sylvester Stallone as Vietnam War veteran John Rambo, who drifts into a small mountain community seeking food and shelter but is confronted by the local sheriff, Will Teasle (played by Brian Dennehy), who does not like the idea of strangers loitering around his quiet, peaceful town. He immediately profiles Rambo as trouble, based mainly on his scruffy looks. Insisting on giving Rambo a lift, he drops him to the town's exit, telling him there's a diner 20 miles down the road. Rightly annoyed and feeling this treatment was unwarranted, Rambo decides to head back into town, causing both of them to get into a heated argument, leading to Teasle arresting Rambo for vagrancy. At the police station, Rambo endures more mistreatment with each passing incident giving him flashbacks to his capture and torture at the hand of the Viet Cong, triggering his post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), until he finally snaps, leading to a physical fight and escape into the northwest wilderness, where he must rely on his combat and survival skills to evade a massive manhunt.

The 1980s were a golden era for both action movies and action stars. First Blood released in 1982, fitting the era and also transcending it. This may be because it came out right at the beginning of that decade, so while it’s very 80s in its execution, it still has the spirit and soul of the 70s (mainly, the social relevance aspect).

The Rambo character went on to become an action Icon; the image we have of him today (red headband, oiled-up muscular physique, carrying the biggest gun humanly possible, and being a one-man army taking on evil foreigners) is accurate, but it’s an image that was created and refined in the sequels (Rambo: First Blood Part II, Rambo III, Rambo, and Rambo: Last Blood). The John Rambo we get here is a frustrated Vietnam veteran suffering from PTSD pushed to the breaking point; there is a level of emotional turmoil and vulnerability to Stallone’s portrayal that adds depth to the character, making him more than just a one-note action hero that he is reduced to in the sequels. His moving monologue in the climax (Stallone delivering one of his best performances) is a sad reminder that one of the reasons this movie still feels so relevant is that PTSD and the mistreatment of veterans are still a major issue prevalent to this day.

Another relevant issue is Police brutality and injustice, which brings us to the antagonist, another thing at odds with the rest of the 80s action genre. Like the sequels, most of the 80s action movies would feature villains who are either crazed psychopaths or moustache-twirling evil foreigners. At the same time, the good guys are usually cops who bend the rules and don't let the red tape get in the way of them stopping the villain by any means necessary (see Lethal Weapon, Beverly Hills Cop, and Stallone’s own Cobra). Not that I have anything against those movies - they are entertaining in their own right - it just highlights the difference when, here, the antagonist is a local sheriff who thinks he's the good guy, overreaching and overreacting all in the name of protecting his town and ego. This kind of character would be presented as the hero in any other movie of that era.

The action is another huge strong point. The film emphasises resourcefulness over brute force, setting it apart from later instalments that prioritise explosions and gunfights. They certainly have more spectacle but lack the intensity and raw tension displayed in First Blood. The stunts, while spectacular, still feel plausible and gritty. Hell, forget comparing it to other 80s action movies; it’s so refreshing watching it today and seeing it do so many things better than a lot of the cookie-cutter, low-effort, big star-led action movies we have thrown at us today (The Grey Man, Red Notice, Fast X, to name a few). There is an exciting motorbike chase scene that features no dodgy green screen, a white knuckle cliffhanging sequence that's filmed on location and not in a sound studio, and the same scene features an insane stunt executed by an actual stuntman and not a weightless digital double. The climax features multiple exploding buildings that were done for real and look spectacular and not the poorly rendered CGI explosions we get far too often nowadays. Yes, most, if not all, of that technology was not available at the time anyway, but it still emphasises how much care was taken when constructing those set pieces. Even the prosthetics are amazing, as there is a scene where Rambo is stitching up a huge gash on his arm, and it's amazing how real it still looks over four decades later. 

For as great as the movie turned out, it wasn’t always that way. The initial rough cut of the film was a bloated three-and-a-half hours long, mostly documenting Rambo doing various survival activities in the forest. In addition, Rambo’s character was originally highly talkative, and the ending was bleak, with Rambo shooting himself to end the mental torment. Thankfully, all involved hated it and made major changes before releasing it. The survival aspects were heavily cut to a few crucial scenes, and Rambo’s dialogue was also severely cut, making the police station scene more tension-filled and his ending monologue more impactful and, of course, the ending was changed to keep our protagonist alive. There’s a saying in movie-making, “finding it in the edit,” and First Blood is a great example of that. What we end up with is a tight 93-minute movie that, like its protagonist, is lean, mean, straightforward, and highly effective.

So, who is this movie for? Well, if you are in the mood for an action movie or a gripping survival story that is both exciting and has some deeper themes, then definitely check it out. If modern action movies are all starting to look and feel a little too monotonous, and you need something a little different while still satisfying that action itch, definitely give this a try. For me, it's a movie I have grown up with, and my relationship and understanding of the movie have evolved over the years, making it endlessly fascinating and re-watchable.

First Blood is currently available on Amazon Prime. Go watch it!