First Blood

Ted Kotcheff had been approached with the project in 1976. He only returned to work on First Blood after Mario Kassar and Andrew G. Vajna of Anabasis Investments 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.[4] Various scripts adapted from Morrell's book had been pitched to studios in the years since its publication, but it was only when Stallone 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 kill many of his pursuers, and Kozoll and Sackheim's draft had him killing sixteen people, in the movie 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. A suicide scene was filmed but Kotcheff and Stallone opted to have Rambo turn himself in at Trautman's urging.[4] Stallone did an estimated seven revisions of the script. Kotcheff requested further work be done on the script, which was performed by Larry Gross and David Giler.

When David Morrell wrote the novel, which was published in 1972, the producers first considered Steve McQueen but then rejected him because they considered him too old to play a Vietnam veteran from 1975.[5] 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. Kirk Douglas was eventually hired, but just before shooting began, Douglas quit the role of Colonel Trautman over a script dispute; Douglas wanted the film to end as the book did (Rambo and Teasle fatally wound each other, Trautman finishes Rambo with a kill shot then sits with the dying Teasle for the sheriff's final moments). 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.[4]

The film was shot in British Columbia, Canada in the winter of 1981.[4] The town scenes in the movie were shot in Hope and the nearby Othello Tunnels, called Chapman Gorge in the film,[6] while the rest of the movie was shot in Capilano Canyon, Golden Ears Provincial Park and Pitt Lake in Pitt Meadows. The weaponry used in the film had to be imported into Canada. Over 50 of the imported firearms were stolen midway through the filming.[7][8]

The first rough cut was over three hours, possibly three and a half hours long and according to Sylvester Stallone, it was so bad that it made him and his agent sick. Stallone wanted to buy the movie and destroy it thinking that it was a career killer. After heavy re-editing, the film was cut down to 93 minutes; this version was ultimately released in theaters.[9] The ending used in the finished film was shot in March 1982, after the original one was deemed unsatisfactory.[10]

First Blood topped the U.S. box office for three weeks in a row,[11] and its $6,642,005 opening weekend was the best October opening at the time.[4] The film ended as a significant financial success, with a total gross of $47 million domestically, the highest-grossing film of the fall,[12] and the 13th highest-grossing film of the year.[13]

The film grossed $125 million worldwide, against a $14 million budget.[14] It was notably the first major Hollywood blockbuster to be released in China, where it released in 1985.[15] It sold 76 million tickets in China, the highest for a foreign Hollywood film up until 2018.[16][17]

First Blood originally received generally mixed reviews, with several critics noting that the plot lacks any sense of credibility.[18] Variety called the film "a mess" and criticized its ending for not providing a proper resolution for the main character.[19] More recently, Leonard Maltin gave the film one-and a half stars out of four, saying that it "throws all credibility to the winds about the time [Rambo] gets off with only a bad cut after jumping from a mountain into some jagged rocks".[20] 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.[21]

Contemporary and retrospective reviews of the film have been positive, and it is considered by many as one of the best films of 1982.[22][23][24][25] First Blood's release on DVD sparked a series of contemporary reviews. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 85% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 46 reviews, with an average rating of 7.16/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Much darker and more sensitive than the sequels it spawned, First Blood is a thrilling survival adventure that takes full advantage of Sylvester Stallone's acting skills."[26] At Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100 based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[18]

The film's three lead actors received much praise for their performances. In his 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 commented, "although almost all of First Blood is implausible, because it's Stallone on the screen, we'll buy it," and rated the film three out of four stars.[27] 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".[28] 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".[29]

New York Times film critic Janet Maslin described Rambo as a "fierce, agile, hollow-eyed hero", who is portrayed as a "tormented, misunderstood, amazingly resourceful victim of the Vietnam War, rather than as a sadist or a villain."[30] Maslin also praised the film's story for its "energy and ingenuity".

First Blood has received the most positive reception of the Rambo franchise, while the next three sequels received mixed or average reviews; however, the sequels still developed strong cult followings.[31][32][33]

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.[34]

A sequel titled Rambo: First Blood Part II, was released in 1985.

In 2014, Rambo: The Video Game was released, based on the first three Rambo films.

In May 2013, Original Entertainment confirmed to have agreed to a five-picture deal with Millennium Films to produce Bollywood remakes of First Blood, The Expendables, 16 Blocks, 88 Minutes, and Brooklyn's Finest.[38] In early 2016, Siddharth Anand was announced as the director of the First Blood remake.[39] The film will be co-produced by Anand, Daljit DJ Parmar, Samir Gupta, Hunt Lowry, Saurabh Gupta and Gulzar Inder Chahal.[40] It will follow "Rambo", the last member of an elite unit in the Indian Armed Forces, returning home only to discover a different war waiting for him, forcing him to the jungles and mountains of the Himalayas and unleash mayhem and destruction.[40] In May 2017, Tiger Shroff was cast in the role of Rambo with principal photography set for February 2018.[40][41] The film is scheduled to be released in October 2020. Shroff is expected to star in Hindi remakes of all five films in the Rambo franchise.[42]

• Syndicate Sadists, an Poliziotteschi film that predates First Blood.
• Wild Blood, an Turkish copy film of First Blood.
• The Intruder, an Indonesian action film inspired by First Blood.
• Son of Rambow, a British comedy film inspired by First Blood.