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First Blood(1982)
Orion Pictures Oct 22, 1982 | Wide
A veteran Green Beret is forced by a cruel Sheriff and his deputies to flee into the mountains and wage an escalating one-man war against his pursuers.
Releases
Original Release | Oct 22, 1982
Box Office
Results
$6,642,005
$47,212,904
$78,000,000
$125,212,904
Director & Top Cast
Technical Specifications
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio: 2.39 : 1
Other Details
Country of Origin: United States
Language: English
Summaries
Plot Summary
- John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) is a former member of an elite United States Army Special Forces unit and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his service in the Vietnam War. The film begins 10 years after the war, in the American Northwest in December 1982. Rambo is searching for one of his friends from his unit, Delmare Berry, by traveling to his farm. Rambo soon learns from Delmare's mother that he has died a few months earlier from cancer due to Agent Orange exposure. Although not yet revealed to the audience, Rambo knows he is now the last surviving member of his unit. The scene cuts to Rambo entering the small town of Hope, Washington State (actually Hope, British Columbia) on foot. With his long hair and military-style coat, he is quickly spotted by the town's overzealous and paranoid sheriff, Will Teasle (Brian Dennehy) who quickly drives Rambo out of town, noting his strong distaste for "drifters." Rambo heads back toward town immediately, to the dismay of Teasle who arrests him.Rambo stands his ground against the officers at the station and is brutalized and harassed by Art Galt (Jack Starrett), the sheriff's cruel head deputy and closest friend. While being processed, Rambo has flashbacks to his time as a prisoner of war. When Galt and two other officers (Chris Mulkey and David Caruso) attempt to dry-shave him with a straight razor, Rambo has a flashback to being tortured in a North Vietnamese P.O.W. Camp back in 1969 and loses control, escaping on instinct using his military training. He fights his way out of the station, assaulting most of the officers, throws a civilian off a motorcycle, steals it, and is pursued into the nearby mountains.The deputies are eventually forced to search for Rambo on foot and he climbs down onto a steep cliff to elude capture. After spotting Rambo from a helicopter, Galt blatantly disregards protocol and attempts to shoot him in cold blood. Rambo drops into a mass of trees and cornered, throws a rock at the helicopter in self-defense. The helicopter, struck by the projectile rock thrown by Rambo, pitches, causing Galt to fall to his death. Teasle, who did not see Galt's attempt to kill Rambo, vows to avenge his friend's death.Teasle leads his deputies into the woods in an attempt to capture Rambo. The deputies are inexperienced and bicker, particularly after learning over the radio about Rambo's combat experience as a Green Beret and status as a war hero. Rambo quickly disables the small, disorganized team using guerrilla tactics and booby traps, severely wounding, but not killing, the deputies. In the chaos, Rambo isolates and confronts Teasle with a knife to the throat. "Don't push it or I'll give you a war you won't believe. Let it go." he warns before disappearing into the woods.A base camp is assembled near the site and the National Guard is called in. United States Special Forces Colonel Sam Trautman (Richard Crenna) arrives, taking credit for training Rambo, telling the sheriff that Rambo has been trained to survive in harsh environments and has been taught to engage superior numbers in combat. He is surprised to find any of the deputies still alive and warns that it would be safer to let Rambo go and find him in a few days after the situation has calmed down. Fueled by a mixture of scorn and pride, the hot-headed Teasle refuses to heed his advice. Knowing that Rambo had stolen a CB radio from one of his men, Teasle allows Trautman to talk to Rambo. Trautman tries to convince Rambo to give himself up, however, Rambo refuses, citing his deplorable treatment by Teasle and his men. Trautman suggests that Rambo shouldn't have fought back so harshly, to which Rambo states "They drew first blood, Sir." Rambo switches the radio off.Rambo is eventually cornered by the National Guard in a mine entrance, where he has taken refuge. The novice guardsmen fire a M72 LAW 66mm rocket at him, collapsing the entrance and trapping him inside. They assume Rambo is dead. Unbeknownst to his pursuers, Rambo has escaped into the tunnels of the mine. Rambo finds some old fuel and makes an improvised torch. After wading through waist-deep water and fighting off rats, Rambo cleverly uses the flame of the torch (as an indicator of air flow) to find an escape to the surface.Rambo hijacks a passing U.S. Army M135 2.5 ton cargo truck, throws out the driver, and returns to town, crashing it into a gas station. He blocks the highway to anyone in pursuit by igniting the spilled fuel, also destroying the stolen truck. Armed with an M-60 machine gun, Rambo then goes on a shooting spree in town as the residents flee. Rambo shoots up and destroys a sporting goods shop and a few other businesses in an attempt to confuse Teasle and identify his position before spotting him on the roof of the police station.Rambo carefully enters the police station. Aware of Teasle's presence on the roof, Rambo darts under the skylight to draw fire as bait to reveal his exact location. Teasle immediately fires at Rambo who notes his position and returns fire through the ceiling with the M-60, injuring him. Teasle falls through the skylight onto the floor. Rambo steps over him, prepared to kill him. Before Rambo can shoot Teasle, Colonel Trautman appears and tells him that there is no hope of escaping alive. Rambo, now surrounded by the police, rages about the horrors of war and the difficulties he has faced adapting to civilian life. He's tired of being misunderstood, and how in the Army he was a war hero but back in America he could not even be trusted to work "parking cars." He weeps as he recounts a particularly gruesome story about witnessing his friend dying by having his legs blown off by a booby-trapped shoeshine box planted by a Viet Cong child operative. Rambo then turns himself in to Trautman and is arrested. The credits roll as he and Trautman exit the police station.
Storyline
- John J. Rambo is a former United States Special Forces soldier who fought in Vietnam and won the Congressional Medal of Honor, but his time in Vietnam still haunts him. As he came to Hope, Washington to visit a friend, he was guided out of town by the Sheriff William Teasel who insults Rambo, but what Teasel does not know that his insult angered Rambo to the point where Rambo became violent and was arrested. As he was at the county jail being cleaned, he escapes and goes on a rampage through the forest to try to escape from the sheriffs who want to kill him. Then, as Rambo's commanding officer, Colonel Samuel Trautman tries to save both the Sheriff's department and Rambo before the situation gets out of hand. — John Wiggins On his way to meet an old brother-in-arms, the taciturn Vietnam War veteran, John Rambo, passes through the sleepy town of Hope, seven barren years after his discharge. There, the overzealous Sheriff, Will Teasle, takes an instant dislike to the unkempt vagabond, and without a second thought, arrests him for vagrancy. Once again, as distressing flashbacks of torture get the best of him, John finds himself entangled in a new war--this time, in the bosom of America--fighting tooth and nail for his freedom, up against the sadistic marshal's angry posse. Now, an entire town hunts Rambo down like prey, or is it the other way round? What fate awaits those who have drawn first blood? — Nick Riganas John Rambo is a disoriented Vietnam Vet. He is hitchhiking from town to town to see friends from the war. A sheriff tries to make him leave town and when he refuses, arrests him for vagrancy. While in jail, a deputy takes delight in abusing him. Rambo escapes showing his old Vietnam fighting skills and takes to the woods as the sheriff and deputies try and find him in his element. Things get out of hand as Colonel Trautman, Rambo's old commander, appears to shed light on the situation. — John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net> John Rambo, a former Green Beret and Medal of Honor recipient, is plagued by the awful changes that are common in Vietnam veterans like himself. A drifter on his way to get some food, Rambo is arrested by Will Teasle, a small town sheriff who is used to getting things his way. Once incarcerated, Rambo soon finds himself reliving the awful memories of his fighting days in the 'Nam as he is put through the basic tests that are mandatory for all prisoners of the law. Rambo escapes and what follows is an intense manhunt for a man who only "wanted something to eat." As the publicity of Rambo's one man war escalates, Teasle and his posse are confronted by Colonel Trautman, Rambo's former commander and the only one who may be able to stop the terrible fate awaiting everyone involved. — Bug <junebug2@texas.net> 1 more All
