While his breakout hit Rocky will always be a timeless masterpiece, not all of Sylvester Stallone’s subsequent starring vehicles have aged gracefully. Cobra, Tango and Cash, and even some of the Rocky sequels were panned by critics and immediately buried by audiences.
But 1982’s First Blood, the first installment in the Rambo franchise, revolving around a small-town police manhunt, is a masterfully crafted thriller that still holds up today. Several key elements make this film a cinematic gem worthy of countless re-watches.
Sylvester Stallone’s Understated Performance As Rambo
Since Sylvester Stallone is primarily an action star, his acting skills are not particularly appreciated. But his gritty performances in Rocky, Cops and First Blood have proven that he’s more than capable of bringing genuine edge and nuance to a multi-faceted character. Stallone doesn’t express Rambo’s psychological torment or exaggerate his rage. The power of his performance comes from how underrated it is. The character has little dialogue, so Stallone conveys the emotions of almost all of his scenes nonverbally.
Rambo Doesn’t Directly Kill Anybody
The First Blood sequels would redefine Rambo as a ruthless killing machine who would gun down legions of soldiers without flinching. But in the original film, Rambo doesn’t directly kill a single person. A cop falls to his death from a helicopter, but only because they put themselves in a dangerous position to shoot a defenseless Rambo on the side of a cliff. As fun as it was to see Rambo holding an automatic machine gun in one hand, the character was much more relatable and human when he was acting only in self-defense.RELATED:
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The Dark Tone Still Packs A Punch
The screenplay adaptation of First Blood – credited to Michael Kozoll, William Sackheim, and Sylvester Stallone himself – changes a lot of major plot details from David Morrell’s source novel, including the ending, but it maintains the book’s dark, gritty tone. A lighter tone, or a more conventional Hollywood action movie, would’ve detracted from the powerful political messages. First Blood manages to be more hard-hitting than any of its sequels with a fraction of the on-screen violence.
Brian Dennehy’s Unsympathetic Turn As Sheriff Teasle
One of the most acclaimed character actors of all time, Brian Dennehy stars opposite Stallone in First Blood as the villainous Sheriff Will Teasle. The character is the embodiment of small-town police corruption, and can be seen as symbolic of all corrupt institutions, with Rambo representing a plucky individual standing up to those institutions. Dennehy isn’t afraid to lean into the hateability of the character. Throughout the futile manhunt, Rambo is constantly showing up Teasle and Dennehy plays the egg-on-his-face embarrassment hilariously.
Jerry Goldsmith’s Tense Score
The music for the film First Blood was written by Jerry Goldsmith, an incredibly famous film composer. He also composed the scores for Planet of the Apes, Chinatown and the groundbreaking soundscape set to Ridley Scott’s Alien. In First Blood, Goldsmith used Bernard Hermann-style orchestrations to emphasize the tension on screen. Goldsmith’s somber main theme “It’s a Long Way” was widely praised for helping to bring empathy to Rambo’s character.
Its Incisive Critique Of The Vietnam War
First Blood might play like a straightforward thriller – and that’s one of its strengths – but it’s really a poignant portrait of the treatment of Vietnam War veterans. After being drafted to experience unimaginable horrors, soldiers like Rambo came home and found themselves cast out from society. This is beautifully symbolized by Sheriff Teasle literally driving him out of town. Rambo’s friends’ deaths are hinted to be linked to Agent Orange and Rambo continually curses out the government that sealed his violent fate. The sequels glorified war with spectacular displays of jingoistic bloodshed, but First Blood is staunchly anti-war.
Richard Crenna’s Heartfelt Portrayal Of Col. Trautman
Richard Crenna gives a heartfelt supporting turn in First Blood as Col. Trautman, Rambo’s old commanding officer, the one who turned him into an unstoppable warrior. Crenna shares terrific chemistry with Stallone, and his character acts as a middleman between Rambo and the police. As the only one who gets him, Trautman is a perfect foil for Rambo. He understands what Rambo is going through and sympathizes with him, but he also understands why the cops want to bring him to justice. This endearing relationship brings a sweet undertone to the action-packed spectacle.
The Stakes Are Constantly Being Raised
First Blood conflicts are constantly escalating. First, Rambo is chased through the forest by a pair of police officers. He is then chased by the entire small town police department. Then the helicopters start looking for him. Then the National Guard is deployed. An explosion then traps Rambo in a cave. The film never gets old or repetitive because the stakes are constantly raised. It’s endlessly rewatchable because its fast-paced storytelling never lets up.
Rambo’s PTSD Is Still A Timely Reminder Of The Psychological Effects Of War
Throughout First Blood, Rambo is shown to suffer from PTSD. When he’s being beaten by crooked small-town cops, he’s reminded of the torture he endured at a P.O.W. camp in Vietnam, which brings him to his breaking point and kickstarts the feature-length manhunt. All these years later, Rambo’s PTSD attacks in First Blood are still a timely reminder of the harrowing psychological effects of war.