Rambo: The novelization of First Blood, Part 2 fleshed out the film’s characters and provides one of the most nightmarish entries in the entire franchise. The John Rambo portrayed in David Morrell’s 1972 novel First Blood and the one played by Sylvester Stallone in the eventual 1982 film adaptation are completely different. The Rambo of the book has no problem killing those who get in his way and is a bitter and evil character. While Stallone’s Rambo certainly has these qualities, the film smoothes out some of the rough edges to make him more likeable.
This was Stallone’s suggestion as he felt that the darkness of the character in First Blood would turn off audiences. Rambo was also killed at the end of the book by mentor Sam Troutman, but although a version of this ending was filmed, the character ultimately survived. The surprise success of First Blood launched the 1985 Rambo franchise. “First blood. Part II and Rambo III focus more on action than character. Stallone would play the role twice more, signing on for 2019’s dark Rambo.
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Creator David Morrell had sporadic creative involvement with the movie series, and as part of signing off on the rights to his novel, he was the only writer who could be approached about writing novelizations for the franchise. Novelizations were a healthy revenue stream before the advent of VHS and DVD, so producers approached him before the release of Rambo: First Blood Part II – which almost co-starred John Travolta – to pen one. Morrell preferred the screenplay James Cameron wrote for the sequel before Stallone heavily reworked it, so he agreed to write the book on the condition he could make changes. This includes fleshing out character backstories and retaining deleted scenes, like Cameron’s opening where Trautman
meets Rambo in an asylum. Morrell also expanded Rambo 2’s “slime pit” scene to become one of the most horrific of the saga.
Around the midway point of Rambo: First Blood Part II, the title character is captured by the Viet Cong as he tries to escape with a POW. Stallone’s Rambo is later seen immersed in a cesspool filled with leeches as a form of torture, and while the scene isn’t pleasant, it’s relatively brief. David Morrell’s Rambo: First Blood Part II instead sought to sell the awfulness of this moment. The book reveals Rambo was once a POW at the camp he was sent to investigate, where Lieutenant Tay was also in charge of his torture. In the book, Rambo is strapped to a rig and slowly lowered into the “slime pit,”
though at first, it’s unclear what’s happening. To Rambo, it looks like he’s being lowered toward solid ground – until he notices its subtle simmering.
That’s because it’s a slime pit loaded with leeches, slugs, maggots and other forms of life. Unlike the movie version, the Rambo: First Blood Part II novel really underscores the visceral horror of the moment, emphasizing the smell and texture of the pit. Rambo – who appeared in five movies total – is also totally dunked into it completely, with a slug even making its way up his nostril that he later has to snort out. This whole passage reads like it could have come from a horror novel, and is just one of several ways Morrell added more intensity to the story.