While Stallone is best recognized for his work in theRockymovies,First Bloodhelped toestablish him as a favorite in the action genreand had a wider influence on the genre as a whole. It’slargely carried by Stallone’s performanceas the titular muscle-bound military man, who drifts into a small Washington town in hopes of seeing off an old war buddy who died from the effects of Agent Orange. When he arrives, however, he’s only greeted with cruelty from the town’s police officers, led by Sheriff Will Teasle (Brian Dennehy). When their brutality brings back memories of the torture he endured in Vietnam, he lashes out against the officers and flees into the wilderness, relying on his survival instincts to evade the manhunt. His former commanding officer ultimately steps in to de-escalate the situation and keep anyone else from getting hurt.
First Bloodadapts the novel of the same namebyDavid MorrellwithTed Kotcheffbehind the camera and Stallone co-writing the screenplay withMichael KozollandWilliam Sackheim. The main cast was rounded out by the lateRichard Crenna, who played Rambo’s mentor and superior, Colonel Sam Trautman. Despitethe previous failuresat bringing to life the story of a complicated, troubled war veteran, the Stallone-led feature overcame initially mixed reviews togarner $125.2 million at the box office against an only $18 million budgetand become a classic. His powerful performance, in particular,earned the film high praisein retrospect and made him synonymous with the character.
What’s Next for the ‘Rambo’ Franchise?
The success of the first filmspawned an entire franchiseof films, games,and more centered around Rambo, who, in the original novel, was meant to die at the end of the story. On the big screen, his story would continue inRambo: First Blood Part II, co-written by Stallone andJames Cameron, which saw the titular character defy orders after being released from prison in order to rescue U.S. POWs. Stallone would continue to reprise the role inRambo III,Rambo, andRambo: Last Blood, but none would get the same praise as the film that started it all. The fifth film appeared to finally close out the soldier’s tale, though there may yet be more to tell. Stallone previously proposed aRambostreaming project that would look to show how the character became who he was through the influence of war. For now, though, he appears more focused on developing a prequel focused onRocky, evenpenning a few pages as of Septemberwith hopes of eventually getting the series to streaming.
First Bloodstreams on Paramount+ starting on January 1. Stay tuned here at Collider for more updates on all the biggest titles coming to and leaving streaming.
First Blood
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.
Get Paramount Plus
