First Blood (DVD, 2004, Ultimate Edition)

I feel it's one of Sly's best films. Up to the day they started filming, Sly was not convinced this movie was going to work for the American movie goer, & it wasn't until he did the scene on day 2 of filming where he meets the wife of one of his war buddies, that he seeks out as the light at the end of the tunnel for him & his past in Vietnam, who unbeknownst to Rambo, had died the summer before. The story told to Rambo, of his war buddies death by his wife, truly inspired Stallone, & he admits he immediately got into character from that point on.
Brian Dennehy did a great job in this also, playing a Sheriff in the small town Rambo attempts to migrate through, & in turn arrested for vagrancy in. The Sheriff, a Korean War Veteran himself, is more then miffed about Rambo being a Vietnam Veteran, with all the press that war received, where-as his service to the country was more or less forgotten in the U.S. at the time, & by way of his authority within the town, does his best to run Rambo out. Well, after being arrested & harassed in the police station, from there folks Rambo goes into survival mode.
In steps Richard Crenna in the most powerful roll I've ever seen him portray, Colonel Sam Troutman, shinny dress green Army uniform peppered with medals of every kind. He sets the stage for everyone, of Rambo's true background, in the war he can not forget. Reminding the Police of how lucky they were, that they were not all killed the night before, when Rambo escaped the Police station & their subsequent pursuit of him afterwards. Troutman gives them options in bringing Rambo in that wouldn't cause anymore harm, however, these small town cops wish to ignore the Colonel's advise, do things their way. It's that decision alone,that is now going to lead to a lot more death & destruction, & it could have all been avoided if the sheriff would have checked his ego in at the door, & that's Troutmans point in his visit to this almost winter wonderland.
It's all evident by the end of the movie, how Big Sam was correct in his assumption about John J Rambo, but it leads to Sly's most powerful scene in the film, his letting out his emotions about his past & present that can not be overlooked, nor should they! I rate this film a 5 out of 5 stars, & happy that I own the trilogy.

First Blood is an excellent adaptation of the book, with subtle differences. Stallone plays the part of the ex-Green Beret great, with the haunted eyes and little dialogue the action is believeable and different than in most action films done at the time. While many remember Rambo movies as violent and mindless, mostly because of the later movies, if you haven't checked out First Blood to see the beginning than you've really missed a good movie.

I bought it because I love action movies and I absolutely love love love Sylvester Stallone. There is nothing I dislike about it. I love the independance of Rambo and how he can survive anything and get hisself out of any situation. It always has a mysterious ending, Im always asking, What happened next? This is a great movie for any action packed movie lover type.Another thing I liked about it: It wasnt full of explicit content.

This is probably one of Stallone's best movies. This is the first movie in the series Rambo. A war veteran who is just walking through town and the city sheriff wants him out. Rambo refuses to go and all hell breaks loose.

Rambo First Blood is a great movie and the bonus features add a cool element to enhance the movie. The alternate endings are very entertaining.