A truly exceptional action/adventure film centers on John Rambo (played by Sylvester Stallone), a Vietnam veteran searching for an old friend in a Rocky Mountain town. He discovers his friend passed away the previous summer because of Agent Orange exposure. The local sheriff (Brian Dennehy) attempts to convince Rambo to leave, which leads to his arrest—a decision that proves to be ill-advised, as Rambo is a former Green Beret and essentially a one-person fighting force who confronts both law enforcement and the National Guard using jungle warfare techniques. "First Blood" (1982) stands out as an action/adventure of considerable merit. It's easy to overlook this given the later, more exaggerated sequels—"Rambo: First Blood Part II" (1985) and "Rambo III" (1988)—which turned Rambo into a caricature. Fortunately, the series partially redeemed itself with the excellent “Rambo” in 2008, which offered a dark, realistic, and profound portrayal. The scenery of the Pacific Northwest is quite lovely, even if it’s often rainy and gloomy, and Dennehy delivers a strong performance as an overbearing sheriff; he portrays a similar character in the Western "Silverado" (1985), although his role there is even more unpleasant. Stallone appears to be at the peak of his physical condition here, though not quite as muscular as in the subsequent films. His waist measures around 27-28 inches and he isn’t overly bulky, but his arms and shoulders are certainly impressive. A positive side effect of watching "First Blood" is that it may motivate men to get back into shape or improve their fitness. Stallone's performance as Rambo is remarkable; he has relatively few lines, relying mostly on nonverbal acting. At the film’s conclusion, Rambo finally releases his bottled-up anger with a scream: "Over there (in Vietnam) I was in charge of million dollar equipment, over here I can't even hold a job PARKING CAAAARRRRRRSSSSS!!!" I don't usually bother with DVD commentaries, but the one on the Special Edition DVD by writer David Morrell is definitely worth listening to. He speaks throughout the entire 90-minute runtime of the film and provides a great deal of information, including differences between his novel and the movie, how it established precedents in the action/adventure genre, the story behind the name Rambo, the three-act structure common in motion pictures, etc. There’s no question that David Morrell is brilliant. No matter how many times you've seen "First Blood," its captivating nature will keep you engrossed from beginning to end. If you enjoy films about people lost in the wilderness and struggling for survival, “First Blood” is essential viewing. The film has a running time of 1 hour, 33 minutes and was filmed in Hope and Golden Ears Provincial Park, British Columbia. GRADE: A

Source on TMDB