Reviewed by Johnny McNair

NOTE: First Blood is available on Blu-ray from Lionsgate Home Entertainment individually, or as a part of a box set three-pack that includes Rambo: First Blood Part II and Rambo III.

Lionsgate Home Entertainment – 96 minutes – 1982 – Rated R – 1080p Widescreen 2.35:1 – DTS HD 5.1 surround audio

Sylvester Stallone said that he feared being known only as Rocky, but since playing that character three times, (this is the early 80’s, so who would have thought there would be a Rocky 4, 5 and 6), he found that when he wasn’t playing the Italian Stallion no one went to see any of his other movies. This changed in 1982 when Stallone signed on to play a character named John Rambo in a little film called First Blood. Since then there have been three Rambo sequels, but like the original Rocky, First Blood is still the best. Now you can see how Rambo became a worldwide icon in the film that started it all, First Blood, available on Blu-ray from Lionsgate Home Entertainment.

THE MOVIE

First Blood is based on the novel by David Morrell, introducing John Rambo, a former Green Beret who fought in Vietnam, but now back in America gets no recognition for the service he did for his country. When he visits a small town hoping to look up an old Army buddy, he learns that he died of cancer from the chemical experiments that soldiers exposed to during the war. Saddened, Rambo begins to wonder through the town, but is targeted by the Sheriff Teasle (Brian Dennehy), who doesn’t like the way he looks and offers to drive him out of his town. Angered, Rambo walks right back into town and is arrested; a situation that worsens when he is mistreated by the officers, bringing back flashbacks of when he is captured and tortured in Vietnam.

Rambo’s military skills allow him to escape from the police where he becomes a fugitive hunted by the local police and the National Guard. These guys are no match for Rambo and he begins to cause chaos, thus forcing Col. Trautman, (Richard Crenna), Rambo’s commanding officer during the war, to come in to calm the situation. He finds that Rambo is mentally broken down by the effects of the war, and feels like he serves no purpose in civilian life, showing the only real side of the character that you will see in any of the Rambo films.

Unlike the sequels, Rambo is not an action film, it’s a drama with a 70’s feel directed superbly by Ted Kotcheff. Believe it or not, only one person is killed in First Blood, and this is actually a result of an accident; a far stretch from the body count that Rambo will rack up in the sequels. Stallone gives a great performance in this film, displaying Rambo as a human rather than a superhero.

Brian Dennehy is perfectly cast in this film, and I can’t imagine anyone else who could have played the character of Sheriff Teasle. He’s not the bad guy, but is seen as one because he has a job to do, which is to keep people in line. Rambo has gone up against many bad guys, but Teasle will always be his ultimate nemesis, because he represents the one thing Rambo can’t defeat, the system.

Oddly, unless you’ve followed the Rambo saga from the start, many have only seen the one-man-army sequels that are like live action GI Joe movies. So when you see First Blood it almost doesn’t match the violent mayhem that you expect from a Rambo movie, and you may wonder how the film went from a drama about Vietnam vets being mistreated to the macho man video game super human he becomes in the sequels.

No matter what you think about the Rambo films, everyone who’s seen First Blood agrees that it’s a good film. First Blood was a huge seller in all home video formats, starting with VHS, so it’s sure to have the same life on Blu-ray. Fans of First Blood will obviously get this one (and all the sequels), but in the end, just like Stallone’s other alias Rocky, the first one will always be the best.

VIDEO

For a film that came out over twenty-five years ago, First Blood actually looks pretty descent on Blu-ray, with a full 1080p imagine in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio. First Blood is not a very colorful film; with the only color dominate being green because of all the jungle scenes. Some sequences are super sharp displaying a lot of detail like the lines and hardened structure of Brian Dennehy’s face. But other scenes look slightly foggy, such as when Rambo races through the town on the motorcycle. Skin tones are good, but do look over-saturated at moments. But Lionsgate did a nice job in making sure the best possible transfer was made available, so now you can finally put that old DVD on Ebay.

AUDIO

The sound is actually quite impressive, offering a DTS HD 5.1 mix that has been balanced smoothly for your home theater set-up. Jerry Goldsmith’s score shines right from the opening scene, and when Rambo gets behind the M-60 and you’ll hear every bullet shell hitting the ground. There’s more dialogue in this Rambo film than all three sequels combined, and this mix allows you to hear every word clearly, especially Rambo’s breakdown rant in the final scene. It obviously is not as fine-tuned as the sound in the latest Rambo film, but you won’t be disappointed.

EXTRAS

There is a good selection of bonus features on the Blu-ray, mostly of which is carried over from the DVD.

There are two audio commentaries; one from Rambo’s creator, author David Morrell, and the second is a commentary from Stallone. Morell’s commentary is interesting, telling how he conceived the character; but Stallone’s audio track is more interesting, because he is so passionate about Rambo that if you’re a fan, you’ll hang on to every word he says.

‘Drawing First Blood’ is a twenty minute retrospective of the movie, filled with interviews with Stallone, Morrell, the film’s producers and other cast members talking about the origins of the production and original casting choices such as Kirk Douglass as Col. Trautman, that thankfully didn’t work out.

The one main attraction is the deleted scene that features the original ending where Rambo dies, as it was written in Morrell’s novel. Let’s just say that the decision to keep Rambo alive was one of the best choices ever, and made Stallone a richer man.

There’s also a trivia track that can be enabled, allowing you to watch the film as random information pops up. It’s nothing special, but maybe someone will find it interesting.

BOTTOM LINE

Even if you hated all the Rambo sequels, First Blood is worth getting on Blu-ray just because it’s a good film that stands on it’s own. The transfer is well done and the bonus features are worth it, particularly Stallone’s commentary track. If you’re a fan you’re going to want this disc for your collection.

SCORES(out 0f 5):

The Movie: 4.5

Video: 3.5

Sound: 4.0

Extras: 3.5

Bottom Line: 4.0