Rambo:First Blood Ultimate Edition

Rating:
Summary: "They Drew "First Blood", Not Me."
Review: "Nothing is over! Nothing! You just don't turn it off! It wasn't my war. You asked me, I didn't ask you. We did what we had to do to win, but, somebody wouldn't let us win. And I come back to the world & see the maggots at the airport. Spittin'. Calling me babykiller & all sorts of vile crap. Who are they to protest me?! Who are they, huh?! Unless they were me & been there & know what the hell their yellin' about!"

"It was a hard time for everyone, John. It's over."

"For you! For me civilian life is nothin'. In the field we had a code of honor. you watch my back, I watch yours. Back here there's nothin'." - John Rambo speaks volumes about some of the lost, misuderstood, burnt-out, underappreciated American Soldiers of the Vietnam War in "First Blood"

After the success of "Rocky III", in the Summer of 1982, Sylvester Stallone's next film, titled "First Blood", would introduce the movie going audience with his second trademark character, a Vietnam Veteran turned drifter who pushes back after being pushed too far.

"First Blood" opens with, Vietnam Vet., John Rambo searching for Delmar Barry, a friend of his that served with Rambo in the Special Forces. Rambo finds where Barry was staying and is shocked to find out that his friend died from cancer, contracted from Agent Orange.

Shocked at the loss of his friend, alone, & alienated, Rambo walks the cold highway into the local town of "Hope" to get food & rest. But, not if the local Sheriff, Will Teasle, has his say. Spotting Rambo on the entrance road into town, Teasle stops his cruiser and insists on giving Rambo a ride... to the otherside of town, with the next town being Portland, 30 miles away. Teasle informs Rambo that "his kind" isn't welcome in town & Teasle's job is to keep it that way.

Rambo, tired of this King S*it Cop, decides to walk back into town & promptly arrested for vagrancy & resisting arrest. After more brutality by Teasle's second in command & fellow officers, Rambo has had enough. Taking matters into his own hands, Rambo breaks out of the Sheriff's Station & proceeds to lead a one man war against the local law enforcement & anything that stands in his way.

A nice surprise comes over the teletype as Teasle and his men are informed that Rambo served in the Special Forces, Green Beret & has been decorated more times than Teasle's artificial Christmas Tree.
"Green Berets, their real bada*ses."

Teasle leads his men into the mountains to hunt & capture Rambo. But, to Teasle's horror, Rambo takes out each officer, including Teasle.

It seems that no man, no law, & no war can stop Rambo, but the tide may turn with the arrival of Colonel Sam Trautman, Rambo's former CO in the war, to talk him down & bring him in.
"GOD didn't make Rambo. I did."

Filmed on location in British Columbia, & Vancouver through November 1981 to January 1982, the production of "First Blood" was taxing to say the least, especially for star Sylvester Stallone.

Stallone wore a tank top throughout much of the film, with the weather being ten to fifteen below zero. The water for the brief shot of Rambo hiding from the National Guard was 39 degrees farenheit (thats coldass water to hide in).

The most valuable prop from the film wasn't the Rambo knife used in the film, but, the dirty piece of tarp that Rambo finds in the junkyard and turns into a makeshift poncho. The scene was filmed in one take with Stallone improvising, taking the tarp slashing a hole through the middle of it with his survival knife, putting it ove rhis head, and tying it off with a piece of rope. Direstor, Ted Kotcheff liked the scene so much he kept the scene, but, when the production found out that was the only tarp in the yard, it was up to the propwrangler to keep an eye on the poncho night and day. After the film wrapped Stallone had the tarp framed & resides in his personal collection to this day.

Kirk Douglas was originaly going to star in "First Blood" as Colonel Trautman (there is even conceptual poster art produced, with Stallone & Douglas featured promenantly). But, with a sudden change to the ending of the film, Douglas renigged on the role even after the writers considered his demands. Three days before the film's startdate Richard Crenna signed on & I can't imagine anyone else in the role.

This special edition to "First Blood" is, so far, the definitive version to own (the new "Ultimate" edition doesn't come close). Features include a widescreen transfer, Dolby Digital & DTS 5.1 Surround, and outstanding audio commentary by creator & author David Morrell. Also, featured is a behind the scenes look back at the making of the film & trailers.

Rating:
Summary: Ramboned - Great Film, Lame "Lions Gate" DVD Release
Review: "You trained me. You made me. You kill me." - Rambo goes off the deep-end in the original ending to "First Blood"

I will always give four stars to "First Blood" (hence, the 4 star rating above), but with this third DVD release of the film from "Lions Gate Home Video", die-hard fans should only pick this up for the so called legendary & "lost" original ending (it didn't show up on the "Special Edition" because the footage couldn't be located in time)& thats after if you can't find the footage to download from the internet or some other source.

I got an advanced copy of "First Blood" Ultimate Edition this week (the streetdate is 11/23/04), & was psyched to see what was in store on this DVD. But, after watching all the special features I couldn't help but feel like I had opened a huge Christmas Gift & finding only a flaming paper bag of dog crap to put out.

The film itself is identical to the "S.E." version with "First Blood" in the widescreen format with 5.1 Dolby Digital and 2.0 surround. The audio commentary by Sylvester Stallone is new & informative (where the hell was he for the "Special Edition" ?!?).

The deleted scenes are what fans have always been clamoring for & the original ending hasn't been shown to audiences since the film's preview screenings in mid '82. The original ending was a bit weird to watch & a bit off with the film itself. Here is a marine who went through 2 tours of Vietnam, a P.O.W., and just beat the crap out of "Jerkwater, USA" only to commit suicide at the unwilling hands of his Colonel. Huh?! Decades ago I read the David Morrell novel of the same name and I always thought, & I could be mistaken, that Rambo gave Trautman an ultimatum - kill or be killed. If Trautman didn't kill Rambo first, than Rambo would attack Trautman, leaving the Colonel with the only alternative but to kill Rambo.

The other deleted scene has to do with a flashback sequence Rambo has while eating his boar meat in the cave. the scene is simple enough, in Saigon, Rambo picks up an Asian hooker & makes love to her (Suzee Pai, who was Miao Yin, the girl with the green eyes, in the Kurt Russell film "Big Trouble In Little China", plays the hooker). The scene was cut becuase it slowed the movie down to a crawl and killed the pacing of the film (at the end of this scene Stallone is shown crying and I couldn't help but wonder if his character is having a breakdown or if Stallone is crying because he just watched one of the most embarassing moments of his career).

The last deleted scene is a blooper take of the original ending, with Rambo telling Trautman to shoot him & after a long pause, with the take botched, Rambo says, "Thanks a million.", with Trautman shrugging his shoulders & replying, "O.K." (its worth the chuckle).

As for the rest of the DVD, I wasn't impressed at all. Its a barebones affair with no trailers, or documentaries at all ("Special Edition", anyone?). The "Survival Mode" feature sucks & was, actually, quite annoying. The briefing & tracking location features were lame and the other survival features could have been used as a trivia track that could run at the bottom of the screen while watching the film. The menus aren't interactive and look as if they were put together rather quickly. Pre-schoolers could have done a better job.

Ultimately the decision on whether to own this is up to you, the viewer.

Is this the final DVD release of "First Blood"?

Just remember what Rambo said near the end of the film.

"Nothing is over! Nothing! You just don't turn it off!"

You tell'em John J.

Rating:
Summary: The original and best Rambo
Review: First Blood is a straight-forward, well-written action flick that keeps the audiences attention and ends on an emotional note that serves to expose the plight of our veterans of vietnam. John Rambo's treatment by the local sheriff is not unlike that which some of our less fortunate citizens experience when law enforcement gets carried away. For an action film, First Blood didn't stray too far away from reality like many of today's hyper-violent films do. For that reason, the film succeeded and has a loyal fanclub. If there's anyone left who hasn't seen First Blood, I think you'll be glad you did.

A spotlight reviewer stated she didn't like Stallone's acting because his voice is annoying and his mouth is squinted to one side, like a stroke victim. Well, you nearly guessed it. For the record, Stallone had a complicated birth that left one side of his face paralyzed, hence his speech impediment and asymetrical facial features. The guy is a lot smarter than he sounds. I applaud him for overcoming what in today's acting world would be a career-limiting featural flaw.

Stallone has had his share of flops (Judge Dread, etc) but he can act with the best of them when the film is well written and directed. He's also a talented writer, as evidenced by his writing credit for Rocky.

I can't say enough good things about Brian Dennehy as Sheriff Wil Teasle. He really nailed the part. I especially liked his squaring off with Colonel Samuel Trautman. Dennehy brings a wealth of acting ability to any film he's in. If Stallone is the brick, Dennehy is the mortar in First Blood. Well done.

Rating:
Summary: America missed the meaning of this movie
Review: I remember seeing this movie for the first time on July 4, 1984. I know back then I was into long hair, and alot of 60's and 70's music. Didn't do acid, or any drugs as I was 16, and grew up in a police officer's house. I always knew police brutality existed, but after this movie I suddenly realized that men in short hair aren't always the good guys. I mean after all there are no pictures of the devil with long hair, or at least from what I've seen. I know watching this movie I've developed a intense prejudice of hick folks, and country bumpkins, and the such as I feel that they are self-righteous, and know it alls, and that they are God. I know that the only other people in movies that rubbed me the wrong way were Sherrif Buford T. Justice from "Smokey and the Bandit", and the corrupt sherrif who smacked around his deputy in the movie "Tank". However, don't get me wrong the same way that Sherrif Teasle, and crew are accountable so is Rambo. Rambo still is accountable for murdering an officer of the law even though it was self-defense. He'd have to go to court, and prove it as such. The Veitnam war no doubt has ruffled alot of feathers, and in my opinion while I understand why some ran away to Canada I also understand why some went there. I can only imagine what the soldiers went through there as I was only a baby when this was all going on. Like all veterans of all the wars the Veitnam Veterans should've been given dignity, and respect all along for fighting to keep our freedom. Mind you I'd have to start digging for the whole 30 year war over there, and why it impacted us so much. The same way I feel that the laws back here are to be respected, and a police officer should be given the same dignity, and respect as that of a soldier who went overseas to fight. I know one phrase was powerful when Teasle said "That if a prisoner is mistreated, by a deputy he brings it to him, and then Teasle(him) goes to the deputy, and that's how the law works", but what happens when the head vigilanty is your Sherrif? Overall this movie should've made America reflect on how we reacted, and treated these brave soldiers when they returned from Veitnam, and come to grips with our actions, and our attitudes. However, America missed the boat by glorifying Rambo for all the wrong reasons, and diffused the character, and the message. They made Rambo a gun toting vigilanty, and that was America's new superhero. Rambo wanted no war. He wanted to visit his friend, and became heartbroken when he found out his friend was dead. All Rambo wanted was a hot meal, and a chance to grieve before moving on; who knows Rambo may had found peace for once in Holidayland, but now it's citizens will never know as Prejudice was standing at the door when Rambo knocked. To me America is still acting that way, and it's time to forgive, and reconcile, and move on.

Rating:
Summary: Not a big Sylvester Stallone fan
Review: I've only ever seen one of his movies before this, and that was Demolition Man - unless you count seeing his poster in Twins! I'm not really keen on him as an actor, although he tends to do a good job, he just doesn't appeal to me or do anything for me! Plus, when he speaks, he annoys me, his mouth is squint at one side, and it reminds me of a stroke victim. He was really good in this though, and he even made me miss the following scenes after one scene, due to giggling so much! It's the scene in the police station, where they're attempting to finger print him and failing miserably! He tries to wipe the ink off his fingers with a paper towel, but it gets snatched off him! It's the look on his face, a simple expression but enough to make me giggle anyway! And he still picks up another! (He's quite funny in Demolition Man too.) What really gets me about Sylvester is his eyes. There's something there, just behind his eyes, and he always comes across as looking really sad, even if he's not. Especially in some of the earlier scenes I noticed this, particularly when he's in the police station.

I was quite surprised, reading the credits, that this was based on a novel! And there are numerous between the book & film apparently. In the novel, John Rambo dies. (Another ending, where Rambo commits suicide, was filmed, but test audiences found that conclusion to be too depressing, so the script called for Rambo to live, hence the sequels.) Other apparent differences are:

-The story takes place somewhere in the south.
-The Rambo character is totally different, much darker, not a hero at all. He has long hair and a thick beard. He's a violent, antisocial freak, severely crack-brained from his time as a POW in Nam. He cannot sleep in closed rooms, that's why he sleeps in the woods. (There's also no old buddy he wants to visit in the beginning, he's just a bum strolling around). He's been kicked out of a couple of towns before. The cops do not torture him in prison at all, he just freaks out and starts killing them.
-Generally, the book is MUCH more violent. Rambo kills an awful lot of people in the book, including *ALL* police officers.
-Rambo picks up dynamite from the mine and blows up half the town, not just one gas station.
-There's a subplot telling us how Teasle's marriage has broken up.

The book is a lot more violent, but the film also has a reputation of being overly violent. However, the total body count of the movie is four; the cop who falls out of the helicopter and the three officers in the cop car who crash into a parked car. Overly violent? Not as much as some movies.

For the scene where Rambo jumps from the cliff and falls through the trees, Sylvester opted to do the last part of the stunt himself, much to the concern of director Ted Kotcheff. His concerns were apparently well founded as the stunt didn't go as planned and he broke three ribs. This apparently took place on camera and the shot is in the movie. One of the stunt drivers broke his back jumping his police car.

I found this movie to be really sad at some points, and not just because of Sylvester's eyes. You really feel for him, and the flashbacks are not intrusive, and make you all the more curious about what happened to him before. The highlight for me, is the finger printing scene, not just because it's so funny, but the antagonistic attitude between Rambo & the police and the whole movie is conveyed to us in one shot. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: "God didn't make Rambo, I did."
Review: So Colonel Samuel Trautman says to the now very disadvantaged police chief Will Teasle. When you learn that the colonel was a recruiter and trainer for the Green Beret, and that the Vietnam vet John Rambo was his best man, you know there's (still) some wild action left in this movie.

I wasn't around when Rambo: First Blood apparently saved Stallone's acting career, so I can't say much about it's theatrical impact. But I can say that it was a solid, well-done action thriller that entertains all the way till the end, where an unexpected light is shed on what really drives this human tank.

The acting is all fine, and the script remains simple and effectively implies the tension between all the characters. The plot is very simple, sometimes illogically so: The hero returns from Vietnam, and finds that one of his friends and crew has died of cancer. Lost and alone, he wanders into a small, dot-on-a-map town with a crooked police force. The sheriff, played by Brian Dennehy, tells Rambo he's not wanted in this town and is only too glad to ferry him through to the other side. Rambo refuses the sheriff's offer, and ends up getting arrested and beaten. The action begins when he has flashbacks of his hellish experience on the battlefield, and he begins first a defensive then offensive attack on the town.

The action is fun; things get blown up, people are shot with hundreds of bullets, stabbed, bones are cracked and broken, though you can never tell which it is. It's a fun thriller, a helluva ride, and even tries to be a bit more in the end. It's not a work of art and it doesn't contain any really classic scenes, but at least it provides a good time.

Rating:
Summary: LAMO "Ultimate?" edition..BUT the commentary is great
Review: the fellow before me wrote an amazing review of this "Ultimate" Edition? ....it has less going for it than the previous edition...by a long shot...BUT , Stallone's commentary is worth it...sadly any hard core fan of the movie will need BOTH editions. Why can't these folks treat us right? ...i had a feeling I shouldn't get rid of my current special editions of these movies when I saw the ULTIMATE editions coming out...and thankfully i didn't...the previous editions are SUPERIOR with many wonderful bonus features...these META scope etc etc..SUCK and would annoy a child.....much less an adult.

Rating:
Summary: First Blood is still best of three Rambo movies
Review: The first Rambo movie called First Blood was released in the fall of 1982.
The movie was arguably Sylvester Stallone's best performance since Rocky II.
First Blood is about a Vietnam veteran named John Rambo who comes to a small town in Washington the state(it was actually filmed in the dead of British Columbia, Canada's winter of 1981/82) to meet a fellow comrade/friend from his elite Green Beret unit.
When he discovers that he died of cancer, Rambo sadly in disbelief makes his way into town for a bite to eat and instead winds up being harassed and arrested by the hick local Sheriff Will Teasle(Brian Dennehy).
While in custody, Rambo is abused by Deputy Galt(Jack Starrett) and fellow sheriffs Ward and others but a flashback to being abused and tortured in a POW prison while being processed causes Rambo to snap and manages to escape jail by taking out five cops and sparking an all out manhunt between 200 people versus one Rambo.
This film is a 96 minute action rollercoaster highlighted by the jail escape and subsequent chase and fighting with the national guard.
Jack Starrett was great as the hillbilly cop that did all of the abusing while David Caruso was fine as the only deputy that had a conscience and a heart and did not abuse Rambo. Dennehy was superb and made a worthy opponent for Rambo.
Richard Crenna gave his best performance as Rambo's former Colonel Sam Trautman and he and Dennehy play off one another quite well(originally Kirk Douglas was to play Trautman but that fell through at the last minute).
Despite the fact he had very limited speaking parts, First Blood was one of Stallone's best performances highlighted by the Vietnam speech near the end of the film.
This DVD is well worth the money.

Rating:
Summary: A tremendous movie....
Review: When Sylvester Stallone is involved....you know youre going to get terrific action. But the movies story and Stallones character of John Rambo are very interesting as well. The thing that appealed to me most of all in this movie is Rambo barely says 2 words througout the whole movie and at the end he just blows up. He explodes about the war, his buddies getting killed, etc. Its an explosive and dramatic moment....the topper of the whole movie.

Again, terrific movie, if youre into action/drama, take a look at this one, its great!!!

Rating:
Summary: The First is the Best
Review: When Sylvester Stallone's name comes up it's usually with derision. He's generally dismissed as an actor and the over-inflated killing machine of "Rambo" is brought up. People tend to forget that at the time "First Blood" came out Stallone had carved himself a nice little career as an actor. He had the success of the first "Rocky" film under his belt, and "F.I.S.T." and "Nighthawks" were pretty good films. "First Blood", despite the body count does have a cogent message. John Rambo is a returning Vietnam vet who is being harrassed by the local police force in a Pacific Northwest town. They subject him to all sorts of degradation before he finally snaps. What the constabulary do not realize is that Rambo is no mere vagrant, that he was trained by the Marine Special Forces and that the rules of engagement are ingrained in him whether it be the bush in Vietnam or back on the homefront. Stallone, aside from his skills as an action star, gives a sympathetic portrayal here. The acting is generally good. Brian Dennehy gives dimension as the sheriff that could have been one-note. A young David Caruso appears as a deputy. Richard Crenna's role as Colonel Trautman, Rambo's commanding officer, is a little one-dimensional. He basically appears as kind of a Greek chorus as to the havoc that Rambo can do.